Mary Jo is the leader of Made Greene Gardens in Fort Worth. Her motto is School Gardens Matter. She lives this ideal in all her work with educators, children, district personnel, and the corporate world. She is a passionate champion of outdoor learning. Mary Jo’s superpower is her ability to forge lasting authentic relationships with educators and children and encourage them to learn outdoors.

She has worked over the past years to engage schools, educators, and students with school gardens through the network. One of the things she is most proud of in her work is the connection she has fostered with the educators working in the schools she is working in. While numbers never tell the whole story, Mary Jo Greene’s achievements in the past year reflect her exceptional dedication and impact on the community. During 2023-2024, she: Worked directly with 30 campuses across three school districts, and led classes for over 4,000 students Collaborated with over 150 teachers and Provided professional development for 60 school garden supporters. In addition, Mary Jo facilitated over 12 corporate organization volunteer workdays, engaging 240 volunteers, and actively supported numerous funding opportunities. Her relentless commitment and energy are truly inspiring. Mary Jo never stops! She is a highly skilled collaborator, and her work with Kaboom!, a national organization committed to ending playground inequity, showcases her talents perfectly. When Kaboom! approached Fort Worth ISD about installing environmental resiliency enhancements to playgrounds, but they were uncertain how to proceed. District leaders recommended Mary Jo, and she quickly became a driving force behind the project. Understanding the importance of building relationships, Mary Jo connected with key stakeholders, including Kaboom! staff, administrators, teachers, funders, district maintenance members, children, and volunteers. Throughout 12 playground projects, Mary Jo was at the center of the activity, seamlessly connecting people with needs, managing details, staying late to ensure project completion, and forging strong personal connections with everyone involved. Even after her official responsibilities ended, Mary Jo continued to support the schools by offering additional classes and organizing corporate volunteer events to maintain the gardens.

When asked how we as TCiNN can help support Mary Jo’s work she shared that the networking aspect of our work is a great support. It helps connect her with schools and teachers and expand her work.