Our Leadership Team
Julene Jarnot
Founder and Executive Director
A Minnesota native, Julene Jarnot brings over 30 years of nonprofit leadership experience in community engagement, program development, and social impact. Since 2022, she has served as volunteer coordinator of her parish garden in Northern Virginia, helping grow fresh produce for the parish food pantry and steward a native, pollinator-friendly garden bed.
Inspired by this work, she founded Catholic Garden Network to connect, support, and celebrate gardens in Catholic communities.
Previously, Julene served as Executive Director of a nonprofit, where she led fundraising campaigns, built community partnerships, and helped lead a hypothermia shelter for individuals experiencing homelessness. As a nonprofit consultant, she has helped organizations strengthen governance, develop strategic plans, and enhance fundraising efforts. She has also worked extensively with scholarship programs for youth and young adults, supporting educational access and leadership development.
Julene holds a B.A. in English and Political Science from Marquette University and an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University.
Jacquelyn Cabada Branscomb Haeberle
Board Member
Jacquelyn Cabada Branscomb Haeberle is a strategic federal grants policy and delivery reform leader with over a decade of experience working to make funding systems more accessible, equitable, and responsive to community needs. She served in senior roles within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she led efforts to simplify grant processes, strengthen equity in funding, and improve the experience of organizations seeking federal support.
Her work regularly bridges federal policy and community impact, supporting programs that serve children, families, and underserved communities across the country. Jacquelyn is an award-winning public servant recognized for her leadership in improving how grant funding reaches communities more effectively.
She holds a Juris Doctor from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. She lives in Springfield, Virginia with her
husband and daughter and is active at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, bringing a strong commitment to service, collaboration, and mission-driven community
work to the Board.
Dan Herrera, Ph.D.

Board Member
Dan Herrera is an ecologist who studies how humans and wildlife can coexist, even in human-dominated landscapes like urban or agricultural areas. Deforestation to accommodate unsustainable agriculture is a leading cause of global habitat loss, and threatens to push many species to extinction. With this irreversible loss in mind, Dan strives to achieve local, community-driven food systems that produce nutritious food without inflicting undue environmental damage.Â
Motivated by these goals, Dan volunteers in his parish garden to provide produce for the food pantry, serves as the interim co-chair of the environmental ministry at his parish, and advocates for humans and wildlife alike at the Catholic Garden Network. Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Studies (double major) from Augustana College and a PhD in Environmental Science and Technology from the University of Maryland.
Alison Spencer, CPA
Board Member
Alison Spencer brings extensive experience in financial leadership and nonprofit management, including her role as former Controller for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington. Throughout her career, she has supported mission-driven organizations in strengthening financial stewardship and operational effectiveness.
A parishioner at St. Louis Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia and a member of the American Rose Society, Alison has a deep appreciation for the role of gardens in fostering beauty, reflection, and care for others. She is especially interested in how flowers and garden spaces can be shared as a gesture of hospitality, recognition, and encouragement for others. Alison is frequently seen making arrangements from her home garden and bringing outdoor elements in throughout all the seasons to further appreciation and connection to nature. Gardens are active and creative spaces and Alison enjoys both the challenge and opportunity to grow in all the virtues that tending a garden can teach us.
Alison is drawn to the mission of the Catholic Garden Network to provide the space for communities and individuals to communicate and inspire each other to find ways to bring together care for creation, service to neighbors, and opportunities for encounter through our gardens.
Shannon Nally Yanessa
Board Member
Shannon grew interested in land use, farming and food production in high school after moving from a suburban to rural home in Virginia. She admired the serenity of the rural landscape and was curious about how nearby land was farmed, where the products went and local distribution of farm products. After earning a BA in Art History from the College of William and Mary, she spent a few years working in the healthcare/public health sector. She merged interests and completed a MS in concentrating on Agriculture, Food and the Environment from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.Â
 Shannon has remained in the agriculture field working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture where she has focused on regulatory policy and compliance for organic foods. She lives in Virginia outside of Washington DC with her husband, two children and a few backyard garden plots for herbs and vegetables.