The Resiliency Institute

Connie has been an organic gardener for 25 years and specializes in natural, sustainable, and regenerative growing systems that produce an abundance of food, flowers, and herbs in relatively small spaces. She runs her own small-scale suburban farm, Copper Fox Farm, using her years of experience and learning, including knowledge gleaned from her 2014 Permaculture Design Certificate (hosted at The Resiliency Institute) and her Master Urban Farmer training through the University of Illinois Extension. You may have met her at local farmers markets selling fresh heirloom produce, herbs, and flowers, plus foraged items and herbal preparations. To broaden her foraged and herbal knowledge and offerings, she completed The Resiliency Institute’s Edible Wild Plants Certificate and Bioregional Herbalism Certificate. Connie also owns and manages Plot Twist Permaculture, growing gardens for others in their own outdoor spaces and coaching them to become successful organic gardeners on their own. Connie is a Master Naturalist, Environmental Educator, Adjunct Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Study Abroad Instructor at College of DuPage, and recently earned an International Permaculture Teaching Certificate after completing training in Spain. She is a volunteer in local natural areas as well as gardens and seed libraries dedicated to increasing food security, sovereignty, and community resilience. She has a small flock of backyard hens, and as a lifelong learner, she is currently learning beekeeping as well, and is pursuing her master of science degree in regenerative organic agriculture.

Jodi Trendler is a co-founder of The Resiliency Institute. Jodi has worked to build community sustainability through several non-profit, community and municipal organizations over her career. She has advanced training in permaculture design and teaching as well as training with several veteran permaculture designers, and became a certified Forest Therapy Guide in 2015. Jodi uses this certification in combination with her training in psychology and stress management to help people develop mindfulness practices for resilient living. The Resiliency Institute’s nature connection programming is a foundational component to all programs. It is our philosophy that re-connecting people to nature is the necessary leverage point to ensure the success of all other resilience building programs. Jodi always welcomes the opportunity to share a walk in the woods or forest garden with everyone who will join her!

Dr. Niamh Hamill is one of our Irish hosts with Find My Ireland and will be our lead teacher, or "múinteoir," in Ireland. Niamh is a founder and the Academic Director of the Institute of Study Abroad Ireland (ISAI,) offering customized study abroad programs around the beautiful area of County Donegal, Ireland, which she calls home, for schools like College of DuPage. She and Co-Director John O'Connell also founded Find My Ireland, which offers bespoke tours for other organizations and community groups like The Resiliency Institute. Niamh is a Cultural Historian and Professor of Practice in Global Studies at Drew University. She is also a Climate Ambassador for Ireland and is a co-founder of Green Education Ireland, a collaboration of several Donegal-area schools working together on "a sustainability initiative to offset emissions from travel-based learning" to reduce the environmental impact of these important programs. Additionally, Niamh is a surfer, musician, hiker, writer and blogger, lover of poetry, and she and John O'Connell recently published the book, "Finding Ireland: Notes From the Northwest," which makes the perfect souvenir to bring home - and we bet they'll even sign it for you. We could not ask for better people to experience authentic Ireland with than Niamh and John!