Our Staff

Mary Jane (MJ) Oviatt creates educational programming for our three Illinois Demonstration Farms. Born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago, MJ is an aspiring first-generation farmer, with experience in cut-flower and market vegetable production in the Champaign-Urbana area. She holds a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Illinois, where she was an undergrad looking up to the graduate students that started Savanna Institute. Before coming to Savanna Institute as an educator, MJ worked as a field technician at Canopy Farm Management during its launch year in 2022.  With a vision of decolonization and climate justice, MJ understands that agroforestry is an indigenous idea that should return to the Midwest for the health of our ecosystems and, thus, ourselves.