Mary Pat Dwyer, Secretary

Mary Pat Dwyer is a lawyer with a background in social justice applications of law. She is currently the Academic Program Director at Georgetown University Law Center's Institute for Technology Law & Policy, where her projects focus on public interest applications of technology. Prior to joining Georgetown, she was a Fellow in the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, where her research and writing focused on the impacts of technology on civil liberties, as well as issues pertaining to content moderation and online speech. She was drawn to Common Good City Farm's mission to provide local, sustainable food options, and spends much of her free time cooking and baking. She lives in Bloomingdale with her husband and two cats.

Jenna Segal

For nearly fifteen years, Jenna Segal has worked nationally and internationally across the food system to develop and support equitable, sustainable food systems that positively impact the health and well-being of people around the world. Jenna first became interested in the intersection of sustainability and public health while studying Ecological Determinants of Health at McGill University in Montreal. After nearly a decade of professional experience, Jenna obtained a Masters of Public Health in Nutrition at UC Berkeley. Jenna has worked on the farm, in the field, in academic and educational environments, with non-profits, with state agencies, with the USDA at the Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Office of Community Food Systems, and now, at USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) as an Outreach Specialist and their Acting Urban Agriculture Lead.

Sofya Leonova

Sofya is the Senior Manager of Government Affairs at the Partnership for Public Service, where she develops policy proposals and implements strategies for engaging Congress on federal workforce issues. Prior to joining the Partnership, she served for over a decade as a staffer in the House of Representatives covering a wide range of policy areas including healthcare, social welfare, the federal tax system, and budget and appropriations. She first came to DC as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow and is thrilled to support Common Good City Farm in its mission to foster community and bring delicious and wholesome food to all its neighbors. When she’s not at the farm, you can probably find her shuttling furniture for refugee resettlement, mucking about the Anacostia River, reading a good comic book, or nerding out over a new board game with friends.

David Lasker

Board member David Lasker brings over two decades of experience in architecture, hospitality design and project planning. His background ranges from ground-up construction of modern high-rise residences, to the renovation of historic hotels around the world. With projects spanning throughout Asia, the Hawaiian Islands, Europe and the Middle East, David contributes a global perspective to his work.

After earning his Professional degree in Architecture at the University of Southern California, David spent eight years at BAMO in San Francisco as a Senior Project Designer, leading national and international projects. He went on to become a licensed architect and found his own hospitality design firm, Paletteur, in San Francisco in 2012, followed by Maisonette in Washington D.C. in 2018. He specializes in projects where he can bring a unique sense of history and placemaking, creating seamless and memorable experiences for those that come in contact with his work.

Since moving to Washington D.C., David has channeled much of his creative energies and extensive hospitality knowledge toward community based projects in the non-profit sector. He has worked extensively with Farms Work Wonders in Wardensville, West Virginia to envision and construct venues benefiting Appalachian youth, including the recently opened teaching kitchen and restaurant, Mack’s Bingo. 

In his Washington D.C. community, in addition to serving on the Board of Common Good City Farm, David has served since 2018 on the Friends of the Park at LeDroit, and as President since 2020. During that time, he led the community effort to re envision and redesign the park to add over sixty new trees along with a playfield, shade structures, new gathering and seating areas, footpaths and a splash pad to provide respite from the summer heat.

Growing up in an agricultural community and home, David brings a deep connection to the land and farming, as well as a passion for nurturing the communities in which he lives.

Din Bonny, Treasurer

Din Bonny has worked in the financial industry for over 20 years in various capacities. In addition to her current position as staff accountant at Vaughan Restoration, she offers financial consulting to emerging small businesses through her firm Crescent Books. She is fiercely committed to rethinking the food industry with an emphasis on sustainable and nourishing food that is accessible to all. At the moment she is a mentor at Do The Work working with at-risk youth. She is a free thinking humanist, committed to bringing mental health, self awareness and summatic understanding to all.

Joni Celiz

Joni is the Development Director at FRESHFARM. She leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive fundraising strategy that supports farmers markets, food access, and food education programs. With over eight years of development experience, Joni has worked for various nonprofit causes including foreign policy, cancer research, and historic site conservation. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History and International Studies from Monash University, Australia. Joni is a daughter of Filipino immigrants and values family, community, and food justice in all aspects of her personal and professional life.

Elizabeth Gabriel

Elizabeth (formerly Liz Falk) worked to improve food security and strengthen the local food movement in Washington, DC starting in 2003. After months of researching DC's community health and urban farming history and interviewing key stakeholders, Elizabeth and Susan Ellsworth founded Common Good City Farm in 2007 with a simple vision to increase fresh food access to DC's low-income residents in the Shaw neighborhood. Elizabeth has a background in environmental studies and education and a dual master's degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development. She has worked on organic farms in Virginia, Australia and Costa Rica. Elizabeth received a certification in permaculture design in 2006. She moved back to her roots in the Finger Lakes region of New York in 2009, where she and her husband, Steve, co-own a permaculture farm and homestead called Wellspring Forest Farm and she works as the director of the Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming.

Susan Ellsworth

Susan loves working outside, getting to know her neighbors and sharing knowledge about food. Working with community members at the 7th Street Garden and then Common Good City Farm provided just that opportunity. A resident of Washington D.C. since 2003, Susan and co-founder Elizabeth Gabriel were eager to help build a vibrant, fun and educational space that would help to to address some of the food and health disparities within the city. Susan misses Washington, DC from California where she splits her time between agriculture and urban edge planning and working on an olive farm. She has a BA from Colby College and an MS in Community Development from UC Davis.