Lauren Tucker grew up in West Virginia surrounded by natural beauty and conventional farmland. She always felt there was something missing with how disconnected humans are to land in our current society. Her passion for earth and humanity developed from there, and she graduated with a B.A. from the Honors program at American University in Psychology and International Studies. She spent 9 months studying abroad and volunteering throughout Africa and completed her thesis on the ineffectiveness of U.S. food aid in Ethiopia, North Korea and Malawi. Throughout this time, she also became an ABA trained therapist for autistic children. Once completing her schooling, she helped develop a nonprofit called Green Light New Orleans, to rebuild the community post-Katrina. She built the team to include a proper staff and hundreds of volunteers. Her passion for agriculture continued through her studies of biodynamic farming, soil health, and regenerative agriculture, becoming a UC Master Gardener and earning a Permaculture Design Certificate. Lauren has also worked in operations at Angel Flight West, another nonprofit, and been a chef and organizer of farm dinners, to bring people together around healthy eating. She’s been with Kiss The Ground since the beginning, initially heading up the local garden and now serving as their Executive Director.