Gina

Gina is the Community Relations Coordinator for the Saratoga Springs Public Library. Since 2008, she has co-owned Harvest & Hearth with her husband, Peter. The full-service restaurant specializes in artisan wood fired pizza, and focuses on utilizing fresh, local, and organic ingredients. Gina also served as Director of Community Outreach and Development for The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs from 2007 - 2011. Her previous professional and volunteer roles have been in the areas of advertising, programming, event planning, marketing, human resources, professional development, public relations, fundraising, and outreach.

Gina minored in Ornamental Horticulture at SUNY Cobleskill, and majored in Environmental Science at SUNY Plattsburgh. After college, she briefly worked for Earth Force, a D.C. area based environmental education organization for children. After moving to the Saratoga area in 1995, and then onto southwest Florida, and the Boston area, her professional path took her in a different direction. She eventually went on to earn another degree from the University of Massachusetts in Psychology, Sociology, and English. She returned to the Saratoga region with her young family in 2003.

Growing up with her Italian immigrant great-grandparents played a key role in Gina’s life. Some were farmers in Italy and continued to farm and garden here in the United States. Gina’s earliest and most treasured memories involve having her hands in the dirt beside her great-grandmother, as well as making wine with her in the fall. It was her multi-generational Italian-American family that fostered Gina’s desire to be community-minded, hard-working, and creative. She is passionate about environmental sustainability, community education, the food system, and sustainable agriculture.

“Spending time at Pitney Meadows and working with so many passionate individuals towards the Farm’s continued progress and health is a dream come true.”