Leah Van Winkle is the most recent Brushy Fork hire, starting January 2023. With six generations of family history in Berea, she is excited for this opportunity to give back to her community and region through the direct service and leadership development efforts with Brushy Fork. Her educational background is in Psychology (B.A.) & Global Sustainability (M.A.) from the University of South Florida and a Sacred Natural Medicine Doctorate from PanAmerican University. She has extensive experience in direct action & community organizing, with a focus in food justice & land sovereignty through her work collaboratively co-running Permaculture Action Network, and housing & healing justice in her role project managing Cob On Wood, a self-sufficiency hub for an unhoused community in West Oakland, CA. Her skills include facilitation, training & education, embodied practice & nervous system regulation, administrative and logistical operations and more.

Her passion lies in educating to empower, and creating spaces for all voices to be heard. She spends her free time outdoors, growing food, building with natural materials, hiking, reading, dancing and playing.