Who We Are
Our team cumulatively brings over 50 years of landscaping, urban farming, programming, and culinary expertise to Star Farm community and clients. While each team member boasts speciality skills, we all work together with the underlying mission of creating a resilient food system through growing, sharing, and celebrating food.
Interested in joining our team? Submit a resume and brief cover letter to stephanie@starfarmchicago.com
Created by the talented local artist Francia Garcia Hernandez, The Voices of Star Farm tells the story of the individuals who have devoted themselves to working in the food justice world through Star Farm’s programming. Read in full here or find out more at the zine’s webpage.
Meet The Team
Stephanie Dunn
Founder and Executive Director
Stephanie is an experienced urban farmer focused on food production and accesibility for food insecure communities. She has managed a 10,000 lb urban farm production for more than seven years, and has extensive experience in logistics, delivery, food safety, processing, and sustainable packaging.
As a licensed general contractor, she brings construction and landscaping experience and is able to design and build small and large-scale infrastructure and farm projects, while also managing all of the moving parts of coordinating materials, staff, and contractors, while meeting fast-paced programming goals.
Sofia Calderon
Stewardship and Development Manager
Sofía graduated from ITAM at Mexico City with a B.S in International Relations. Sofía is passionate about local initiatives and believes that community organization is capable of making significant change at different scales. For most of her career, Sofía has worked in community outreach and engagement with immigrant populations and acknowledges how fundamental it is to have a local network of resources, neighbors and organizations. In her free time, Sofía enjoys biking and taking long walks in the city.
Johanna Luna
Program Associate
I am from Bogota, Colombia and spent most of my life living there. Prior to moving to Chicago, I spent a year living in New York. I have two daughters, a husband, and I love cats. When I am not at work, I enjoy volleyball and biking.
Maria Gamboa
Fresh Market Manager
I'm a Fresh Market Manager at Star Farm, where I help manage the day-to-day operations of the Fresh Market, coordinate CSA pickups, assist customers, and support all of our community programs. Each day allows me to learn something new, whether it's about fresh produce, local food, or the people we serve. Working at Star Farm has supported my professional growth while allowing me to contribute to our programs and the Fresh Market.
Vasilios Rosenzweig
Project Manager
I am excited to join Star Farm as Project Manager, bringing a background that combines military and emergency response leadership with Big4 accounting and mid-market M&A. I was immediately drawn to Star Farm after attending the Thanksgiving community lunch and have been incredibly impressed by its leadership and staff since then. I am a humanitarian - serving multiple leadership roles for a national emergency response, running an afterschool mentorship program, supporting food security organizations on Chicago's West Side, and more - and I own and operate a few startup ventures - Lumiere Studios LLC, Aware Tech Inc., VRR Ventures LLC - which has forced me to be my own project manager and for others on my teams. I hold a B.S. in Accountancy from UIUC, am slowly pursuing a PhD in astrophysics, and love cooking, writing, and music. I look forward to leading with passion and intention at Star Farm—and occasionally bringing my cats, Athena and Hercules, into the office.
Soleil Jacinto
Events Manager
I'm Soleil Jacinto, a Chicago native from Bridgeport with a passion for people, community, and good food. In 2024, I earned my Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion and Health Equity from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which shaped the way I think about access, wellness, and the spaces we create for one another. I bring that same commitment to access and inclusivity into everything I do. Growing up Mexican and Filipino, food has always been at the heart of how I experience culture and connection which is why I'm so excited to serve as the Events Manager at Star Farm Chicago, where creating inclusive, unforgettable experiences is at the heart of everything we do. Reach out to me if you'd like to host your next event at Star Farm Chicago! events@starfarmchicago.com
Andrea Benitez
Food & Nutrition Program Associate
Andrea holds a Master’s in Urban Planning and Policy and a Bachelor’s in Public Policy from the University of Illinois Chicago. Andrea is bilingual (English/Spanish) and passionate about inclusive, community-driven initiatives, equitable development and creating accessible local food networks.
Andrea has focused on community engagement, program coordination, and partnership building across Chicago—leading projects such as a large-scale redevelopment plan with the Illinois Medical District and supporting local efforts like the South Branch Riverwalk Regeneration. She also brings an entrepreneurial perspective as the founder of a small business, where she has managed operations and built long-term client relationships.
She is especially interested in expanding access to healthy, affordable food through community-led approaches. She loves biking along the lakefront, cooking and camping with friends and family.
Yumna Shadma
Food and Nutrition Program Associate
I’m Yumna, a Food and Nutrition Program Associate currently pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Science at the University of Illinois Chicago. I have dedicated my academic and professional career to working with organizations that focus on providing sustainable, affordable, and nutritious food to the community. Simply put, anything related to food fascinates me! Here at Star Farm, I will be working closely with the chef to plan activities, cooking demonstrations, and workshops centered around a healthy lifestyle, helping our community grow and thrive together.
A Message from our Founder, Farmer, and Director.
At Star Farm, we're trying to make it easy for you to be more sustainable--whether that's supporting local urban ag or letting us help you grow your own food and raise your own chickens right here in the city. Our goal is to grow more farmers, and then next generation of local food advocates and entrepreneurs.
Please enjoy our intentionally curated selection of vegetables, fruit, and flowers from our farm and partner farms within 300 miles of Chicago! Our farm family is an inclusive and beautiful mix of children, mothers, youth, adults, caregivers--learning and eating and applying artisanal knowledge of crop care and cultivation, never applying chemicals or pesticides on the soil.
Our regenerative growing practices reflect the nurturing environment we've created for our clients to learn and heal.
Thank you for supporting your local, non-profit urban farm, and we look forward to seeing you in the garden soon!
Stephanie
