About me
Randy Ryan grew up with his Aunt & Uncle on their farm in rural west Tennessee, where they tended to both cattle and crops. He joined the Army at 17 and served with the XVIII Airborne Corps. He attended North Carolina State University and then Circle in the Square Professional Theatre program.
Pursuing his passion for telling the stories of working class Americans, Randy ended up in urban Los Angeles. He began sharing his knowledge of agriculture with inner-city children at gang-ridden schools where access to healthy food is sparse. He led Teaching Gardens to national prominence, resulting in over 500 school gardens nationwide. Randy joined the staff of FVC for a short time, establishing the California Initiative, a statewide collaboration that would become the roots for what would become the California chapter of FVC.
When founder Michael O’Gorman left FVC, he asked Randy to join him as Partner in Michael O’Gorman Farming. Together, Michael and Randy work as teachers, consultants and speakers to inspire the next generation of farmers. Randy is still based in Los Angeles, but lives a more rural lifestyle at the base of the Santa Monica mountains.