The NOCCA Institute is happy to have two new staff members, courtesy of the Louisiana Delta Service Corps: Harrison Bass and Elliott Robinson. Both will be with us for the full school year, splitting their time between work on the brand-new Press Street Gardens and on other, development-related initiatives.
As you can see from their bios, they bring lots of experience to our organization, and we’re very happy to have them.
Harrison Bass hails from Marlboro, New Jersey. He’s a graduate of Clark University, where he completed his Bachelors of Arts in Geography, and his M.A in Community Development and Planning. Harrison’s Masters thesis focused on the enhancement of collaborative efforts among small business assistance organizations in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts.
Harrison’s professional experience includes working with the Office of Advancement at Seven Hills Foundation (the largest social service organization in Massachusetts) and Clark University. He has also interned with National Geographic, and currently works as a freelance researcher for National Geographic Magazine.
Harrison is passionate about sustainable urban development and land use, innovative uses for green communal space, and the fostering of entrepreneurship on a community level. He has worked within the urban gardening community of Brooklyn, interning with the Brooklyn Rescue Mission.
At The NOCCA Institute, Harrison serves as the Volunteer Specialist for the Press Street Gardens. He aims to foster strong partnerships with organizations throughout the city and to develop innovative programming that can provide volunteers with a wealth and knowledge and environmental awareness.
Elliot Robinson is from Indianapolis, Indiana, and graduated from Indiana University with a B.A. in English Literature and African American and African Diaspora Studies. Elliot’s professional focus has been concentrated in the worlds of sustainable agriculture and land management. He has worked as farmhand on a vineyard in Beaujolais, France; on a diversified organic vegetable farm in Chico, California; and as a site supervisor and project manager for a small landscaping firm in Indianapolis. Most recently, Elliot was the assistant manager of Big City Farms, a three-acre urban C.S.A. farm in Indianapolis, where he handled all aspects of the farm, from planning and seeding to harvest and delivery.
As Programs Specialist for The NOCCA Institute’s Press Street Gardens, Elliot both participates in the daily maintenance of The NOCCA Institute garden sites and develops public programs around those sites, using gardens and green space as places of inquiry and community cohesion.