Meet Our Team!
Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele
Founder/CEO of National Women In Agriculture Association
Founded in 2008 by Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele
NWIAA was founded in February 2008, by Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele who is the founder and Director. The organization is headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK. NWIAA is an agriculture outreach organization fueled by sisterhood and diversity.
Our vision is to provide vital opportunities for rural and urban communities to sustain themselves through agriculture. We have made it our mission to increase the number of minority participation in the agriculture sector. We believe if we equip our youth for tomorrow while engaging them today, we can increase the number of minority youth going into agricultural careers. NWIAA’s Grass Root innovative and sustainable at-risk-youth programs will build capacity within and at 1890 Land Grant Universities’ Motivate Education Achieve Program (“MEA”).
We also have partnerships with The USDA Programs and 1890 Land Grant Universities. There are 45 NWIAA Current & Pending Chapters. This number includes sub Chapters within various states.
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Mary Gray
Sustainable Science Academy Director
Mary Roberts-Gray, born in 1950 in rural Seminole County, OK, grew up on her family farm, allotted by The Dawes Commission. Her parents, George and Margaret Roberts, cultivated a variety of crops and tended to livestock. Mary, a member of the Black Seminole Tribe, actively assisted the National Women In Agriculture Association since its establishment in 2008. As an original member, she played a key role in outreach events, providing technical assistance to connect minority women farmers with USDA resources. Mary served NWIAA in various roles, including outreach assistant coordinator, bookkeeper, and financial coordinator. She also contributed as the Childcare Director at Sustainable Science Academy in Oklahoma City, the only Agriculture Childcare Center in the area.
Rhonda Spencer
Human Resources
Rhonda Spencer is a native of Brooklyn, New York. She is married, a mother of two, an educator and entrepreneur. She has a background in education that began in 1999 in the New York City Public School system, where she taught in The Bronx and Manhattan. She received her Master’s Degree in Education and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership at Cambridge College in Boson, Massachusetts, and would later become an adjunct professor and student teacher supervisor at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania.
In 2010, her journey and interest in agriculture began with her first summer food garden at her home in Pennsylvania. Within the same year, she and her family would move to Virginia for a land and farming opportunity. Although this did not materialize as expected, in 2020, after relocating with her family to Oklahoma, Rhonda would again revisit her quest of growing her own food and her interest in farming and agriculture.
Rhonda continued her agriculture journey by once again growing her own food on her back porch. This time, however, as news reports foresaw the beginning of a food shortage, along with the limited ability to get around due to quarantine, and the general difficulty to find healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables in Oklahoma City, she was not growing food just for leisure, but because of the growing uncertainty of food access during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Her attempt to answer to this need presented many challenges, particularly in an urban setting. Her desire for learning more about urban gardening and her will to educate her community about this information as well, is what prompted her to start the live virtual workshop series “From Seed 2 Harvest”. What began as a show on gardening quickly expanded to cover many stages of growing and storing food, including food preservation, freeze drying, hoop houses, green houses, aquaponics, animal husbandry and more. The shows featured seasoned farmers, gardeners and experienced individuals, such as Kwame Mboya, a local farmer, founder and manager of the NEOKC Farmers Market Incorporated. The show also included international guests as far away as Zambia, Central Africa. The advantage to the show being virtual was that it reached larger audiences and forged relations with farmers and food Sovereignty Advocates around the country and the world and put From Seed 2 Harvest on the global scene. Just as we cultivate to grow fruit, vegetables and flowers, this is only the beginning for “From Seed 2 Harvest.”
In December 2021, Rhonda was a cohost on WOLB AM Radio 1010, The Mentoring Klinic, in Baltimore, MD. The featured topic was: “Community Preparation for Food Shortage/How to Prepare.” As Rhonda continued to engage various groups and study, she realized that farming is a lost art and she believes that it is important for our youth to reconnect to the earth and to learn the art growing food. This, she believes, is the key start to sustaining a good quality of life, by taking charge of our lives through cultivating good, wholesome, life-sustaining food.
Andres Gonzalez, a graduate of South Texas College, brings a wealth of experience in warehouse management and supervision from his tenure in Texas and Oklahoma. In his role as a warehouse supervisor, Andres collaborated with diverse vendors and supply chains to optimize inventory levels, ensuring the procurement of high-quality materials at optimal value. This experience has been instrumental in his current role at NWIAA, where he excels in vetting vendors to meet operational requirements, fostering strategic partnerships with collaborators, and identifying crucial infrastructure needs to further the organization's mission.
Andres Gonzalez
Operations Manager
Kiera Esparza holds a degree in graphic design and runs her own graphic design/art business. She is an advocate for building a sustainable future for the next generation. Having been exposed to agriculture through her family, the NWIAA mission is a lifestyle she has already witnessed as beneficial.
Kiera Esparza
Social Media Manager
Elisa Joseph is the Founder / Director of The Maternal Society
Nonprofit Mission: Dedication to Maternal Infant Child Health and wellness through a community-based approach of lactation services, perinatal care, health literacy and child development.
They envision a premier continuum of healthcare and social support that safeguards African American Maternal Infant Child Health and wellbeing. Together we can, and we will.
Elisa Joseph
Founder / Director of The Maternal Society
Qadira Muhammad
International Affairs Coordinator
Hilari Vargas
NWIAA Ambassador
Hilari Vargas is a sixth generation Texan, with a strong background in agriculture, law and policy. As one of the less than 2% of lawyers in the U.S. who are Hispanic women, Hilari is passionate about ensuring that the growth of opportunities for minorities in agriculture, is prioritized at all governmental levels. She received her law degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she focused her studies on agriculture, environmental regulations and public law. While attending law school, Hilari continued volunteering for various projects and efforts, from assisting in research on goats at the S.U. Agricultural Research Station, to fundraising and distributing livestock feed for those affected by natural disasters. She remained involved in ag, not only through volunteer work, but also by working for the Livestock Brand Commission of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry. Prior to law school, Ms. Vargas grew up in 4-H and FFA, and spent time on her family’s small farm in west Texas. This prompted her to study agriculture at Texas Tech University, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Upon graduating she built a career in agricultural communications, working in the produce and cattle industries. While completing her last year of law school, she was awarded Legislative Fellowship with the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, at the Texas House of Representatives, for the 2023 Texas Legislative Session. As a Legislative Aid, she worked closely with legislators, constituents and stakeholders to pass legislative measures. She was also tasked with attending hearings of the Environmental Regulations and Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee's, and the meticulously review of every bill under their consideration.
Emmanuel Opde
NWIAA Ambassador
Emmanuel Opde is a community leader and youth mentor who is passionate about women and youth empowerment through Agriculture, he believes Agriculture is the antidote to poverty reduction in rural communities in Africa.
He started the Centre for Behavioural Change and Public Enlightenment, a non-profit organization in 2007 and incorporated it in Nigeria, Africa on April 1, 2021, for the empowerment of youth and women in underserved communities
Enmanuel Opde started farming early in childhood, at age 9, assisting his family in cassava and palm cultivation, processing, and marketing. His early years were spent working on their family cassava and palm plantations in the Akpororo-Sogho Community. Emmanuel Opde had an interest in Agriculture and has since been in farming until he met Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele during the 6th US-Africa Business and Policy Forum on June 24, 2021, where the African Chapter of the National National Women in Agriculture Association (NWIAA) was initiated and incorporated on August 2, 2022, with the name: Tammys International Women in Agriculture Empowerment Association(TIWAEA ) with over 20 chapters across Africa. He graduated top of the class with Upper Credit Division, Diploma in Legal Studies, Rivers State Polytechnic (Now Ken Beeson Saro Wiwa Polytechnic) Bori. Mr. Emmanuel Opde also graduated top of the class for his Bachelor of Science degree with Honours (Second Class Upper Division) in Psychology from the University of Uyo, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Mr. Emmanuel Opde was a recipient of the Federal Government of Nigeria Undergraduate Excellence Scholarship Award by the Federal Scholarship Board (2016-2019). Emmanuel Opde previously served in various leadership capacities, such as his meritorious services as Assistant Director of Project, Impact Leaders Club, University of Uyo (2017-2018), Youth President, Methodist Church Nigeria, Rumuigbo, Port Harcourt. (2007-2013), Advisor and Chairman Constitution Review Committee, Nigerian Association of Psychology Students 2019- till date. He is a Researcher, Entrepreneur, gifted Writer, Grassroots Mobilizer, and Community
Leader with a strong passion for youth and women empowerment.
Mr. Emmanuel Opde attended many conferences, workshops, and Seminars such as the Capacity Building Workshop organized by Rivers State Ministry of Youth Development for Youth NGOs/Organizations in 2011, the Scientific Session of the 2019 Nigerian Psychological Association(NPA) Congress in Uyo 2019
The 15th Anniversary of the National Women in Agriculture Association (NWIAA ) in Oklahoma City, USA (February 2023) with an award of excellence in Leadership as Africa Chapter Leader of NWIAA. He was given a special recognition, an award for his contributions to Mental Health in
Nigeria by the Nigerian Association of Psychology Students in 2021.
Emmanuel Opde has a certificate in conflict management: As Critical Success Factors For Youth Organizations, Management and Leadership: Leading a Team, Impact Leadership Course and many others.
He has taken his Social and Behavioural Change Advocacy; Such as Campaigns against Mental illnesses, Drug Abuse, Gender-Based Violence, and Suicide Prevention, youth and women empowerment to several Radio and Television Stations, featuring on different programs such as: Let’s Talk about It, Feminine Fancy” on Federal Radio Cooperation of Nigeria; Treasure 98.5FM, Mind, Body and Soul on Nigeria Info 92.3 FM, Radio Rivers 99.1FM, Rythm 93.7FM, You and your health on Atlantic Television Network in Port
Harcourt, Rivers State, and Sharing Life Issues on Inspiration FM 105.9, Well-being on SpectrumTV in Uyo Akwa Ibom Stat—
Mr. Emmanuel Opde also took the following and other roles in different organizations: Litigation Officer, Anoakule Chambers (2007-2015) Logistics Officer (Undergraduate Intern) Multidigital Nigeria Limited (2018) Sales Manager, De Prince Collections (2007-2008), etc.
Boluwatife Onipede
NWIAA Ambassador
Boluwatife Onipede is a Legal Practitioner with five years’ post-call experience in corporate commercial law and dispute resolution. She bagged her LLB Degree from Osun State University, Nigeria in 2018, and was a recipient of the Brain Box of the Year Award both from
the Law Students’ Society, and the Yusuf Ali's Liberty Chambers in 2017 and 2018 respectively. She also graduated in the top five percentile of her Set (College of Law), emerging the 3rd Best
Overall in the College of Law, Osun State University, Nigeria. She attended the Nigerian Law School, and got called to the Nigerian Bar in 2019. After her call to the Bar, she worked as an Associate in the Law Firm of PISTIS PARTNERS LLP, a full-service commercial law firm, where she advised clients on a wide spectrum of corporate law cases including business ethics and legal compliance. She also represented foreign and local clients in complex corporate and civil matters alike. She thereafter joined the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) in September 2022, where she worked as Legal Officer in the Organisation’s Legal, Regulatory and Taxation Department. NECA is the foremost Umbrella Business Membership Organisation in Nigeria, and has in the past 60 years, been the voice of business on varied and diverse issues that aim at
improving the environment for enterprises to survive and flourish. At NECA, she advised member-companies across diverse sectors of the economy on regulatory compliance and corporate governance principles to improve efficiency in operational management, attended various sessions, public hearings and stakeholders’ engagement at the National Assembly to provide guidance and present positions on variant of issues likely to affect businesses under the Organized Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN), amongst other things. She was the youngest of the three Nigerian Delegates that represented Nigeria at the Effective and Inclusive Tripartism and Social Dialogue Workshop, by the African Regional Labour
Administration Centre (ARLAC), Harare, Zimbabwe. She is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree at Oklahoma City University, with an expected end date of May 2025.
As a childhood hobby, Boluwatife started planting Oranges and Guava in her compound and has now grown to love agriculture with a goal to support minority women and youth in Agriculture to become economically empowered. In her free time, she loves writing and using natural events to teach lessons, mentoring and counseling.