Our Leadership Team
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Samuel Fox
Sam Fox is a biology professor at Saint Martin's University who grew up on a farm, developing a deep appreciation for nature and a passion for helping others. His research focuses on understanding genetic factors that guide plant responses to environmental stress, aiming to improve crop yields in conditions like heat or drought. His projects include studying wheat, rice, and tomatoes, collaborating closely with undergraduate students. Recently, his research identified significant changes in root-associated bacteria in tomatoes exposed to heat stress, highlighting his contributions toward sustainable crop production.
Tim Madeley
Tim Madeley is a professor of Accounting at Saint Martin’s University as well as a student in the university’s PhD program in Leadership Studies. Higher education is a second career for Tim after spending several decades in accounting and production management in the commercial playground industry. This included owning the local company, BigToys, for seven years.
One of Tim’s primary hobbies is gardening at his home on the westside of Olympia. Given the prevalence shade creating trees and plant devouring wildlife, his home gardening is limited to beauty as opposed to sustenance. His work in weeding and preparing CSA bags fulfills his desire to grow food and support the university’s efforts to provide for those in need.
Julia Chavez
Julia McCord Chavez is an English professor and Director of the Center for Scholarship and Teaching at Saint Martin's University. Her childhood experiences on her grandfather's farm in Indiana instilled in her an appreciation for farming's connection to nature, life’s rhythm, and quiet contemplation. As a humanities professor, Chavez integrates service learning into her classes, using farm-based projects to bridge academic theory and practical experience. This approach helps students from diverse backgrounds embrace the Benedictine principle of "Ora et Labora"—balancing prayer and work—and encourages them to link intellectual exploration with tangible, real-world activities.
Founders' Corner
Dr. Jeff Crane
Dr. Jeff Crane is currently Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, California. Previously, he served as a history professor and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Saint Martin’s University until 2022. An environmental historian, Dr. Crane has extensively researched and published on topics like ecosystem change, environmental reform, climate change, and community farming. Growing up with farming-influenced parents, he spent formative summers engaged in agricultural work in Washington’s Skagit Valley, gaining an early appreciation for agriculture and physical labor. Throughout his academic career, Dr. Crane has actively supported community gardening and urban farming initiatives in Pullman, Washington; Houston and San Antonio, Texas; and Lacey and Olympia, Washington. Notably, in San Antonio, he helped develop four community gardens in underserved areas, contributing to curriculum design, community engagement, and efforts to improve access to healthy produce.
Stephen Holland
Stephen Holland is currently Headmaster at Thomas Aquinas Academy in Gig Harbor, Washington. Previously, he taught English, US history, and jazz band at Pope John Paul II High School, where he also supervised community service activities and student clubs. His extensive Jesuit education deeply ingrained a lifelong commitment to social justice. Stephen and his wife actively embody their Catholic values, emphasizing sustainable living and mindful consumption. Their gardening journey began modestly in Baltimore and evolved significantly upon returning to Washington, eventually transforming them into committed urban and suburban farmers. Inspired by author Steve Solomon and supported by local farmer Jan Pigman, Stephen expanded his agricultural efforts, dedicated to providing nutritious, ethically produced food to both his family and the broader community.
Past Members of the Leadership Team
Kelly Quiroz
Kelly Quiroz is a recent graduate from Saint Martin's University, with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. She started working for Our Common Home Farms in Fall 2019, as a student worker and since graduation has taken on the role as "Farm Development and Outreach Coordinator". Kelly grew up in Yelm Washington, where she had a backyard garden throughout her childhood. During high school, Kelly adopted a plant-based lifestyle after taking an environmental studies class, where she learned about the huge impact animal agriculture has on our carbon footprint. She's always experimenting with new recipes from her favorite vegan instagramers...it works out most of the time. Since her graduation, she has taken on the role of "Farm Development and Outreach Coordinator" for Our Common Home Farms.
Will Stadler
Will Stadler is an assistant professor and director for the criminology & criminal justice program at Saint Martin's University. As a social science professor, Will has been involved in teaching, research, and service in several areas related to ecology, including wildlife crime, conservation law enforcement, and environmental crime and justice. Despite growing up in a mid-western city, he has always been interested in preserving the natural world and spending time exploring nature, often by foot (and paw), with his wife and dog in America's National Parks, forests, and "wild" places. Though still a relative newcomer to the Pacific Northwest, Stadler is committed to building a more sustainable future for our world and the region by educating others about threats to conservation and healthy agricultural practices, as well as collaborating with friends and colleagues to produce and promote locally-grown produce for the surrounding community. Will primarily contributes to OCHF by coordinating infrastructure projects, working on its CSA program, and leading Saint Martin's students in service-learning activities at Pigman’s Produce Patch.
A Work of Heart
Written by Mc Erl Andres
“My Grandpa had a farm and I grew up spending time during the summer in a farm environment. Today farming is a special time to move away from distractions. I have a sense of working in nature but also doing it to produce nourishment that people need to thrive. Working on the farm gives me a feeling of connection with family history and also a connection with my local community.”
Dr. Julia Chavez, Ph.D., J.D., is an Associate Professor of English and Director of the Center for Scholarship and Teaching at Saint Martin’s University. She teaches English classes from Introductory to Victorian to Feminist Literature. She is a beloved member of the Saint Martin’s community. Her smiling face can be found in Old Main
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Dr. Chavez instructing volunteers.
(c) Saint Martin’s Photo Shelter
Dr. Chavez is an avid volunteer at the farm. There, she engages in farm work, from planting, to harvest, to coordinating volunteers. She enjoys her work at the farm because it allows her to disconnect from the distractions of daily life and also connect with the community: “My Grandpa had a farm and I grew up spending time during the summer in a farm environment. Today farming is a special time to move away from distractions. I have a sense of working in nature but also doing it to produce nourishment that people need to thrive. Working on the farm gives me a feeling of connection with family history and also a connection with my local community.”
As a non-Pacific Northwest Native, she is learning about the plants that thrive in our climate, which is different from where she is from. She proudly shared about the wide variety of crops grown at the farm that allows continuous production. There is an abundance of strawberries, raspberries, asparagus, beets, corns, rhubarb, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, pumpkins, potatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants growing at the farm that she enjoys being a part of.
Dr. Chavez believes that there is a strong connection between the Benedictine Identity and tradition to the work at the farm. The Benedictine motto, Ora et Labora, which expresses the balance of work and prayer is a concept she wants to introduce to students. She wants the students to see the Benedictine Identity in day-to-day life, as well as show the strong connection of the work on the farm to the Rule of Saint Benedict on Stewardship, Community, Respect for Persons, and Awareness of God.
When asked why students should be engaged in this work, Dr. Chavez said that this activity has two levels of benefit: service that has a direct benefit to the community, and care for one’s own well-being. Students are able to see and be assured that they are making a huge difference because the harvested produce is donated to the community. Those who are unable to purchase food for themselves and their families can still receive nourishment because the crops grown are donated to them. The individual benefit is the opportunity to go out to a quiet space to work to counteract the fast pace of regular life. She believes that it pays to slow down and have some sort of quiet time. When doing that, people can become aware of the beauty of nature. Dr. Chavez said, “[it’s] amazing to see the seeds change into flowers and grow into vegetables that people eat. It is the bright spot of the week.”
If interested in volunteering at Our Common Farm Homes, contact Dr. Chavez by email at JChavez@stmartin.edu.
