Our Staff

CAG has transitioned its leadership by appointing a new executive director, as well as bringing on a new program director and filling the urban farmer position. These changes have enabled us to build upon the foundation laid by our previous directors—further aligning our leadership with the community we serve. With this new team in place, we have focused on enhancing our programs by expanding the reach and impact of our art initiatives, community engagement projects, and garden programs to ensure they continue to meet the evolving needs of Binghampton’s residents.

Ayanna Murray, Interim Executive Director

Kierra Youngblood, Operations Director

Teqosha White, Program Director

Sierra McGrath Urban Farmer

Tarlisa Evans, Community Engagement & Facilities Manager

Our Board

Katie Silverfield
Interim Board President
Silverfield has more than 13 years of experience in the government relations space. Most recently, she worked with BHA Strategy, one of Nashville’s premier lobbying firms. Prior to that, she served as vice president of Government Relations and Policy at the University of Memphis, where she led direct lobbying efforts, cultivated relationships with policymakers and staff, analyzed policy developments, and coordinated legislative strategies across local, state, and federal levels.
Before joining the University of Memphis, Silverfield was a senior associate at JohnsonPossKirby Government Relations in Nashville. In that role, she represented a diverse portfolio of business clients, engaging with legislators, administration officials, and state department personnel. She also managed client services, including the firm’s ethics and campaign finance compliance, PAC operations, registrations, expenditure tracking, and audit reporting.

Rush Waller, MD
Vice President
Dr. Waller is a pediatric cardiologist and chief medical officer at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital. He provided counsel on leadership, organizational history, and medical advice during Covid to the executive director and CAG Staff and has served on the CAG board since the Garden’s founding.

Andreana Smith
Treasurer
Smith is an experienced operations professional with consistent experience in healthcare and the non-profit industry who serves as senior director of Operations at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. She is skilled in defining and implementing strategic framework in fast-paced environments and is a patient and observant individual who can effectively build and manage a cohesive team.

Jane Pate
Pate first volunteered with CAG in 2018. She has a range of professional and personal experiences, including 30 years of communications and institutional development work; time spent as a developmental writing instructor; a second career in building sustainability; and her current work as a farm manager. Most everything Jane does in her free time is either dirty or messy. Her love is helping things grow.

Fabio Mariano
Mariano is a professionally trained ballet dancer who is a faculty member and artist for Binghampton’s Collage Dance Collective. He a graduate of the New Memphis Institute and an American Ballet Theatre® (ABT) Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Mariano graduated from State School of Dance Maria Olenewa in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2014. With more than a decade of experience in performing and teaching ballet, he has graced international stages in China, French Guiana, and at iconic venues in the United States and Brazil, including The Kennedy Center, Jacob’s Pillow, New York City Center, Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Teatro Guaíra, and the world-renowned Carnival parade at Marquês de Sapucaí. Mariano is often invited to teach in different schools — including The Washington School of Ballet, Springfield Ballet, Ballet Pensacola.