About Us ~ Rustic Roots Sanctuary

Janice Jones

President

Resident of Spanish Lake since 1993, graduated from Columbia College with a Bachelors in Business Administration, graduating Magna Cum Lade with minors in Accounting, Management and Marketing. Married to Gregory W. Jones, the Mother of 3 and 6 grandchildren. Janice has extensive experience in Customer Service Management and Municipal Government where she prides herself on extensive rapport building and work tirelessly bringing services and resources to our communities. Currently serves on the Spanish Lake Association Executive Board as appointed Secretary and Angelic Healthcare Services Community Outreach Program Board as Vice Chair. Both organizations focus on community building, health and wellness. Being a previous restaurant owner, she has grown my own food and loves to cook and as a current Travel Agent, loves to travel to the Caribbean and Mexico islands.

Janett Lewis

Founder/Executive Director

Holds an Early Childhood Education degree and has been a licensed holistic health provider for over twenty years. Lewis began her twenty plus year holistic health care career while obtaining an Associates Degree in Real Estate. Lewis has twelve years experience as a RE professional and investor and two years experience marketing for small businesses. Lewis has served her communities in many ways including two years as a board director of the Clairemont Town Council (CA), two years serving on the board of the Spanish Lake CDC, one year as the Board Chair of the Spanish Lake CDC, and is a St. Louis Neighborhood Leadership Fellow. Lewis is passionate about fighting for food equity, teaching people to grow food, the importance of nutrition, and how to live more sustainable lives. Having a background in Waldorf education, holistic health care, and business prepared Lewis to launch Rustic Roots Sanctuary Co.a culmination of her life's greatest works.

Eric Scott

Vice President

Started his working career in Operation and Facility Management and progressed to international business. After over twenty five years in this line of work he decided to make a change and left the corporate world to open STL RE Investments LLC. which Serves Habitat for Humanity, Veterans, and seniors in the Missouri area. While Scott began working towards giving veterans and socioeconomically disenfranchised individuals an opportunity to own a home, his work with Habitat for Humanity spurred an interest in building green spaces. This in turn led him to begin working with Janett Lewis to start GROW Spanish Lake Community Garden. Scott has been instrumental in every step of RRSC. He envisions wellness retreats, animal husbandry, bee keeping, and more and as the VP of Facilities, Scott will lead the construction build out and structure requirements for our expansion.

Dorlita Adams

Secretary

Dorlita Adams is a native of St. Louis, MO and grew up on the west side of the city. She is a graduate of Mulberry Grove High School, in Illinois, and has an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and Behavior Disorders from Harris-Stowe State University. She earned a Master's of Arts in Educational Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and completed her Education Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership at Missouri Baptist University. Dorlita and her husband (a preschool teacher) are residents of Unincorporated St. Louis County. Dorlita Adams has been employed by the Ritenour School District for the past seventeen years. She is currently the Director of Alternative Education in the Ritenour School District. Prior to this position, Dorlita Adams was the principal of Kratz Elementary School for eleven years. She has also served as a reading specialist and an assistant principal, at Hoech Middle school, before becoming the principal at Kratz Elementary School. Mrs. Adams’ initial administrative work began as the Assistant Principal at Adams Elementary School, for one year, prior to beginning her career in the Ritenour School District. To add, she worked in the Ferguson Florissant School District for seven years. Her extensive roles included one year as a Reading Specialist and six years as a Reading Recovery Teacher. Mrs. Adams started her illustrious career as a fourth-grade teacher in the St. Louis Public School District. She was a teacher leader there for four years. Throughout her career, Mrs. Adams has been active within the community and is a member of community service organizations that provide support to children and their families. She is also one of the founding Chief Executive Officers of “Passion 4 Pink Change,” a non-for profit organization established to help individuals who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and their families. Mrs. Adams’ multifaceted leadership abilities include strong interpersonal skills; extensive management experience; a phenomenal educational foundation; a solid work ethic; excellent communication skills; and enhanced decision-making skills.

Elizabeth Fields

Operation and Program Development

Earned her BA and MFA in English Literature, African American Studies, and Creative Writing from the University of Georgia. Fields is an incoming online MSW winter 2021 candidate at Florida State University and plans to focus on trauma counseling, social work policy, and community mediation. Fields has extensive academic relationships through working at the University of Georgia, University of North Georgia, Athens Technical College, Liaocheng University in China, and as a Cave Canem fellow. Her interdisciplinary work has long focused on bridging the gap between academia and the community and she is passionate about social justice causes such as mental health and domestic violence awareness, prison reform, and holistic food justice. Fields has developed sustainable programs for UGA’s African American Studies Institute, The Center for Global Exchange, and has written award winning curriculum proposals while working at UNG. Fields is an avid vegan/vegetarian cook and has studied holistic health care for the past twenty years. She is excited to use her expertise to help develop sustainable and holistic health education programs to youths and seniors in Spanish Lake, Missouri.

Connie Risby

Board of Directors

Has a background in marketing and sales and is a long time Spanish Lake resident. A seasoned business and marketing professional with forty years of experience, Connie Risby’s experience crosses several industries, including: Retail, Fast Food/Quick Casual/Full-Service Restaurants, Heating and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Employment Recruitment Marketing, Government/Military and Financial Services/Banking. Connie has expertise in identifying problems area(s) and developing key objectives, strategies, and tactics at every level including, budgeting, branding/creative, consumer/trade media (online and offline), sales projections, product mix analysis, promotion evaluations, competitive analysis and measurement.

Katherine Moore-Freeman (Kate)

Board of Directors

A passion for plants and environmental stewardship has served Kate well over the last twenty years of her career in the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Department. A reverence for ancient artistic techniques and a veneration of common ‘one-time-use’ materials has motivated Kate as an artist and as a supporter of local arts, Kate has served her community as the newspaper editor for the St. Louis Chapter of the Women’s Caucus for the Arts and as the exhibits chair for The Northern Arts Council. As a long time Spanish Lake resident and as a mother, Kate hopes that her commitment to creating a legacy of lasting value for future generations will guide her well in her collaboration with Rustic Roots Sanctuary’s Board and volunteers.

Myla Jones

Board of Directors

Graduated from Jackson State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and has over 10 years of experience in Community Support roles working with all age individuals struggling with drug addiction. Assisting individuals and families with building sustainable lifestyles and become productive and positive members to their local communities. Being an advocate for resources and assisting individuals with accessing those resources needed in their families. She has held several positions within the Hazelwood School District and Ferguson Florissant School Districts to help build community involvement and district policies for fair and equal education of the children in urban communities. Involvement in Parent Teacher Association for 8 years, while serving as President, Vice President, and Treasurer during those years and actively engaging in school improvement programs, funding raising, and parent engagement/resource building. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom of two boys and full-time business owner, Myla had been in managerial level customer services position for over 5 years with a leading Fortune 500 company. Managing customer service experience with the services and expectations of a 5- star multi-million-dollar franchise and taking that knowledge to build a brand for her own local business. As a stay-at-home mom, she began growing and harvesting her own produce meeting the needs of her family and neighbors. She began working with the Spanish Lake Community Association to help support small business in the community. She is excited to bring her abilities and knowledge to assist in growing the Rustic Roots Sanctuary to provide the resources that are available to the surrounding communities.

Jeremiah Sampo

Board of Directors

Jeremiah grew up in a small north woods town in the state of Wisconsin, spent almost 2 years in Minneapolis where he attended North Central University. He has worked with an organization that reached out to the homeless and runaway youth with the purpose of helping them turn their lives around. He was an assistant leader at the Joshua House that provided a stable environment for young men so they could transition out on their own. He moved to St. Louis, MO in 2003 and has fallen in love with the area and the wide variety of businesses and entertainment it offers. He has held many positions in the workforce from general laborer, and small business owner, to department manager. In 2015 he earned his B.S. in Business Administration from UMSL. In August 2020 he accepted a position as a Receiving Coordinator at the St. Louis Area Food Bank. It has been his desire to work with organizations that support the community. He brings a strong work ethic, organizational skills, and critical thinking. He looks forward to building relationships, and learning new skills. He sees challenges as building blocks to a strong mind and body.