Meet the Executive Board

Hello everybody! My name is Ian Empen (he/him), and I am a Senior majoring in Psychology and Geography, with minors in Data Analytics and Environmental Studies. On campus, I am also Vice President of Phi Mu Alpha, a Viking Mentor, a member of the Honor Council, and I play trumpet in the Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra. As President of Augie Acres, I am focused on developing both our garden and the social side of our club, and making Augie Acres a destination on campus. This year, my main priority is growing as much food as possible, which will then all be donated to Augie students, community pantries and meal sites to support those in need. I also want to continue increasing our compost collection across campus, as well as connect with Greek groups and culture groups for collaborative gardening efforts.

Hi everyone! My name is Phoebe (they/she), and I'm a Senior majoring in Creative Writing and Art. Along with being the Augie Acres Social VP, I'm the president of Let’s bARTer! and an Office Assistant in Admissions. My favorite part of being in Augie Acres is talking to people who have the same passion for environmentalism and horticulture as I do and giving students the opportunity to combat food insecurity and practice sustainability! My goal as your Social Vice President is to make the garden a community space where students can come to relax, study, etc. on their own time. I’m excited to get to know you all throughout this next year!

Hello! My name is Maggie (she/her) and I am a Junior majoring in Psychology and Sociology/Anthropology with a minor in Music. I love so much about Augie Acres, but especially the knowledge I've learned on how to grow and maintain a garden. I also love the connections I have made just by showing up and gardening as a community every week with other Augie Acres members. Because of this, my main goal as Secretary is to make every member, either returning or new, feel welcome when they're signing in and to feel encouraged to continue coming back. I plan to change the way attendance is tracked by creating a more accessible, organized process, and translating that to how the garden's projects and ideas are maintained.

Hi! I’m Guido Pigoni (he/him) the Treasurer of Augie Acres. I’m currently a Junior majoring in Psychology and Marketing. I will be headed into my second year as Treasurer. I love to get my hands dirty and working hard at the garden. It has been great to see Augie Acres get the resources it needs to thrive! I hope to continue to make sure Augie Acres receives the funds it needs to operate at its fullest potential. 

Hi! My name is Alex Sell (he/him), and I am a Senior Biochemistry/Chemistry major with a minor in Mathematics. I am also heavily involved in the music department at Augie, playing trombone in the Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Low Brass Ensemble. I am also a member of the Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity and the club baseball team. I love coming to Augie Acres for a chance to be outside in the sun and getting my hands dirty doing different projects for the garden. It’s also a blast putting in this work with such great people, and looking back to see a job well done is extremely rewarding. My goals for the future are to make sure everybody can contribute to the success of the garden and to put our resources to use in building a garden that is both beautiful and functional.

Hi! I am Kevin Flannery (he/him), a Junior Pre-Medicine major and Chemistry/Ethics minor. I love Augie Acres the most for everything I am able to be apart of! While on campus, I am part of Augustana Admissions, Augustana Symphonic Band, and Mahjong Club! My goal is to have the garden sparkle with beauty this year! 

Hi all, I'm Anna-Rose (she/her), a junior majoring in Psych and Spanish. I love working with my hands in the garden and seeing how our hard work pays off. The sense of community is immeasurable, and inspires my work as an Outreach Chair. I work to bring to others the same sense of joy and inspiration I get working at the garden, learning about sustainable practices, and gardening with friends.

My name is Liz Hayes (she/her), and I am a Junior majoring in Art Education. I love Augie Acres because it is a great way to connect with other students on campus as well as creating an opportunity to grow your green thumb! I will be handing the on-campus portion of the Outreach position, and I plan to create workdays with other organizations on campus like greek groups, other clubs, and athletic teams. I myself am involved with several things on campus. I am sustainability chair for Chi Alpha Pi, social media chair for the Extra Mile Club, and compete on the Augustana track and field team. I am very excited to be apart of this wonderful group!

My name is Maddie Waite (she/her), and I’m a Junior majoring in Biology in the Pre-Veterinary track. I love the connections I’ve formed from the garden, and the chance to get outside and enjoy nature. As a member of Delta Chi Theta sorority, during my time as Co-Social Chair I want to help expand our relationships with other groups by planning more social activities and events. I also want to make some more awesome merch :) 

Hi! My name is Sofia Carr (she/her), I am Junior, and I am currently majoring in Biology! I love being part of Augie Acres because of the way it brings people together and the growth it brings to Augie as a whole. There are so many possibilities, opportunities, and ways to get involved with this club and it’s a great way to give back to the community. 

Hello, I am Tom Gruber (he/him). I am a Senior working towards Geology and Environmental Studies majors. I love Augie Acres' constant activity. Every week has something new to do. As the Composting Coordinator, I hope to build a new and improved composting bin and use it in the spring.