Lia Bevins, Director
Lia started with Beardsley in 2023 as the Farm Manager and recently stepped into the Director role with the farm. She was first introduced to gardening by her grandmother in Southwest, VA, where she grew to appreciate nature, hiking through the Blue Ridge Mountains, picking buckets of raspberries every summer, and starting a garden of her own. After 5 years of farming, she is excited to step into this new role and continue the great work established at Beardsley Farm. Lia is most excited to expand the farm’s reach into the local community and help others gain access to fresh, locally grown produce right here in Knoxville, TN.
OUR TEAM
Megan Rockefeller, Education & Outreach Manager
Megan Rockefeller has been at Beardsley Farm since August 2025 starting as an AmeriCorps member. An East Tennessee native, she loves the connection and place-making that Beardsley brings to anyone that interacts with the farm. Her passions include creating welcoming spaces, sharing generational knowledge and child-like wonder of the world, connecting folks to resources, growing things, cats, dinosaurs, and all manner of fiber arts.
Jessica Hammonds, Farm & Community Gardens Manager
Jessica Hammonds grew upside outside of Knoxville in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, hiking and exploring many of the surrounding creeks, woodlands, and farms. Jessica was always fascinated by natural sciences and after graduating from UT, Knoxville in 2007, started a small truck farm growing heirloom vegetables and becoming obsessed with soil. Jessica's appreciation for the interconnectedness of the earth and its inhabitants led to joining the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department at UTK in 2023, earning a Master of Science degree in 2025. Jessica is excited and honored to bring these experiences to Beardsley Community Farm to help restore, conserve, and bring food security to the Appalachian region we are so fortunate to call home.
Andrew Jensen, Farm & Community Gardens Coordinator
Andrew Jensen is the Farm and Community Gardens Coordinator at CAC Beardsley Community Farm. Originally from Dandridge, Tennessee, he earned his B.S. in Plant & Soil Science from Middle Tennessee State University in 2019. Andrew is an AmeriCorps alum, having served at Beardsley in 2025, and brings five years of experience as a grower in the commercial wholesale nursery industry. Passionate about his Knoxville community, Andrew is dedicated to making fresh, healthy food more accessible and creating opportunities for people to learn and share knowledge about urban agriculture.
Barbara Price, Farm & Produce Specialist
Barbara Casasbuenas Price is originally from Bogotá, Colombia. She has previously worked with Community Schools, Knox County Schools, and Centro Hispano. Barbara started her journey as an AmeriCorps member at Beardsley and currently serves as the Farm and Produce Specialist. She is a certified Master Gardener, enjoys amateur baking, and loves creating various crafts and learning new ones. Barbara loves to travel and go on adventures in her small Honda Fit with her husband and three kids.
Virginia Vogt, Education Specialist
Virginia is a science and environmental educator with over 20 years of experience developing curricula and teaching learners of all ages about science, nature, and the world around us. She is excited to be part of the Beardsley education team brining farm and nutrition education to the nearby community. When she's not at the farm, you'll find Virginia somewhere in the woods, probably pestering some bugs.