Erica Krug
Erica grew up in Madison, Wisconsin with a mother from Iowa who believes there is nothing better than a homegrown tomato or an ear of sweet corn from a roadside pick-up truck. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in journalism, she moved to Wyoming where it was nearly impossible to find locally-grown sweet corn. After several years in the mountains she headed home to Wisconsin to pursue a degree in elementary education. On the drive home through Iowa she felt such a strong connection to the rolling farmland that she knew she had made the right call. After graduating with a teaching degree, she accepted a position at a small elementary school with a large amount of land. With the guidance of two like-minded colleagues, she helped to establish a school garden program and became part of a professional learning community made up of teachers in Madison who were dedicated to growing school food gardens. Erica left her teaching position in 2015 after having a son, but school gardens continued to have a special place in her heart. In 2020 she accepted a position with Rooted, a non-profit organization, where she works as Farm to School Director and oversees an AmeriCorps program that supports six school gardens, including one at the school where she taught for five years. She also supports the Wisconsin School Garden Network where she is the administrator for a free course for educators about teaching outdoors, specifically in garden settings, and helps to organize events for the statewide Wisconsin School Garden Day in May.
Contact: EricaK@KidsGardening.org