Meet Our Team

Umi Jenkins

Executive Director | Umi@mississippifarmtoschool.org

Umi is a knowledgeable food literacy educator serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast region where she works with local food producers and families. She seeks to change and uplift the narrative around farming and encourage economic empowerment that is rooted in racial equity. Leveraging her passion for food and family history in farming, Umi is dedicated to educating children across Mississippi about agrarian culture and land stewardship.

With over six years of expertise in gardening and community organizing, Umi is a member of the Mississippi Food Systems Fellowship and the Gulf Coast Sustainable Growers Alliance. She also provides agriculture-based education and resources to homeschool and after-school children in her region. Before this, Umi served as the Media Manager for 34th Street Community Garden & Education Center and the Galloway Family Farm and Education Center. Umi is also a certified wellness coach and serves as a youth sports coach in her hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi.

Sydney Bush Turnipseed

Associate Director | sydney@mississippifarmtoschool.org

Sydney is a Mississippi Gulf Coast Native. Her passion for food justice took off after interning with the Mississippi Farm to School Network and the Mississippi State Data Center, The University of Mississippi Center for Population Studies during undergrad at the University of Mississippi studying Economics and Environmental Studies. She was a Freeman Foundation Grantee, spending a summer during college interning in Shanghai, China and worked with WWOOF in France.

She thrives on community coalition building, bringing folks together working towards social change. Combining her technical knowledge in economics with her passions of food security and public health, she focuses her efforts on fundraising, event planning, and programming with the Mississippi Farm to School Network. She enjoys gardening, traveling, and being outdoors.

MaryJo Wilson

Marketing & Outreach Lead | maryjo@mississippifarmtoschool.org

MaryJo is a recent first-generation graduate from the University of Mississippi, where she studied Integrated Marketing Communications, Environmental Studies, and General Business during her undergraduate studies. As a native of North Mississippi, she has developed a strong passion for philanthropy after interning with the Mississippi Farm to School Network.

In her current role, her goal is to cultivate and establish positive relationships that provide enriching opportunities for food sovereignty and inspire Mississippi communities and children. She also aims to combat the challenges of food insecurity throughout the state by strengthening the local economy and food systems through education, local procurement, and empowerment. MaryJo also enjoys spending her time in nature, cooking, and exploring.