Gina’s career began several years ago working at Sacramento based Breuner’s Furniture as a Relocation Specialist for three years. After Breuners She spend 10 years with the Avery Dennison Corporation - first as an Account Manager and then promoted as an Alliance Manager where she built partnerships with major corporations like Microsoft, Apple, and Hewlett Packard to market Avery products. While working for Avery she and her husband moved to El Dorado Hills in 1996 to raise their family. All three of their children attended RUSD schools and graduated from Oak Ridge High School. While raising her children, Gina spent endless hours volunteering at both Lake Forest Elementary and Marina Village Middle Schools working on beatification projects on each campus. When at the schools, Gina noticed many students sitting alone or wondering around during lunch recess not engaging in the activities offered during this free time. The school's unattended gardens needed some TLC so she connected those students to the garden with a mission in mind. With the Principal’s permission she asked if she could start “Lunch Time Garden” programs for ALL students who wanted to participate. A local non profit, El Dorado Community Foundation, got wind of her garden program and approached Gina to start a non profit so that these programs could be integrated into all of the district's schools.  Thus, Project Green was born. 

Recently Gina was the recipient of the  El Dorado County School’s Outstanding Community Member award for Rescue Union School District for her work with Project Green.

Martha brings a dynamic skill set to Project Green that includes program management experience and gardening knowledge. Early in her career she worked at the Oakland Coliseum Complex as an Event and Facility Manager. She was then hired by the Oakland Athletics as their Director of Game Day Services, where she created and managed their in-house Game Day Services Department. Martha worked for the Oakland Athletics until relocating to El Dorado Hills. She is a Master Gardener and the owner of Martha’s Landscape and Garden Designs. While living in El Dorado Hills and raising her two boys, Martha has always been an active volunteer in the schools and the community. She was a board member and coach for three youth sports organizations, a K-12 school volunteer, managed special events at her church, and was a board member and board President of Serrano Country Club. Martha is excited to be a part of Project Green! She loves working with children and understands the value of providing them garden space where they can learn, grow, and find safety and community.

El Dorado Hills resident and Rescue Union School District parent, Claire McGhehey has seen the value that school gardens bring to the student population. Claire is a seasoned Accountant with business, personal and nonprofit financial experience. As a mother of two and entering the elementary school system during the pandemic; there was uncertainty for all. During this time, there was a need to expand the classroom beyond the four walls and spend time outdoors when possible. At this time, the garden provided a safe, nurturing environment for children to build peer relationships, develop their creativity and engage in the care and responsibility the garden required. With the support of Project Green, our school gardens have expanded garden  use during recess times and provide a peaceful space to support student mental wellness. Claire has seen Project Green develop with the efforts of Gina Johnston and is eager to advance the goals as the Finance Chairperson.

Jill started her career in the advertising agency world – working on the account side for over ten years at several Chicago and San Francisco based ad agencies.  After taking some time off to start a family, Jill got very involved in volunteering and running events/fundraising for her local school district in San Jose.  After some time, she decided to take this hands on experience “on the road” so to speak and started working for the Bay Area non-profit Sky’s the Limit Fund.  Jill spent the last 7 years there running their fundraising and development.  Even after moving to El Dorado Hills, Jill continued to work for STLF via Zoom (before Zoom working became a thing).  She recently retired from her position at STLF and joined the Project Green Executive Board to help grow their communications and development arm.  She is thrilled to be working with such great people and helping fill an important niche in the community. 

Raised in a small, rural Northern California community, much of Lauren’s childhood was spent enjoying the outdoors. A long-time public relations professional for various local food and wine clients, she helps manage Project Green’s communications efforts including message and materials development, social media strategies and public relations outreach. After spending many afternoons volunteering in her children’s school garden under Project Green founder Gina Johnston, Lauren was immediately drawn to Gina’s passion for outdoor education and her vision of creating a space where all of her beloved students felt welcome: the school garden. Lauren is currently a mom of two middle school-aged children who have been lucky enough to spend lots of memorable hours in their school gardens. She also spent many years as an active volunteer for her children’s elementary school parent teacher organization in various roles including VP of Fundraising and co-chair of the campus beautification committee. She is honored to be a part of the Project Green team and to help spread the word about the countless ways school gardens positively impact our local students.

Emily grew up in a country village in the south of England, a stark contrast to her later years in bustling London where she began her media career over 20 years ago at a leading PR consultancy.

Now calling California her home, Emily has collaborated with numerous nonprofits and corporations, guiding them in crafting impactful narratives to elevate their presence through strategic messaging. In her role at Project Green, Emily applies her experience in the world of communications to foster the organization's growth and reach.

All four of her children have been fortunate enough to enjoy time in the school gardens in Rescue School District and she is passionate about ensuring that more students have access to such enriching spaces.

Emily is proud to be a part of Project Green, an organization dedicated to providing students with welcoming spaces to play, learn, and thrive.