Our Team

Juan Nuñez, born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, has always believed in helping the communities in which he takes up space in. Committed to community empowerment and wildlife conservation, Juan began his work in Urban Agriculture in 2021 but has previous work experiences in the educational field. Working with every grade from K-12, in both inside and outside the classroom setting, they believe all knowledge should be accessible to everyone. As a current resident of Oakland, Juan hopes to be able to learn and help the beautiful community in any and all capacity. In his free time, Juan enjoys spending time outside, listening to new music, and studying the brilliant game of chess.

Region Lewis is a farmer who was born and raised in Oakland CA where he lives in an intentional community with his family called Nafsi ya Jami (Soul Community). In 2009, he completed an eight week internship( MAAP) with the Center for Third World organizing. Upon completing the internship, he co-founded full harvest farms, managing it for the next eight years. During that time he blended his organizing training with his passion for growing food, becoming a farmer and an activist in the food justice movement. He has collaborated and volunteered with food justice organizations throughout the East Bay including Spiral Gardens, Urban Tilth, Diver Plaza, People’s Grocery and Qilombo. Through this time he has built a relationship with Movement Generation first as part of Permaculture For People (P4P) through which he received his Permaculture Design Certification from Occidental Arts and Ecology Center; later as part of the Black Land Liberation Initiative. He loves hiking local trails and finding new coffee spaces with delicious pour overs Ethiopian dark roast.

Andrea Preciado Hernandez, born and raised in Santa Ana, CA. They graduated from Sonoma State in 2018 with a degree in Geography. After graduating they went onto work at their local food bank in Orange County as a Calfresh Coordinator. After moving to Oakland in 2019, they worked in the Public Defender’s Office as a Client Advocate, doing intensive case management. Recently they have become a part of the Crucible; a non-profit industrial arts organization in West Oakland. During their free time, they enjoy making art, sewing and embroidering their own creations as well as just hanging out with friends or reading a good book. Andrea has been looking to get involved with City Slicker Farms since moving here in 2019, and is very excited now for their opportunity to be a part of the team and work with the land!

Aliya Benudiz is a lifelong gardener, artist, and environmentalist from Long Beach, California. While obtaining her B.A in public health and food systems from UC Berkeley, she became deeply committed to mental health activism, food justice, and sustainable agriculture. She also recently obtained her Permaculture Designer Certification from Oregon State University. She has volunteered with local community gardens such as the Student Organic Garden Association and Gill Tract Farm, where she discovered her passion for Community Supported Agriculture. She also has been a committed activist in the fight to Defend People’s Park, as well as student movements to destigmatize mental health. In her free time, she tends to her own medicinal herb garden and extensive tropical houseplant collection. She is excited to join City Slicker Farms as their Communications Coordinator where she can combine her passions for social justice, artistic design, urban agriculture, and serving the community she loves.

Gianna Zamora was born and raised on unceded Ohlone land, on what is now referred to as San Jose (South Bay Area). She comes from a lineage of educators and land workers. Her interest in land cultivation started early on observing her elders cultivate thriving gardens in their backyards. While attending university at UC San Diego, Gianna became an avid volunteer at the community garden where her passion for land stewardship and food sovereignty deepened. After college, she returned back to the Bay Area and has continued to volunteer and support local farm initiatives such as, The Alemany Farm in San Francisco and Planting Justice in Oakland, and has worked in the education field with various organizations such as, The San Jose Museum of Art, Project Ember, and Green-Art Workshop. She feels privileged to receive this opportunity to serve her local community as a Programs Assistant and to deepen her education in food justice, ending food apartheid, and developing curriculum and programs to support these movements.

Jordan hill was born and raised in Michigan and moved to Arizona as a teen. His interest are movies, video games and music. Used to a very busy life, Jordan has said that City Slicker farms has been a vital reminder to always take the time to appreciate the community that surrounds him and too also give back.