Meet the team
Rick Tatnall - Executive Director
Rick was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA and graduated from UVA in 1979, moving to the RVA in 1980. For more than three decades Rick has been an activist and advocate, promoting a more cooperative, collaborative and compassionate community in Richmond, across Virginia and around the world. Over the past 15 years Rick has evolved into an actionist, acting on his beliefs (often singlehandedly) to support the underserved and strengthen the education and social development of our youth. Rick’s idea for the MLK Urban Agriculture Center was first conceived in 2015. Never one to give up, his perseverance is finally being realized in 2021 as we start to develop MLK Urban Ag into a world class education and training facility dedicated to Dr. King. Read on about Rick HERE
Chris Hawks
A lifelong resident of central Virginia, Chris Hawks has a passion for restoring the soil and helping people find their connection to the earth that feeds us and the water that connects us. He believes healing comes through biodiversity and connection and is always looking for ways to create healthier ecosystems. He is a carpenter by trade and loves to create useful farm structures out of reclaimed materials. Chris spends every possible moment outdoors and enjoys gardening, foraging, camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and yoga.
Amyrose Foll
She is cultivating the next generation of land and water protectors through sharing knowledge in Indigenous lifeways and ethnobotany. A passion for agriculture and deep concerns about community food security led her to become a stakeholder in the Virginia Dept. of Agriculture Equitable Food Oriented Distribution Taskforce, and founder of Virginia Free Farms, and 2020 Women's Earth Alliance Cohort. Find out more HERE
Ruslana Remennikova
Ruslana Remennikova, a resident of Virginia, is an advocate for biosustainability and energy conservation. She spent 10 years working in the scientific field, studying pharmaceuticals in the western and eastern realms. With her entrepreneurial experiences owning a coffee shop and food truck, she is now at accredited business consultant, working with other aspiring entrepreneurs using a holistic and community based approach. Ruslana is finalizing her first book that goes into understanding the roots of our humanity, the importance of sustaining our home and planet.