Meet the Panelists for From Seed to Table: Growing Veggies and Community Panel Discussion

Thanks to these green-thumbed badasses for agreeing to be on our From Seed to Table: Growing Veggies and Community Panel Discussion on April 1st at Flying Pig Improv's new location at 2320 E. Douglas at Grove in Wichita, Kansas. (Parking and entrance in back.)

About the event: There’s nothing quite like the taste of a tomato picked at the peak of ripeness, or the satisfaction of a handful of crisp, sun-warmed greens straight from the garden. You don’t need a backyard of your own to experience that joy—community gardens offer a space to plant, nurture, and harvest alongside neighbors, sharing not just vegetables, but stories, skills, and a sense of belonging.

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, this panel discussion is for anyone who loves fresh, home-grown veggies. Learn practical tips for bumper crops, juicy tomatoes, and thriving gardens, and leave inspired to grow your own delicious harvest—no matter the size of your plot.

Sponsored by Optometric Billings Solutions, optometricbilling.com, (316) 722-2021 and Flying Pig Improv, flyingpigimprov.com, (316) 833-1889

This event is open to the public, and everyone is welcome.

The registration fee is $10 at the door or in advance.

We are meeting at Flying Pig Improv's new location at 2320 E. Douglas Ave. at Grove, 6 to 8 PM.

Panelists:

Angela Blackerby

Angela Blackerby is a Master Gardener and plant nerd with a deep commitment to community gardening in the Riverside neighborhood. She sees gardening as a powerful way to bring people together, share resources, and build stronger connections among neighbors. Angela enjoys cultivating vegetables, pollinator-friendly flowers, and native Kansas plants that thrive in the region’s challenging climate.

Through her involvement in community gardens, Angela has learned about the importance of collaboration, sustainability, and the importance of giving back.  She believes that when we care for the land together, we’re really caring for each other too. For Angela, gardening in Riverside is both a grounding personal passion and a meaningful contribution to the vitality and spirit of her neighborhood.

 Leah Dannar-Garcia

Leah Dannar-Garcia grew up two doors west of Firefly Farm and played here as a kid; the experience left her with a deep love of animals and farming life. She spent her early adult years in New York City. Later, she travelled and worked in countries worldwide before returning to Wichita in 1998 and marrying the boy next door soon after.

She will never forget the persimmon groves she saw in Korea, the ladyfinger bananas she ate in Mexico, or the vineyards she toured in the Republic of Georgia. Those faraway experiences had a great impact on her ideas about regional agriculture and cuisine.

She founded Firefly Farm in 2015, specializing in heirloom tomatoes and organic processes. Over time, Firefly hosted many farm-to-table dinners, to great acclaim, farmers’ markets, a farmers’ book club, and private events.

In 2020, Leah received an opportunity to research, design, and build a rooftop farm in downtown Wichita. RISE Farms opened in 2022 and was the largest rooftop farm in the Midwest. The Hub supplied Lotte, Wichita’s premier farm-to-table restaurant, just five floors below, and many other local restaurants in the region.

Leah founded Firefly Food Hub to build the local food community. Inviting other farmers and food producers to sell through the online platform, Firefly Food Hub made it easy and convenient for retail consumers and restaurants to support local farmers. With an emphasis on schools and food banks, and filling the need for food deserts in our city, Firefly Food Hub focused on growing the local food supply chain with the help of many dedicated farmers and makers.

Since she retired in 2025, Leah gets little more free time these days to enjoy music and the visual arts, hiking and kayaking in SE Kansas, and essay writing. Leah and her husband live at Firefly Farm with their dog Buckie, three cats, and a growing flock of wild turkeys.

Charolett Knapic

Raised on a wheat farm and cattle ranch in Waterloo, Kansas, Charolett grew up steeped in the rhythms of prairie life—gardening, milking the family cow, and preserving food from the land. From an early age, she worked in her grandparents' beloved McQueen's Café & Serveteria in Kingman, KS, where “Mom & Pop McQueen” taught her the value of hard work, hospitality, and community.

After high school, she married and raised a family grounded in simplicity and sustainability—home birthing and homeschooling three children who are now thriving adults living and working in Monterey, California. While nurturing her family, she also ran a home-based cleaning business and continued her deep love for growing things.

Her move to Wichita opened new doors when she began working under Kari Ossman at Wichita State University, gaining experience in greenhouse management and commercial floral planting. That chapter sowed the seeds for Echo Landscapes, which she founded in the fall of 2000.

Charolette specializes in sustainable garden consultation, design, installation, and maintenance, focusing on eco-friendly xeriscape and permaculture practices. With decades of experience growing, nurturing, and stewarding land and life, Charolett brings authenticity, wisdom, and beauty to every landscape she touches.

Moderator:

Jill D. Miller is passionate about helping people grow – professionally and personally. Her consulting company, Creative Solutions, has helped fledgling and seasoned entrepreneurs launch and grow out-of-the-ordinary and sometimes quirky ventures since 1998. Jill found her gift for teaching as a corporate trainer and loves influencing young minds as an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship in the Arts at Wichita State University.

​ As Headmistress of the Finishing School for Modern Women, Jill has worked with thousands of women, inspiring them to overcome obstacles and move toward their goals. She founded the Badass Women of Wichita Alliance in 2021 with weekly gatherings to build community, promote nonprofits, and develop “badassery.”

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After writing a blog for the Finishing School for seven years, Jill was inspired to compile her favorites into her first book, “Never Finished: Practical advice for Modern Women to inspire your fierce, authentic self she published in October 2022.

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Active in the Wichita community, Jill leads cultural and women's organizations and is a zealous volunteer. In her spare time, she likes to attend artistic events and relax at home with her miniature rescue poodle, Jack.

This panel is sponsored by Optometric Billings Solutions, optometricbilling.com, (316) 722-2021 and Flying Pig Improv, flyingpigimprov.com, (316) 833-1889

Thank you to our sponsor, Optometric Billing Solutions!

Because of their sponsorship, we're able to keep the prices for our Badass Women of Wichita Alliance events at only $10, including panel discussions.

At 10501 W. Hampton Lakes in Maize, OBS is a woman-owned, nationally recognized insurance billing company for optometrist clinics in 43 states. It was named by Wichita Business Journal as one of the best places to work in Wichita, based on confidential employee job satisfaction surveys.

If you’re ready for a career in an employee-centered company with flexible hours and options to work at home after training, OBS wants to talk to you! Go to https://bit.ly/OBSBadass for more information.

Sending a resume to BWWA@obsteam.com and letting OBS know the applicant is referred by the Badass network automatically guarantees them an interview. Make sure they drop your name when they apply! OBS rewards your referral with $150 cash each time the person you sent gets hired!

Did you know I've published a book?  Learn more about it here!

Because We’re Never Finished  

The Finishing School for Modern Women, located in Wichita, Kansas, offers classes to help women find their authentic selves, not because we need finishing, but because we’re never finished. We bring together women of all ages to learn from experts and each other how to claim our power in business, finance, communication, and life.

To learn more about what we do:

https://www.finishingschoolformodernwomen.com  for our classes and free social membership.

Contact Us

Phone: 316-841-8927 Email: jill@finishingschoolformodernwomen.com