Amanda Howard, Program Manager
Amanda Howard joined the Plant it Forward team in late 2023. She has nearly two decades of growing experience in Southeast Texas, but her experience with food production and gardening began early in life. At a young age her love of growing became ignited by her grandmother’s vegetable garden. Those blackberry brambles and cabbage rows were her first teachers. This passion for plants and nature has followed her throughout life and eventually became the focus of her academic career.
Amanda began the first years of her horticultural training with Houston Community College’s Horticulture and Greenhouse Management program. At HCC she began community organizing and teaching garden education to the greater student body, as well as managing the student greenhouse. The desire to study native plant life and local ecosystems led her to transfer into the University of Houston Downtown to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree of Interdisciplinary Studies in the sciences. While studying at UHD, Amanda grew a pathway for students to access healthy foods through rebuilding the campus vegetable garden. She managed the UHD Garden Club as president for over three years, in addition to managing the student food pantry during her senior year on campus.
Since graduating Amanda has stepped into the role of Farming Educator within the Houston urban agriculture world. Amanda is deeply passionate about her work to expand the network of urban growers in the Southeast Texas community, starting with her chosen home of Houston.
