Jenna “Knotwood”

Jenna “Knotwood” Tilley (she/they) is the Executive Director and Farm Manager of Parker Learning Gardens, where they also serve as the lead of support systems and the primary project and event coordinator. Jenna is deeply woven into the daily life of the farm, guiding operations, programs, and community gatherings with equal parts vision, practicality, and curiosity.

Jenna grew up on a 120-acre farm outside Philomath and Corvallis, Oregon, spending most of their childhood roaming fields and forests alongside three brothers. That early immersion in land and place shaped a lifelong habit of observing, questioning, and enthusiastically sharing knowledge about the natural world—traits that now define their teaching style. Visitors quickly learn that Jenna has an uncanny ability to regurgitate fascinating information about plants, animals, herbs, mushrooms, permaculture systems, sustainability, and natural building—often exactly when it’s most delightful or useful.

They studied General Biology and Fine Arts at Lane Community College, with a focus on mycology and ethnobotany, and later continued studies in sustainability and horticulture at Oregon State University. Jenna went on to work at Shonnard’s Nursery, building expertise in landscape plants, fruit tree care and pruning, and soil amendments, before joining Wilt Farms, a certified organic berry farm where they worked across nearly every aspect of production—from fieldwork and quality control to processing and systems support.

In 2015, Jenna followed a pull toward community-centered food systems and joined Agrarian Ales Brewery. Over five years, they became General Manager, helping operate both the restaurant and hop farm while gaining deep experience in team leadership, logistics, and values-driven enterprises.

Outside of program planning and farm work, Jenna finds joy in the company of goats—especially taking their two pack goats, Jiminy and Georgie, hiking and camping deep in the woods. Survival camping and primitive cooking are favorite pastimes, offering a way to step out of daily demands and into deep rest. Jenna loves hiking, swimming, birding (with a special fondness for owls), traveling, and a healthy dose of thrill-seeking, with a growing list of dreams that includes skydiving, bungee jumping, parasailing, glider flight, zip lining, hot air ballooning, building a treehouse with their husband Nate, and someday living on a houseboat in Ireland.

As a parent of two, Jenna homeschooled their oldest child for four years and is now homeschooling their preschooler—an experience that deeply informs their commitment to experiential, land-based education. Known for an unapologetic love of the color orange—and a legendary habit of losing water bottles and coffee mugs—Jenna brings humor, warmth, and wholehearted presence to their work, helping Parker Learning Gardens grow as a living classroom for the future.