Meet our new staff

Meet Ali Mangkang our FEAST educator at Hall Fletcher Elementary
Ali brings a lifetime of diverse experiences to this role. A graduate of UNC-Asheville’s Literature and Creative Writing program, she began her career in Atlanta’s nonprofit sector, supporting organizations focused on global poverty, contemporary art, and bicycle advocacy. Since returning to Asheville in 2011, she has worked across nonprofit and private sectors, showcasing adaptability and a commitment to innovation.
In 2020, Ali shifted her focus to gardening, working with residential clients to create vibrant, low maintenance spaces. She is currently pursuing academic credentials at Blue Ridge Community College, deepening her expertise in horticultural practices.
Ali is passionate about small-scale, sustainable gardening and approaches her work with a dedication to self-expression, activity-based learning, and curiosity. Her favorite gardening activity is growing flowers and crops from seed. 
Ali's son was a student at Lucy Herring many years ago, so she is already familiar with FEAST from volunteering with her son's FEAST classes and in the LSH garden. We are excited to bring her onto the FEAST team!
Micah Nielsen our new Pearson Garden Coordinator is a passionate gardener with roots in organic and regenerative practices, having grown up gardening with generations of  family in Montana before relocating to Asheville seven years ago with her wife. Since then, her passion for gardening has extended to her woodworking business where she specializes in handmade garden tools and plant presses, and to the small, free plant stand they stock with starts and produce from our garden in the Five Points neighborhood. Previously, she served as the Program Director for Montana Women Vote and the Montana Human Rights Network (now Catalyst Montana), where she honed her skills in grassroots organizing and community engagement. Volunteering for Bountiful Cities at the Pearson Garden has continued to foster her commitment to community-centered long-term food security and she's excited to continue deepening relationships with and growing alongside the gardening community of Asheville.

Gardner Singleton, our new Garden Network Coordinator has a diverse background in chemistry & applied mathematics, and as an entrepreneur in traditional Chinese medicine, Permaculture, and web media consulting for small businesses.
He's always brought a 'whole systems' philosophy to his work. Now he merges these disciplines to create innovative solutions to drive social entrepreneurship and sustainable community development.
As a long-time advocate for urban agriculture and resilient food systems, Gardner is excited to support Bountiful Cities’ mission to promote sustainable practices and empower local communities.

Nicole Salvitti-Gucwa, our new FEAST educator was a teacher for 10 years in the NYC public schools. She received her undergraduate degree in Special Education from Penn State University.  After graduating, Nicole worked as a middle school special education teacher who focused on English Language Arts in New York City. She received a Master of Education degree with a concentration in Critical Literacies from The City College of New York in Harlem where she completed her thesis focusing on the importance of leveraging students’ strengths while teaching. Nicole was also a track coach, yoga club instructor and organized a yearly camping trip for her students, being a part of a positive school community is very important to her! After leaving New York City, Nicole and her family lived in Portland, Oregon for five years where she learned through some successes and many failures how to grow and eat from her own garden. She loves living here in Asheville and getting outside with her family, especially in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains! She is very excited about bringing together her two most favorite things: public education and the magic of being outside digging in the dirt!