Jennifer Waxman
Jennifer Waxman was the Executive Director and Visionary behind The Villages Grown. Jennifer’s agribusiness and the natural wellness career began in 2000. She is Florida’s leading expert on CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) and Local Food Systems. As Executive Director, Jennifer developed The Villages Grown business and educational model. She leads with a Food-as-medicine, Community-Centric, Local Food System approach which is the foundation of The Villages Grown’s model for success.
Jennifer entered the sustainable agriculture industry in 2000 as a Global Marketing Manager for an international manufacturer specializing in agricultural water conservation technology. This position allowed her to travel the world working with greenhouse operators and farmers while also observing health conditions in relation to agricultural practices in several world regions.
During this time, Jennifer was responsible for new product development for the hydroponics division, as well as assisting growers in both the field and greenhouse to create new and advanced products and systems. She was positioned to analyze, understand, and advise strategies throughout the entire business processes from the greenhouse or field to fresh produce or finished product. Jennifer learned about CEA from the countries that were leading the charge prior to CEA truly being adopted as a viable commercial opportunity in the US, which only began around 2007.
In 2005, she launched a first-of-kind, Sustainable Agriculture & Wellness consulting firm in Central FL. She consistently led large, strategic consulting projects focused on sustainable agricultural and food-centric business models such as multiple CEA projects and systems (*both Aeroponics and Hydroponics), Medical networks centered around Food-as-Medicine Models, Agrihoods, Agritourism, and Natural product launches.