Meet the Growing Minds team below. For general inquiries, please contact our team by email at growingminds@nullasapconnections.org or by phone at 828-236-1282.
Danielle Raucheisen
Program Director
draucheisen@nullasapconnections.org
Email Danielle if you are interested in any of the following areas:
- Partnering with ASAP/Growing Minds
- Policy initiatives
- Consulting
- State or regional initiatives
- Farm to school training and technical assistance (teachers, child nutrition staff, farmers, community members)
Debbi Timson
Program Coordinator
dtimson@nullasapconnections.org
I was born and raised in Miami, FL and moved to St. Pete, FL when I was 11. My husband and I have lived all over the United States, from California to Jersey. I am a former school nutrition supervisor and was very involved with farm to school, implementing local fruit and veggie taste tests in the cafeterias. Before working in school nutrition, I was a preschool teacher for 9 years. I joined the Growing Minds team in January 2020 and am very passionate about all things farm to school. I have seen how lives can be transformed through the programs we offer and how one simple change can snowball into multiple changes for healthier futures for our children. When I am not spreading the joys of farm to school you can find me spending time with my family, including my awe-inspiring grandsons, Liam, Parker, Rory, and Riley!!
Email Debbi if you are an ECE (Early Care and Education) site / center interested in any of the following areas:
- Farm to ECE resources including lesson plans, nutrition education activities, garden & farm activities, farm field trip guides, and school garden resources
- Local food procurement and support with local farm connections
- Farm to ECE funding (when available. See funding page for more details)
- Teacher resources (seeds, stickers, recipe cards, lending library, lending kitchen, etc…)
- Farm to ECE training inquiries and technical assistance
- North Carolina Farm to Preschool Network
Suzi Palladino
Program Coordinator
spalladino@nullasapconnections.org
I was born and raised in Chapel Hill, NC. After graduating college, I spent 6 months working on farms in New Zealand before supporting school gardens in San Francisco and then co-managing a teaching garden for 6 years in the heart of SF. I joined ASAP in the Spring of 2022 as one of the Program Coordinators for the Growing Minds program. I am passionate about farm to school because it weaves together environmental stewardship, fosters healthy eating habits during formative years, brings joy to the classroom, builds community resiliency, and uplifts the farmers in our community. At its root, farm to school invites joy into an experience, which is probably the most rewarding outcome for me. My favorite snack to prepare is hand-smashed cucumber salad featuring the white cucumbers from Olivette Farm.
Email Suzi if you are a K-12 school interested in any of the following areas:
- K-12 local food procurement and support with local farm connections
- K-12 Farm to School funding (when available. See funding page for more details)
- K-12 Farm to school resources including lesson plans, nutrition education activities, garden, and farm activities, farm field trip guides, and school garden resources
- K-12 teacher resources (seeds, stickers, recipe cards, lending library, lending kitchen, etc…)
- K-12 partnership questions and inquiries
- Farm to school training inquiries
- School garden technical assistance