Our Team...
Jenny Kuehnle...
Founder
I grew up in Flint, Michigan and spent most of my childhood outdoors, free-ranging in a family friendly neighborhood. I always craved wilderness and had my first big wilderness experiences when I moved to the Colorado Rockies at age 18. Living at high altitude for the next 13 years, I fell in love with gardening, although the growing season was short. In 2005 I moved to the Rogue Valley to raise my family and create a more sustainable lifestyle, in which I could garden year round. In 2005 I began doing landscape maintenance part-time, in addition to other part-time jobs including; coffee shop barista, massage therapist and yoga instructor. In 2016 I got my landscape contractor’s license, hired my first employees, and created Ahimsa Gardens LLC.
My background includes a BA from University of Colorado in Environmental Sciences with a minor in Women’s Studies. I have also been a licensed massage therapist, yoga instructor, Ayurvedic educator, completed 2 permaculture design courses, am a master gardener, and completed RCC’s landscape technician program. I have been the treasurer on the Board of Directors for White Oak Farm and Education Center in Williams, OR since 2011. My interests beyond sustainable gardening and urban homesteading include trail running, mountain biking, snow sports, camping, music, reading, and spending quality time with family, friends, and my dog.
Matt Locklin...
Construction Manager
Matt grew up in the California Bay Area and in Singapore. He has been working in the construction industry since high school, including 12 years of construction on Vashon Island, WA, several years as a licensed landscape contractor in Seattle, WA, and 4 years of construction in Ashland, OR. He also worked as a licensed drug and alcohol counselor in the Rogue Valley for 6 years. Matt moved to Ashland in 2006 to be near his family, raise his 2 kids, and live in the lovely climate of the Rogue Valley.
Matt brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to Ahimsa Gardens with expertise in carpentry, electrical, plumbing, irrigation, hardscaping, construction, plant ID and plant care. Matt is a fun-loving crew member, bringing a light and playful attitude to every work day. He takes pride in his work, enjoys working with others and sharing his skills and knowledge with other crew members. Matt’s interests outside of work include beekeeping, houseplants, gardening, hiking, and backpacking.
Sarah Elvington...
Designer & Office Manager
It is an honor and a joy to have Sarah on the Ahimsa Garden team. Sarah brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to her job at Ahimsa Gardens. As the landscape designer and office manager, Sarah fills some very important niches.
Sarah grew up in the Northern Virginia DC metro area. She has lived in Southern Oregon since 2000. She has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in field biology/ecology, with a certificate in botany from Southern Oregon University. She earned a permaculture design certificate from Occidental Arts and Ecology Center and has studied medicinal herbalism. Sarah has worked in landscaping since 2014, including 4 years at Plant Oregon. She is the founder and owner of GentleWind Gardens, where she has been doing garden design and maintenance since 2016.
Sarah loves gardening, and spending time in nature. At Ahimsa Gardens she is happy to have a job doing things she loves while working with a great group of co-workers and clients. With an emphasis on sustainability, permaculture design, native plants, and creating wildlife habitat, Sarah designs gardens which draw people out to utilize and enjoy their natural living spaces.
As an office manager, Sarah brings computer, bookkeeping, and organizational skills to help create systems, streamlining our work behind the scenes. Sarah is a joy to work with.
Dino Cellini...
Installation Crew Boss
Dino started working with Ahimsa Gardens in 2016 and was one of our first employees. Dino grew up in Ashland where he played high school football and wrestling. Dino is currently earning a bachelor’s degree in sustainability and business at SOU.
At Ahimsa Gardens, Dino has many responsibilities. As an installation crew boss, Dino leads some of our installation jobs and often oversees the work of his coworkers. Dino does a great job with all things hardscaping. His skills range from installing paver patios, metal edging and pathways, retaining walls, irrigation, and welding, to occasionally helping the maintenance team with detailed plant care.
We love having Dino on the team. He is patient and kind, with a very easy
going demeanor. Dino is a pleasure to work with. Dino enjoys working
outdoors and likes the variety of tasks that his job at Ahimsa Gardens
entails. In his spare time, Dino likes to hike and hang out with his friends.
Joe Hutchison...
Maintenance Manager
Joe started with Ahimsa Gardens in Fall of 2020 and we love working with him. Joe has many years of experience landscaping in the Rogue Valley and is a vital member of our team. Joe oversees the majority of our maintenance accounts, trains our new employees, and manages the maintenance schedules for all of our accounts.
Joe brings a level of professionalism and efficiency to our crews that is invaluable. In the field he moves quickly and thoroughly through the jobs with skill and attention to detail. He has a vast amount of knowledge with plant ID and plant care for all kinds of things that grow in the Rogue Valley. In the office he streamlines our record keeping tasks, and always has great suggestions for how we can be more efficient. Joe takes pride in his work and creates high quality results. He is kind, patient, funny, conscientious, and a pleasure to work with.
Joe earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from SOU in 2014. In his
spare time, Joe coaches high school wrestling, writes music, sings and
plays guitar, paints landscapes with acrylic and oil based paints, and
spends quality time with his girlfriend and cats.
Kit Muckler...
Maintenance Crew Boss
Kit is a lovely part of the Ahimsa Team. She is good natured, steady, and reliable, and fun to work with. Kit grew up in St Louis, MO. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Art at Santa Clara University in 2010. Kit has held a variety of jobs and volunteer positions in the past, including trail maintenance in Tahoe, tutoring children in a woman’s shelter, assisting children in classrooms with developmental disabilities and autism, interning on organic veggie farms, working as a ski instructor, and as a preschool teacher.
We love having Kit as a Maintenance Crew Boss, as she has a good sense of the meticulous details for fine gardening. She is very observant of plants and plant health and of what is going on in the gardens she tends. Kit is thoughtful and gentle, yet direct in her communication with clients and co-workers. She is aware of her impact on the world around her, and has a strong environmental ethic.
Kit loves animals and plans to someday adopt a dog. She dreams of building a permaculture and natural building education center. In her spare time, Kit enjoys natural building, singing, playing ukulele, making sauerkraut, and hiking with dogs.
We all appreciate the gentle energy Kit brings to our team.
Jeff Crease...
Maintenance Crew Boss
Jeff is wonderful to work with, and we are thrilled to have him as a coworker. Jeff grew up in the small town of Orangeville, Ontario, in Canada. He earned a degree in Geography from the University of Laurentian in Sudbury, Ontario, in 2010. Jeff brings a great diversity of skills and experiences to his work at Ahimsa Gardens. He has travelled the world extensively, and has held volunteer positions in Korea, Taiwan, and Jamaica. He and his wife recently purchased a home nestled in the hills of Talent, where they are creating a fitness and wellness retreat space, surrounded by beautiful gardens and a seasonal creek.
As a maintenance crew boss, Jeff is an integral part of the Ahimsa team. He is strong, smart, and trustworthy. Jeff is a great communicator and takes pride in his work. He has a good eye for detail, and love of plants and people, and brings a great attitude to every work day.
In his spare time, Jeff loves to be outdoors enjoying camping, hiking, fishing, canoeing, swimming, playing guitar, writing music, and relaxing in a hammock. We are so grateful to Have Jeff on the team.
Andrew
Markham...
Andrew has been working with the earth and elements for as long as he can remember. Occupied as a child with building outdoor forts, stacking rocks by the creek, and playing in his grandfather’s Japanese garden, Andrew has always been in his element in the natural world. At age 10, Andrew industriously earned money mowing lawns and caring for properties in his neighborhood. As a teenager he worked at the local plant nursery, learning plant names and habitat needs. Later he worked in a lumberyard, becoming familiar with different construction materials, techniques and the process of contracting.
Andrew attended the University of Kentucky and earned a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Conservation and Management. His focus of study was soil science, with some graduate studies in soil physics. Following college, Andrew worked on an organic farm in Kauai, where he began learning irrigation skills. In 2000 Andrew moved to Ashland, Oregon and began caring for several properties. He studied permaculture design in Ashland with Tom Ward and other permaculture teachers. He worked for two local landscaping companies until 2004 when he took the Oregon Landscape Contractors exam and started his own company.
In 2005 Andrew started Banyan Tree Landscape Construction in the Rogue Valley. He hired highly skilled stone masons and learned many things from working side by side with the master masons. Banyan Tree Landscape installed hundreds of custom landscapes in the Rogue Valley and their fine work can be seen throughout Ashland and beyond. After 17 years of operating Banyan Tree Landscape, in 2023 Andrew decided to simplify his efforts. Andrew and his lead stonemasons joined the Ahimsa Gardens crew in 2023. We appreciate Andrew bringing his years of experience and expertise to the team, helping with project acquisition, design, budgeting and project management.
