Introduction

Shad has 15 years experience in organic and commercial gardening and farming. He is certified in Permaculture Design and has over 6 years experience in holistic site development and homesteading.

After graduating from Johns Hopkins University with a double major in Applied Mathematics and Psychology, Shad and his now-wife, Colleen, moved to Central America with only vague goals of farming at some point in the near future. In January of 2010, Shad and Colleen moved onto a very small piece of land located in the traditional Mayan village of Tzununa, which is on the north shore of Lake Atitlán, in Guatemala. Shad has since developed the land into a small but profitable farming enterprise focused on salad and cooking greens, goat dairy products, and agrotourism.

Recently, Shad has been hired as an Agriculture Consultant for a development project being carried out in the Tzununa Valley. He oversees four community gardens and is implementing two sustainable locally-run businesses based on the production and local marketing of clean organic food. Aside from all of this, Shad is an enthusiastic teacher who truly believes in the work he is doing, and can be found dancing in his garden in Tzununa.