City Slicker Farms

The City Slicker Farms Farm Park Council is a community-based council that serves as the voice of the community and as ambassadors for this new green space in West Oakland.

Terry Banks
After living in Oakland for many years, Terry Banks decided to put down roots in West Oakland because the industrial feel reminded her so much of her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. Upon discovering that she lived in a food desert, she decided to become part of the solution. Since connecting with City Slicker Farms in 2010 she has been a fan, advocate and supporter. Her backyard gardening skills are steadily improving as is her fear of bugs. By day, she is supply chain professional with an affinity for startups and small companies.

Anthony Hall
Bio coming soon

Faro Jones
A native of Minneapolis, MN, Faro Jones first moved to the Bay Area in 2002 as an AmeriCorps volunteer helping multiply-challenged clients navigate the public benefits system. This experience led her to New Orleans where she spent time volunteering in communities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina and working as a dietitian in a community hospital. Faro currently works with the WIC program in Oakland and is committed to helping women and their families expand their nutritional awareness and reap the benefits of healthy eating. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, traveling and volunteering with awesome organizations like CIty Slicker Farms.

Ray Kidd
Ray Kidd moved to West Oakland in 1973 and has been growing vegetables and fruit in his yards ever since. He sees City Slicker Farms as a way to provide the wider community some of the benefits that he has enjoyed from locally grown, organic, low cost food. The educational values of things such as the superior nutrition and taste of fresh produce, as well as cautionary information about hazards such as the widespread lead contamination in the soil are also important to him. His environmental understanding and activity has also been broadened by his participation the West Oakland Neighbors group and its dealings with the Port of Oakland related to the severe diesel particulate matter air pollution in West Oakland. This has led to his involvement in other community activities such as redevelopment and tree planting. He is happy to identify with some of the inspiring and enlightened activities that can have effects on the local/neighborhood level in contrast to larger venues where the forces of disintegration prevail. He is retired from the Postal Service and enjoys riding his bike.

Laura Koch
Laura Koch has a love of gardening instilled by her parents and grandparents during her childhood in Virginia, and a love of Oakland, which has been her home since 1998. Laura is an attorney in public health law and policy with a background in social work. She is excited to be supporting City Slicker Farms as a member of the advisory council. Laura believes that the Urban Farm and Park will honor West Oakland’s rich history by supporting a healthy, sustainable future.

Akosua Mtambuzi
Bio coming soon

Thabiti Mtambuzi
Thabiti Mtambuzi lives in Richmond, CA. He retired from working as the Director of Health Services for San Francisco's Juvenile Hall. His hobbies include making money (which is not easy to do in today's marketplace), reading and traveling. He is a grassroots community organizer and very much enjoys working in and with community-based-organizations in the San Francisco Area and with non-governmental organizations in Africa. He looks forward to what he can learn and share with people about urban gardening and farming.

Ernestine Nettles
Ernestine Nettles was born and raised in West Oakland and is very active in her community, especially as a gardener. A big part of her life has been spent cultivating and sharing fruits and vegetables with her friends and neighbors. “Everyone loves my dinosaur kale and my yellow tomatoes,” she says. “And my enchanted Meyer lemon tree accommodates the whole neighborhood!” Ernestine inherited her love of gardening from her parents and she sees her yard as their legacy, especially since they were doing the same thing-- growing and sharing healthy vegetables-- in West Oakland in the ‘40s and ‘50s. Ernestine was overjoyed to become involved with City Slickers, and she sees local garden projects as an extension of all the close-knit community values that she grew up with.

Mark Dessert
An Architect by trade, a Chef at heart, Mark Dessert (yes, that is his real last name) decided to pursue his lifelong passion for cooking after working in the Architecture and Design field for over 15 years. Chef Mark is the owner of RAISE the ROOT Cooking Collective where he teaches people of all ages and walks of life the art of cooking. He is passionate about real food and enjoys sharing his knowledge of creating dishes using locally grown, seasonal fare in an effort to inform people about the health and nutritional benefits of eating whole, unrefined, unprocessed foods. In his spare time Mark enjoys learning about all things culinary, exploring the outdoors and volunteering his time to teach kids about food, both in the kitchen and out in the garden.

Samaki Dorsey
Samaki Dorsey is a West Oakland resident who is very passionate about gardening. She loves connecting with people, creating access to fresh, healthy food, while inspiring others to adopt a healthier lifestyle. She loves music, cooking and trying new recipes that delight the taste buds and nourish the body. Seeking a way to connect deeply with the West Oakland community, Samaki joined the Farm Park Council and is very excited about being involved in the process to bring this space of learning and engagement to fruition.