OUR TEAM
Angela Dawson
Founder & CEO
Angela Dawson is a fourth-generation midwest farmer, a cooperative advocate, and a public health researcher with 25 years experience of community development research and innovation. A career academician, she holds several executive Business Administrations Certificates as well as advanced legal and public health research certifications. Her passions have been to integrate her academic and professional expertise to solve emergent community issues related to agricultural equity, access to technology, entrepreneurship and education.
Harold Robinson
Chief Growth Officer
Davey Johnson
Agricultural Operations Consultant
Davey Johnson is a multi-generational tree farmer, multi-faceted contractor, roofer, and grower with ten years experience cultivating the cannabis plant. Davey crafted his hemp growing experience over ten years ago and is now heading up the hemp grow and cultivation strategies for 40 Acre Coop. He offers consulting on best practices for establishing a grow plan that gets the best results from your hemp harvest.
Dr. Brenda Waller M.D.
Chief Science Officer
Dr. Brenda Waller, MD was born and raised in Halifax County, VA with strong family values, a good work ethic and belief in God. Growing up, consisted of long hours working on the farm, playing baseball on Saturday, and going to church on Sunday. Her classroom was a 55 acre farm with creeks, streams, and plenty of forest to explore. Nature provided important learning opportunities as a child that remain with her today.
After high school, Dr. Waller worked as a secretary at Howard University’s hospital in Washington, D.C. It was those doctors that motivated and inspired her to pursue medicine. After earning her BS in Chemistry from Howard University, she went on to earn her Doctor of Medicine degree at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. After medical schools, she went on to complete her residency at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem where she was the only Black person in residency. The discrimination she faced was not a pleasant experience. Being Black in America can be challenging enough, but being a Black female physician in her experience makes it even more challenging.
Dr. Waller completed her post graduate training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is currently the CEO of PRIS, PLC, located in Lynchburg, VA, founded in 2003. In 2009, she also started the Institute for Integrative Medicine and Comprehensive Rehabilitation (IIMCR). IIMCR is a nonprofit that seeks to provide health care services and information to individuals and families with limited or no health care coverage in Central Virginia.
In her spare time, she enjoys golf, horticulture, walking through the woods and grooming her horse. When asked how she wants to be remembered, she says, “That I ‘tried to be the change I wanted to see in the world’. I’ve worked hard and have managed to accomplish a lot, but if I do not bring anyone along to a higher plane through inspiring, showing kindness or giving a hand up, then not much to talk about.”
Miah Ulysse
Project Management
Miah Ulysse (mee-yah you-liss-ee) is a fierce justice advocate and community connector with roots in Minnesota and Haiti. She is passionate about creating more just systems through policy, food, farming, land access, and natural spaces. Miah has impacted the Twin Cities community through her work on policy/advocacy, program development, network building, and communications at organizations such as Loaves & Fishes, Wirth Cooperative Grocery, Appetite for Change, 40 Acre Co-op, and Wilder Foundation. She has advanced local, state, and federal food policy efforts - including the establishment of the Urban Agriculture Grant Program, one of the first urban agriculture-specific state-funded grant programs in the country. Miah currently facilitates the Community Equity Program, a 9 month leadership program based out of Wilder Foundation specifically designed for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community leaders to learn the Minnesota legislative policy making process, build community with one another, and re-imagine new systems and ways of being that decentralize systems of white supremacy. Miah is also the Principal of Rūted Solutions, a consulting firm that offers facilitation, program development, and strategic planning services to clients who would like a fresh approach to their work. A seasoned self-taught chef, budding herbalist, and outdoors fanatic, Miah enjoys getting her hands dirty in the garden and unplugging by spending time with nature.
Natalie Johnson Lee
Human Resources Consultant
Natalie Johnson Lee is currently the Founder of Sisters In Power, LLC and a Principal Consultant/Certified Coach for the Power of People Leadership Institute. She is a fierce advocate for her community with a keen understanding of the complexities that currently exists in our society.
Her “down to earth” communication style and servant leader attitude allows her to engage the professional community as she currently serves as the Public Relations Chair of the North Minneapolis Rotary Club. This has proven to be an excellent channel for Johnson Lee to demonstrate her belief in service above self.
Her career spans the corporate, non-profit, faith-based and public sectors where she served as the Minneapolis 5th Ward City Council Member. Johnson Lee is a life-long learner, dedicated wife, committed mother/grandmother, faithful servant and a compassionate mentor to many.
Andrew X
Chief Strategy Officer
Andrew X (he/him) cultivates a liberatory praxis of centering historically-marginalized communities rooted in the pursuit of self-determination and cultural healing with a focus on the intersection of regenerative agriculture, food systems, ownership of land and labor, social enterprise ecosystems, holistic design, and systems change. Andrew currently works as an independent consultant, focusing largely on BIPOC-led enterprise & land projects, and is writing his forthcoming book (yet to be announced).
Andrew is Founder & CEO of Andrew X Consulting, serving regenerative social enterprises with a focus on racial justice and economic repair and he produces and co-hosts the Road to Repair podcast. Previously, he served as a worker-owner at LIFT Economy where he produced the Next Economy Now podcast series and served as an instructor in the Next Economy MBA program. A glimpse into Andrew’s unique perspective and analysis during that window in time can be heard in this interview on the Planetary Regeneration Podcast with Gregory Landua, in this interview on the Next Economy Now podcast, and of course throughout his many interviews on Next Economy Now. Prior to that he served on the Board of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis while earning his degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, pioneering original research as a McNair Scholar with departmental honors. He loves being immersed in the natural world and nourishing community. He currently resides on unceded Coast Miwok lands in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Elijah Gill
Operations Manager
Elijah Gill was born in Lakenheath, England and moved around a bit during childhood, spending most of his time in San Antonio, Texas.
After high school, Elijah moved to Fargo, North Dakota, where he studied Management Communication and Political Science. He has a large background in event coordinating and organizational operations management.
He moved to Minneapolis in the summer of 2019 and got involved with the Co-op in late 2020.
He current runs two companies: a non-profit operations consulting firm, Gill Operations, and an event planning, logistics, and management company, GO! Events.
Kimberly Sayles
Administrative Assistant
Clark Arrington
General Counsel
Clark R. Arrington is an experienced attorney and educator who has supported socially responsible businesses around the world. Prior to joining Seed Commons and The Working World, Clark taught and practiced Business Law in Tanzania and Tunisia. Clark served as Chair, General Counsel and Capital Coordinator of Equal Exchange and has served on the boards of the ICA Group, the Social Venture Network, and the Cooperative Fund of New England. He is a 2021 inductee into the Cooperative Hall of Fame.