Our People

Mary Seton Corboy: Co-Founder & Director

Mary Seton Corboy has been the driving force behind the cultivation of progressive green initiatives designed to improve the ecological "quality of life in the Philadelphia community.

When Mary Seton Corboy co-founded Greensgrow Farms in 1997, she had no idea where this somewhat and seemingly ludicrous idea -- reclaiming abandoned land and turning it into a productive self-supporting urban farm -- would lead her. But , it wasn't long before Mary realized that a successful inner city farm would require much more than one person's passion for the environment and interest in food no matter how much hard work . It would require ingenuity... and lots of it. Out of this necessity, the Greensgrow Philadelphia Project was born. Started in 1999, the Philadelphia Project is truly an idea farm... where we constantly seek new and better ways to recycle, reuse and repurpose everyday materials, equipment, and waste product.

The Philadelphia Project is a place to sew the seeds of innovation, to nurture their development, and turn them into earth-friendly, practical solutions to some of most concerning environmental and social issues that face our cities today. Who could have predicted that the production of biodiesel fuels, the installation of green roofs and fully functional composting toilets would have a place in the inner city of Philadelphia? Greensgrow did. That is why the Philadelphia Project has become the national model for urban agriculture and environmentally responsible practices... practical practices that don't eat at the bottom line..but feed it.

In addition to serving as the organization's director, Mary is also the Chief Farm Hand of Greensgrow Farms, where she oversees a staff of 19 dedicated farm hands who care for the farm, nursery, and City Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs.

An important outcrop of the Philadelphia Project is the Neighborhood Urban Agriculture Coalition (NUAC). Also founded by Mary, NUAC's core mission is to create a successful, replicable model for urban agriculture that provides access to fresh produce and other local farm products to communities in heavily urbanized and low-income areas. Mary also conducts education programs and consults on urban agriculture and brownfield reclamation matters.

Mary was named to Organic Style Magazine's Environment Power List: Top 50 in 2004 and was declared "Best Philadelphian" by Philadelphia Magazine in 2008. A regular in the media, Mary has been featured nationally on ABC News, CBS News, PBS, and NPR and has also appeared in the New York Times, Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer and many national trade publications.

Mary Seton Corboy is a native of the agriculture capital of the world, Washington D.C. She graduated from Wilson College with a degree in Political Science and English Literature and earned an M.A. in Political Science from Villanova University.

Prior to founding Greensgrow, Mary worked as a chef in Rehoboth Beach, DE; on the Main Line in Philadelphia; and on a dude ranch in Montana. She writes a regular food and flowers column titled Lessons For Locavores and a blog and is writing a children's book series based on Blanche du Cat's life on an urban farm. Blanche , by the way, is real and you can find her roaming the farm and acting as the de facto guide of the Greensgrow Self Guided Tour..

Ryan Kuck

Ryan has dual titles: Sustainable Programs Manager and Farming Manager at Greensgrow. He makes sure our vegetables grow straight (or gayly forward to be politically correct) and healthy.

He has also been building our green roof systems, tinkering with the Composting Toilet, playing with solar power and aquaponics, as well as managing our satellite farms throughout the city.

Despite growing up in East Tennessee, Ryan got his start in agriculture right here in Philly teaching kids in public schools how to grow and cook healthy snacks when he should have been studying a little harder at Penn.

He splits his time amongst Greensgrow, his own non-profit, Preston's Paradise in West Philly, and with the Philadelphia Orchard Project where he serves as a board member.

For kicks, he enjoys playing soccer and twanging on the banjo - neither very well.

Matthew Brener

Matthew Brener has been the technical advisor for the Greensgrow Philadelphia Project since 2000, two years after establishment of the farm in 1998.

His professional experience in both rural agriculture and urban brownfield redevelopment has prepared him for the variety of challenges presented by urban agriculture. Mr. Brener graduated from Louisiana State University in 1993 with a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering and spent several years both before and after graduation assisting as Farm Manager for Barry's Nursery in Grand Coteau, Louisiana - a 200 acre wholesale nursery supplying trees, shrubs and ornamentals to builders and retailers throughout the southeast.

Having moved to Philadelphia in 1995, Mr. Brener worked for 10 years in environmental remediation as a Senior Project Manager for React Environmental Services, Inc.

Currently Mr. Brener does private consulting with a number of organizations involved in economic redevelopment with a focus on the re-use of contaminated properties.

Prior to commencing his engineering studies, Mr. Brener worked for several years renovating old homes and building new houses in his native New Orleans.

He has also travelled extensively, including 3 years of residence in Europe, and 1-year in Central and South America.

Mr. Brener continues to do volunteer work for agricultural, engineering and home-building organizations both in Philadelphia and in El Salvador.