Board of Directors

Paul Seamus Ryan is a food enthusiast who, in addition to serving as the Board Chair and committed volunteer for Common Good, also teaches cooking classes at ArtSpace DC, volunteers for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, shops regularly at local farmers markets, spends a lot of time cooking for friends and family and also spends time behind a camera photographing food and anything else that catches his attention. He makes his living as an attorney for the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center, a DC-based voting rights and election reform organization.

Kenan’s first job was to get up at the crack of dawn to work in his grandfather’s (and in most of his neighbor's) gardens in rural VA. It was in those gardens that Kenan developed an appreciation for food less traveled and for hands-on hard work. Kenan presently consults with the US Government on acquisition policy, procedure and oversight and most enjoys eating good food! In addition to being on the Board of Common Good City Farm, Kenan is an elected member of his condominium association board and Vice President of the LeDroit Park Civic Association. Kenan was born and raised in Washington DC, currently lives in LeDroit Park, and is responsible for the cool aerial photos seen on this web site.

Stephanie Slewka was born in the US but grew up in Belgium and rural parts of the Netherlands, where neighbors gleaned sugar beets and potatoes in the fall, and where milk cows were pets. A documentary filmmaker, she’s an active neighbor and mother in Shaw, where her daughter is growing tall as a weed. She’s been a supporter of Common Good City Farm since early days on 7th Street.

John David Murphy began his career in the food industry at the ripe age of 13 in Kingston, TN. After spending time in kitchens from New York to Los Angeles, John found a home in Washington, D.C. working as Chef de Cuisine at Sonoma Restaurant on Capitol Hill. In 2008, John found himself in a hospital bed with a doctor instructing him that he needed to take it easier; the long hours and stress were literally “eating” his insides. In that hospital bed, John picked up books and quotes about Robert Francis Kennedy and it was in those words that John found his true calling; to help those most in need of nutritious food. John now serves as Assistant Director of Kitchen Operations at Miriam’s Kitchen and enjoys every moment of being a part of a greater community.

Louise grew up in the restaurant business in Boston, Massachusetts. The family business was an anchor in an older, urban neighborhood and the environment instilled her with a love of food, family and community. She has worked for an array of progressive organizations such as SEIU, USAction, and Family USA as a project and event manager and administrator. She “cut her teeth” on food security and agricultural/community sustainability issues while setting up food co-ops in college, serving as an advocate for the Federal Child Nutrition programs, and later working for Democratic populist, Jim Hightower, at the Texas Department of Agriculture, as well as the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Louise joined the CGCF team when she was asked to assess the organization’s administrative operation, and she fell in love with its mission and its potential impact on the local community.

Jahera Otieno's love for local farming and our food system started when she was 14. Her first job was at The Food Project and introduced her to other young people, working collaboratively on the land to build a sustainable, local food system in Boston, Massachusetts and across the country. Her time with TFP, which included some service as a youth board member, led her to Cornell University where she fell more in love with food, nutrition and public health. Jahera holds a Masters in Public Health and works today as a Program Management Officer for World Vision on the Health and HIV team. There, she oversees USAID public health projects in Southern Sudan, Kenya, Mozambique, Afghanistan, Malawi and Tanzania.