About Me

A.Solomon Garner Jr.

A program designer, research and leadership professional, and youth development specialist whose work sits at the intersection of food systems education, urban agriculture, community leadership, and creative strategy. With a background that spans youth nonprofits, higher education, and consulting, he focuses on building programs that help young people and communities envision and pursue future-focused pathways.​

Garner designs and delivers food system and urban agriculture curriculum for youth and institutions, facilitating immersive experiential learning, and cultivate leadership and development models with tiered engagement systems that support long-term growth and sustainability. My role also includes implementing evaluation tools and cultivating citywide and statewide partnerships to align programming with local community priorities.​

In my consulting work, I’ve assisted organizations with statistical data collection, creative strategizing and marketing, onboarding, payroll, leadership development, and talent pre-screening.​

Garner’s prior experience includes co-developing and supporting local initiatives, producing content for campaigns and podcasts, and contributing to national urban Extension scholarship through presentations and publications.

Earlier in my career, I’ve held program and coaching roles with Think Make Live Youth, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Legacy Project, IMPACT Community Action (Franklin County, OH), and LeaderSpark, where I’ve designed and facilitated curricula on mental health and wellness, civic engagement, life skills, leadership, and career readiness. Across these roles, I have guided youth and organizations in goal setting, employment and education pathways, and personal strengths identification, while coordinating intensive case management and cross-sector partnerships to reduce barriers to success.​

I hold a Master of Science in Agricultural Communication, Education, and Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Community Leadership from The Ohio State University, along with an Organizational Leadership certificate from Otterbein University and an Associate of Arts from Columbus State Community College. His additional study in urban affairs and planning, combined with training such as Teaching Mindfulness to Teens and publication on futuring in urban Extension, underpins a practice grounded in forward-thinking strategy, critical listening, and innovative program design.