Working to create diversity, connection, relationship, and
resilience in our landscapes and our communities
Resilient Roots
Why We Came Together
We are a group of individuals that have come together to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We all bring something unique to the table, but share a passion for gardening in a way that makes a space and the planet richer, more abundant with life and singing with diversity. We are also passionate about sharing our knowledge with other people, so we formed Resilient Roots with the dream that we could spread the word and connect with people of like minds and passions.
Currently, Resilient Roots is an all-volunteer-run non-profit organization seeking to build capacity in order to successfully achieve our vision.
RR Board of Directors
Kristie Kapp is the Founder and President of Resilient Roots. She is a regenerative landscape designer that focuses on edible and native plantings. Kristie has a master's in ecology from Yale School of Environmental Management and over twenty-five years of farming experience. She has taught farming and gardening to every age group through several different organizations. She merged the two professions and completed a permaculture landscape design program in 2012 and has been creating designs for clients since 2013. Kristie strives to encourage people to look at their environments holistically while incorporating elements of time-honored design and reinforcing our revered relationship with the natural environment. She lives in West Barnstable.
Britt Beedenbender serves as Vice President for Resilient Roots and brings with her experience in the non-profit sector where she has been active for 25 plus years. Her work has focused on development, communications and community engagement. She worked for the International Fund for Wildlife (IFAW) for many years advancing from researcher to the donor program to Associate Director of Major Gifts. She is still a volunteer in IFAW's Marine Mammal Stranding Response Team. Currently, Britt works at Canopy Planet and lives in Centerville with her partner Thomas. She is passionate about creating positive change around how our food is grown and engaging people in the process.
Gisele Gauthier is serving the board as the Clerk. She is an affordable housing consultant and she works as part of the team that pulls off the Wellfleet OysterFest each year. She also teaches yoga. She was a chef in the 1990s and learned to appreciate fabulous food and that growing the food she cooked brought her heart and soul together. Gisele considers herself a dirt digger and the idea of turning her whole yard into an edible landscape just thrills her. Gisele lives with her husband in Brewster.
Mark Nelson, is a Principal with the Horsley Witten Group, Inc. an environmental consulting firm based in Sandwich, MA. He has worked on water resource protection and land use planning projects, on Cape Cod and around the country for the last 30 years. More recently his work includes planning for climate mitigation and adaptation, including calculating his firm’s climate footprint and the calculation of an appropriate offset. Mark has volunteered with Resilient Roots since its inception, supporting the organization's workshops and permablitzes. Mark enjoys sailing and paddle boarding with his family and his dog Lila.
Deb Winther serves as Treasurer for Resilient Roots. She recently retired from MassMutual Financial Group after 35 plus years in the financial services sector, focusing on insurance taxation. Deb is a self-taught perennial gardener and native plant enthusiast. She completed a Permaculture Design Certificate program through Cornell University in the spring of 2021. Deb is using her new-found knowledge of permaculture design principles to create a small forest garden on her property. In recognition of the fragile ecology of Cape Cod, she is relying on edible perennials native to the Cape’s unique ecoregion to create a resilient garden that provides an edible yield while supporting local pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Deb is looking forward to sharing her gardening experience in support of Resilient Roots’ mission.
Rachel Todoroff is fairly new to permaculture, although she has been slowly creating her garden for many years, mainly from “ pilfered” plants. She has greatly benefited from the various Resilient Roots workshops. The philosophy of creating a food forest suits her thrifty nature and desire to help her local environment rather than disrupt it. A resident of Hyannis and long-time Administrative Assistant at Sturgis Charter Public School, she is glad to serve as a director on the board of Resilient Roots.
Jeff Smith
Resilient Roots Staff
Meredith assists with organization and implementation of projects, events and installations. She worked as a landscaper in Falmouth specializing in installation and maintenance of herb, flower and vegetable gardens. She earned a B.A. in Art History and lived in beautiful Colorado. Meredith is a proud mom, now back home on Cape Cod, she is an avid home gardener and student of horticulture. Past experience includes working with a renewable energy system installer and helping a start-up, The Urban Farm Company of Colorado. She studied to earn yoga teacher and health coach certifications. Beyond working in her home gardens in Cotuit, Meredith loves listening to music, reading mystery stories, watching birds and being in nature.
PASSIONATE PEOPLE
Looking to create diversity, connection, relationship and resilience in our landscapes and our community.
email: resilientrootscapecod@gmail.com phone: (508)-375-7937
Debbie has a diverse background in education, counseling, travel, and non-profit development. She is a systems thinker and applies regenerative design principles to all her work. "I'm honored to be working with Kristie and the team at Resilient Roots to help expand the incredible work they've been doing the past 5 years. I met Kristie and the RR team through having our own permaculture garden design, then permablitz this year. It was immediately apparent to me that Resilient Roots is creating real change in the local landscape of Cape Cod - both literally and figuratively. Strengthening local food systems and developing our own capabilities to be more food resilient is becoming more critical each year.
