Meet the team

Bee Apprentice

After graduating from the Spring 2023 Beekeepers in Residence training program, Jamie joined the team as a Junior Garden Site Manager. They support Huneebee’s Sponsorship Program with creative hive art and suit up to tend to the bees at every opportunity!

Volunteer Beekeeping Instructor

Shauna has been working in Public Safety at Yale University since 2016, and throughout New Haven County since 2012 in various capacities including an EMT and a 911 Dispatcher. Shauna’s interest in beekeeping grew naturally from her love for yard work and landscaping, and she now prioritizes pollinator friendly plants in all of her projects. Shauna finds great enjoyment in helping others discover the intricate genius happening in hives every day.

Lead Beekeeping Instructor

In 1999, during a farm apprenticeship in Wisconsin, Tim entered an apiary for the first time. He could feel the buzzing of the bees all the way in his bones and knew at once that beekeeping was for him. He's been involved with Huneebee from its inception, volunteering as a beekeeping instructor. Prior to joining Huneebee full-time, Tim worked as an environmental educator in New Haven and as a circus arts and theater teacher in his hometown of Middletown, CT. Tim loves answering any and all questions about bees, and has had children as young as four help him at the hives.

Junior Beekeeping Instructor

Alex Graduated from the Beekeepers in Residence training program in the Summer of 2019. She is a graduate of the Eli Whitney Technical High School class of 2021 and a student at Gateway Community College. She was recommended to Huneebee Project by her therapist. Alex is a resident of New Haven, is always ready to learn, and has interest in Graphic Design. Alex has helped with photographing the gardens and honey bee hives, contributing to Huneebee Project social media accounts, and co-leading community hive checks and community presentations. Her primary responsibilities include maintaining the hives in the Arthur Street Garden. In her spare time, she enjoys making posters of different things and photoshopping the photographs she takes.

Volunteer Beekeeping Instructor

Sophia is a pollinator enthusiast focused on mentoring new beekeepers and highlighting the interconnection of beekeeping with environmental science, agriculture, nutrition, economic advancement, and leadership development. She has a public policy background and has assisted in devising legislative action and initiatives that address the plight of pollinators in decline and the challenges of beekeeping. Sophia was born in Jamaica and spent her formative years enjoying honey from her uncles bee hives and chewing honeycomb when she couldn’t get bubble gum. She is married with four children that she loves bringing to the bee yard with her.

Mentorship Coordinator

Native to the New Haven area, Alexia is a licensed clinical social worker. Alexia presently works as a child and family therapist and seasonally at Huneebee coordinating and supporting the Beekeepers in Residence training program’s mentors and mentees. Her clinical experience includes a variety of individual and family psychotherapy and group interventions within the context of in-home, inpatient, and outpatient settings. With an organic love for nature and sunshine, Alexia has discovered a deep appreciation and admiration for bees and their calming, powerful, and resilient qualities. Alexia obtained her MSW from New York University.

Director of Partnerships

Jess Lowe is an award-winning Costa Rican/American Producer and Director based between New York City and Los Angeles. Outside of filmmaking, Jess organizes her camp at Burning Man, the photo studio at Oregon Country Fair and is Director of Partnerships at Huneebee Project. It was in Maui during a permaculture design program where Jess first fell in love with bees. Since that time she has subsisted on a steady supply of bee trivia and enjoys weekends in New Haven at the HBP community gardens.

Communication Assistant

Jerom (aka Jay) graduated from the Beekeepers in Residence training program in Summer 2019. He also graduated from North Branford High School in June 2022 and will be attending Southern Connecticut State University. He enjoys drawing and video games. His favorite bee fact is that bees prefer the color blue. Jay has worked as a Peer Instructor, Junior Garden Site Manager and is currently the communication assistant and also helps to maintain Huneebee’s social media accounts.

Junior Beekeeping Instructor

Maria was a part of the Beekeepers in Residence training cohort of 2021 and graduated with near perfect attendance. She is a rising Senior in high school and expects to graduate in 2024. Her hobbies include art, photography, boxing, and hiking. Maria loves being in the Huneebee gardens because they are calming. She began her position as a Junior Garden Site Manager in September of 2021 and assists with building, designing, and painting hive boxes to fulfill hive sponsorships.

Seasonal Beekeeper and Beekeeping Instructor

Taylor began beekeeping in the Spring of 2020. What started as a fun backyard hobby quickly became a life-altering passion. Beekeeping has enriched Taylor's life in immeasurable ways and opened doors she may otherwise have never noticed. Through beekeeping, Taylor started paying closer attention to the ecological world around her. This new awareness encouraged Taylor to connect and learn with others and helped nurture her relationship with Connecticut's local flora and fauna. With a nod to beekeeping, Taylor now works for an ecological landscaping company providing land restoration services in Northwest CT. Taylor has been working with Huneebee Project since 2022. Taylor feels that the magic of beekeeping is meant to be shared and feels immense gratitude for having a role as a beekeeping instructor with Huneebee.

Operations Assistant

Gianna graduated from the Beekeepers in Residence training program in 2019. She is also a graduate of New Haven’s Wilbur Cross High School. Gianna enjoys mixed media art, pesto, and thrifting. She is responsible for a majority of Huneebee’s hive art and keeps the Huneebee operation moving smoothly, with integrity, and with humor.

Founder & Executive Director

Sarah is a licensed clinical social worker with experience providing trauma-focused child and family therapy in both NYC and New Haven, in addition to free social work services to families with Manhattan Family Court and foster care involvement. After relocating to Connecticut in 2016, Sarah quickly discovered beekeeping and beeswax candle making. She set out to bring the bees’ magic to youth and young adults in the New Haven area. Sarah has her MSW from New York University, a certificate in Integrative Trauma Studies from the National Institute for the Psychotherapies, and completed a fellowship in Advanced Clinical Social Work at the Yale Child Study Center in June 2019. She was named to CT Magazine’s 40 under 40 and is a 2024 Master Beekeeper candidate at Cornell University.

Senior Garden Site Manager

Jetaly graduated from the Beekeepers in Residence training program in 2020 and is a senior at Common Ground High School. She was born in Puerto Rico and moved to New Haven at 8-years-old. She enjoys playing volleyball and, as a budding entrepreneur, she also runs a side business doing acrylic nails. Jetaly is responsible for helping to fulfill hive sponsorships, which includes building and painting new hive boxes. She typically works out of the James Street Garden in Fair Haven.

Resume Specialist

Yvette grew up in South Carolina and moved to Connecticut in 2017 to pursue a fellowship at Yale Child Study Center. She obtained a bachelors in Experimental Psychology and Master of Social Work from USC Columbia. She is passionate about personal and professional development and enjoys helping others identify their strengths through resume building and exploration. Yvette finds beekeeping to be a great way to relax, learn, and spend time with nature and is grateful for the opportunity to work with Beekeepers in Residence trainees in the natural environment.