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Board Members, Officers and Staff

Daniel Doyle, Executive Director

Daniel was a high school teacher with the Mississippi Teacher Corps for several years, both in the Delta and on the Gulf Coast. He earned his Master's Degree from the University of MS in Education and shortly after left teaching to co-found and manage one of Mississippi's first CSA farms, Yokna Bottoms, in Oxford, MS. He later co-founded Mississippi Ecological Design, a permaculture design business, which developed school gardens and natural play-scapes in Lafayette County as well as several soil and water management projects in North Mississippi. He loves gardening, writing and spending time with his family - Alison, Sophia and Bailey.
413.441.7785 cell, daniel.doyle@ggsim.org 


Alison Doyle, Administrative Director 


Alison grew up sailing and riding horses on her family's Gulf Coast farm. A graduate of Ole Miss, Alison is the founder of Organic Mothers Birthing Services. She directed the Lafayette County To Love A Child program and developed Sisters, a similar program  that mentors young mothers in Starkville, MS. She is the mother of two - Sophia (2) and Bailey. 

228.218.2780 cell, alison.doyle@ggsim.org


Casey Odom, Intern 


662.574.3769, codom10@gmail.com









Officers
 
Mike Buehler, President

Mike is a physician at Oktibbeha County Hospital in Starkville, MS and a native Starkvillian. He completed medical school at UMC in Jackson, MS and his residency at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He practices radiology as a profession but became interested in sustainability several years ago. Mike added photovoltaic solar panels to his home and wants to find new ways to cut down on waste and carbon emissions. His areas of interest are residential alternative energies and food production as it relates to health epidemics in Mississippi. In his spare time he gardens, and raises chickens and three children. 
 
662.320.6862 home, buehlermd@yahoo.com


Johnny Wray, Vice President

Minister, cattle farmers, grandpa, and organic gardener, Johnny Wray joins us from his farm in Clay County, were he grows grass-fed beef cattle, has horses and an awesome vegetable garden.He and his wife, Deborah, are semi-retired and busier than ever!

662.492.3988 home, jwray17@directv.net





 
Stephen Grado, Treasurer

Professor, Natural Resource Economist, Ph.D. in the Department of Forestry at Mississippi State University. Stephen is also a Society of American Foresters (SAF) Certified Forester/Forest Certification Auditor and SAF Fellow. He received a Ph.D. in Forest Resources in 1992, a M.S. degree in Forest Resources and Operations Research in 1984, and a B.S. degree in Forest Science in 1979 at The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania.  He has a B.A. degree in Political Science from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. His expertise, as a natural resource economist, is specializing in issues relating to multiple-use forest management and economics, wildlife economics, outdoor recreation, forest certification, human dimensions, eco-tourism, and urban and community forestry.
 

662.325.2792 office, sgrado@cfr.msstate.edu



Rhonda Head, Secretary

Rhonda is a martial arts practitioner, nurse, mother of three, and if that is not enough, blueberry farmer! She has been an active member of the Starkville Community Market and has recently started an initiative to explore a certified community kitchen and cannery.







Board Members

Statewide Representatives 

Alison Buehler, is a teacher by training. She taught special education for five years and received her doctorate in educational administration. She currently raises three children. Alison is interested in creating green jobs and finding local solutions to environmental problems.  
662.694.0124 cell, alison.buehler@ggsim.org











Marion Sansing, is the heart, soul, and brain that keeps Gaining Ground growing. Former firefighter, skydiver, and Winner of the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer of the Year Award, Marion agreed to put her extensive background in community organizing to work for Gaining Ground as its first Executive Director and has developed the organization into what it is today. Originally from Germany, Marion now finds herself at home as the hub of communications for our organization. Many great ideas for GGSIM originate in Marion's kitchen! 



Joe Massey, Associate professor (80% research, 20% teaching), Ph.D.in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at Mississippi State University. He teaches graduate-level courses in Herbicide Physiology & Biochemistry (PSS 8724) and the Environmental Fate of Herbicides (PSS 8634). As coordinator of the Environmental Science certificate program, he also teaches Introduction to Environmental Science (ENS 2102) for undergraduates. His research devises water- and energy-saving practices for row crop production.  Prior to Mississippi State, he was a research chemist with DuPont Crop Protection in Wilmington, DE.
 
  662.325.4725 office jmassey@pss.msstate.edu
 

 



 Annette Waya Ewing, an artist, writer, and owner of ShooFly Organic Farm in Lena, MS. Annette is retired from a tenured professorship at MDC in Miami where she was active in the Earth Ethics Institute, College Academic and Student Support Council, the President's Council on Issues in Higher Education, and was a Founding Member of the Miami Institute for Ethical Awareness. She holds an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a BFA from Kansas City Art Institute, and has done post graduate work in pedagogic theory, Eco-Cosmology, Earth Literacy, Sustainability, Deep Ecology, and Lifestyle Medicine for Stress Management. In South Florida, she became keenly aware of the issues of disappearing farmland when she moved to the Redland agricultural area--the last strip of green between Miami’s urban sprawl and the Everglades--and became active in land conservation efforts. 
 
601.654.3301,  bisonsmile@bellsouth.net


Julie White, County Extension Director for Oktibbeha County. She has been employed with the Mississippi State University Extension Service for ten years, serving as an Extension 4-H Youth Agent for nine years. Julie earned a Bachelor’s of Science from Louisiana State University, a Master’s of Science from Mississippi State University, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy at Mississippi State University. All of her degrees are in Agriculture and Extension Education.

 

662.323.5916 office, juliew@ext.msstate.edu







Renee Clary, is an assistant professor of geosciences at Mississippi State University. She also serves as the Director of the Dunn-Seiler Museum. As co-founder of EarthScholars Research Group, her research focus is in improving public understanding of science, in traditional, online and informal environments.

662.325.5924, rclary@geosci.msstate.edu 







Ali Fratesi

662.207.4011, alifratesi@gmail.com






Chris Oswalt

662.386.7470, oswaltchris@hotmail.com





 
Orlando Trainer 

662.769.0070, orlandotrainer@hotmail.com







Regional Representatives 

Central

Jim Pathfinder Ewing, a published author, teacher, organic farmer. Jim operates ShooFly Organic Farm with his wife, Annette where they teach classes on their interests. His books on energy medicine and Native American spirituality have been are published in English, German, Russian and Japanese. The books reflect a lifelong study of alternative medicine techniques. He is considered a pioneer in the study of eco spirituality, spiritual ecology and environmental shamanism.  He has served on the board of Rainbow Whole Foods Co-Op,  MS Ducks Unlimited and MS Wildlife Federation. His background as a writer and editor at The Clarion-Ledger and before that, USA TODAY and the Jackson Daily News in Jackson, Miss., spans more than three decades. He is best known for his award-winning on-the-road series, Mississippi Byways.

  601.654.3301,  blueskywaters@att.net

Southwest 

Preston Sullivan, a native of Mississippi and resident landowner in Franklin County where he lives and grows a market garden on a 90-acre tract 15 miles north of Meadville. He’s a graduate of Mississippi State University (Agronomy), North Carolina State University where he earned the Masters Degree in Soil Science and Virginia Tech where he earned the PhD degree in Crop and Soil Science. His career includes 13 years of technical writing, teaching, and consulting with farmers and ranchers about sustainable crop production, soil management, and financial planning through The National Center for Appropriate Technology (ncat.org), home of the ATTRA Project (attra.org).

601.384.5310,  prestons@telepak.net


Northeast/Hill Country 

Benjamin Koltai has been growing gardens in Mississippi since 2009. He studied permaculture at the Regenerative Design Institute in Bolinas, CA. He loves to play in the garden and experiment with new techniques. Benjamin lives with his wife, Lydia, his daughter, Nisa, and his son, Yeshaiah, in Yocona Community outside of Oxford.

662-607-5337, bkoltai9@gmail.com




East Central 

Mandi Sanders runs the Golden Triangle chapter of Gaining Ground as well as Starkville Natural Parents. She is a passionate advocate for natural childbirth options and better education for women about their bodies' amazing capabilities. She currently resides in Starkville, MS and is busy with all things related to mothering two boys, Tripp (3) and Charlie (1).

662-791-1663, mandi.sanders@ggsim.org




Delta - TBD

Southeast - TBD

Gulf Coast - TBD


 
When people can see a vision and simultaneously recognize what can be done,
they will begin to feel encouragement and enthusiasm instead of fright. 
~Erich Fromm

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