BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Eric Todderud is currently president of GROW. Earlier this year, Eric retired after practicing law for thirty-eight years. He has gardened in the Eastlake P-Patch for nearly twenty years. When he is not gardening or working on GROW projects, he likes to travel, read, hike, bicycle and sip a bit of wine now and then. Eric has been on the GROW board for about thirteen years and served as board secretary for several years. The taste of fresh, home-grown vegetables keeps Eric gardening, and the understanding of how important community gardens are to the fabric of Seattle keeps him involved in GROW.
Eric Todderud
President
As the Vice President of GROW's Board of Trustees, Kristin has always enjoyed growing food and became a P-patch gardener in 2013, first at the Burke-Gilman P-Patch and later at Westcrest P-Patch in West Seattle where she currently serves on the leadership team. She brings to the GROW Board more than 20 years of experience working with nonprofit foundations, trade, and professional associations. She is currently employed with the Legal Foundation of Washington which funds civil legal aid programs for low-income people throughout Washington state. Kristin joined the GROW Board in 2019.
Kristin Parker
Vice President
Andrew is a management consultant with deep experience working with financial services firms and other companies of all sizes develop strategies and programs to manage risk, create large-scale change, and implement large technology changes. He is also a lawyer and a chartered financial analyst (CFA) coupling an understanding of the law and finance, in line with his understanding of change, technology, and strategy. Andrew is passionate about the green spaces that bring opportunity, energy, and beauty to Seattle—the very spaces that GROW advocates for and supports. He joined GROW’s board of directors in 2022.
Andrew Solow
Vice President
Michael McNutt
Michael has extensive experience helping small and medium-sized manufacturers bring products to market, improve profitability, and to scale their operations. One of his passions is building strong communities and securing open space in the city where people can gather, talk, and garden. A native of Seattle, Michael has contacts throughout the public and private sectors and works to increase GROW's ability to raise money in order to more broadly fulfill its mission. Additionally, he makes use of his business experience in helping to increase GROW's effectiveness at executing its strategic planning goals and objectives. Michael has served on a variety of boards of directors, including the Epilepsy Association and Impact Washington. Michael began serving on GROW's Land Stewardship Committee in 1998 and joined the board of directors in 2003.
Co-Treasurer
Elizabeth Gray
A devoted gardener with skills in nonprofit fundraising and financial planning, or a development director and investment advisor who loves gardening? Either way you look at it, that’s Elizabeth Gray.
GROW combines her love of gardening with her nonprofit and professional skills and experience--GROW gives her retirement years purpose using her head, heart, and hands.
Elizabeth also enjoys classical music, photography (as well as gardening) and watching baseball, football, and soccer with her husband, Neal. Stephen, her son, is an accomplished violinist and government official.
Co-Treasurer
Maria Covert
Maria Covert serves as Board Secretary for GROW, bringing a professional background in human resources, organizational leadership, and operational efficiency. Throughout her career, she has worked across nonprofit, public-sector, and corporate organizations, helping people and teams navigate change, build stronger connections, and create environments where individuals and communities can thrive. She has also lived and worked abroad, an experience that deepened her appreciation for the many ways people build community and a sense of belonging. Maria serves on GROW’s board because she believes community gardens offer city dwellers something increasingly valuable: the opportunity to connect with the land, with their neighbors, and with the process behind the things we often take for granted. Gardens create spaces where people can experience firsthand the patience, effort, and care it takes to grow something. For Maria, that connection builds both community and a deeper appreciation for what sustains us. Her favorite thing about her own garden is that it never stops teaching her. Every season brings surprising successes alongside humbling failures; sometimes the thing she expects to flourish doesn’t, while something she nearly gave up on thrives. That unpredictability keeps gardening interesting and keeps her learning. She loves that a garden rewards curiosity, experimentation, and patience, with always something new to discover.
Secretary
A life-long gardener, Cindy began gardening at the Ballard P-Patch in 2011. She quickly found that along with her garden space, there was an active and welcoming community that was equally important. Since then, she led the annual Art in the Garden Fundraiser for several years and has been a member and current chair of the leadership team. She also led the capital campaign that purchased the garden in 2020 from its founder, Our
Redeemer’s Lutheran Church. Cindy is passionate about community and hopes to be an advocate for more gardens throughout an increasingly dense Seattle. She also grows pretty spectacular flowering sweet peas every year.
Cindy Krueger
Erik’s home garden is the Evanston P-Patch where he’s been beating back weeds, growing a variety of fun crops (always strawberries, sometimes cilantro), and putting in sweat-equity around the plot for the past 16 years. He comes to the board with a diverse professional background, including a 10-year-career as a community newspaper reporter and editor. For the past 16 years, Erik has been working as an Agile-methodology project manager and is currently helping lead software teams within a global financial services firm.
When you get a chance to meet him, Erik always loves a chat about some of his favorite things, like good music, backpacking and hiking, pets (he’s currently a cat caretaker), and, of course, gardening. Helping our P-Patch gardeners, and the global community of visitors that enjoy walking through their plots, build a network of serenity and strength together through the simple act of nurturing plants is what drives his involvement with GROW.
Erik Hansen
Tanya brings her journalism and digital marketing experience to the GROW Team. She is currently the Social Media & Digital Content Manager at Pike Place Market, where she supports local businesses, artists, and farmers through educational classes and one-on-one guidance. For a decade prior, Tanya worked in television and radio newsrooms across the county, revamping their digital and social media presence. Tanya is passionate about helping people and organizations find their voice, learn about seasonal eating, and bond over gardening and the outdoors. Tanya was an active member of the UpGarden P-Patch for several years before joining the GROW Board of Trustees in 2019.
Tanya Sinkovits
Linda Yue is a Certified Master Gardener with Washington State University Extension and an advocate for environmental stewardship and community gardening. She gardens at Seattle’s Interbay P‑Patch, where she supported operations, volunteer engagement, and grant funding for accessible raised beds. She volunteers at the Bellevue Demonstration Garden – King County Master Gardeners and plant clinics, providing research‑based guidance. She also served on the Seattle Citywide Environmental Education Advisory Council and reviews grants for the Master Gardener Foundation of King County.
Linda previously served on the board of her condominium association, contributing to governance, financial oversight, and community operations. She spent more than 30 years in finance, accounting, and project management with a global technology company. As a GROW Board member, she brings strong governance, financial stewardship, and a commitment to expanding access to gardening and environmental education.