Julianne Schrader Ortega

Julianne Schrader Ortega, the VP and Chief of Healthy Neighborhoods at PHS, builds and drives horticultural and equity-centered strategies to scale the impact of gardening on health and wellbeing in communities across greater Philadelphia. Julianne advances partnerships and leverages resources to scale the impact of neighborhood leaders working to garden together and create livable environments, grow economic opportunity, increase access to fresh food and build social connections in their communities.

Julianne received her B.S. in Biology from Trinity College and has worked around the world to transform land use and empower communities to work toward sustainable and just food systems. As Director of the Citywide School Garden Initiative with GrowNYC, Julianne worked with government agencies and non-profit organizations to connect 400 New York City public schools with the funding, training, and materials needed to start and sustain learning garden programs. She also spent over a decade with the Rainforest Alliance.