Aleen Carey is a graduate of James Madison University and is a co-executive director of the food justice nonprofit Cultivate Charlottesville. Her family moved to Albemarle County from Pennsylvania in the early nineties; though she was born in the midwest and doesn’t say “y’all,” she now considers herself a proud Virginian. 

Aleen's career began in the classroom where she taught high school Spanish for a decade. After serving on the Board of City Schoolyard Garden 
for six years, in 2020, Aleen joined the staff as it merged with Urban Agriculture Collective and Food Justice Network to become Cultivate Charlottesville.

Aleen also serves on the Board of local nonprofits Building Goodness Foundation and Charlottesville Tomorrow. In her free time she dotes on the little ones in her life, goes on museum field trips with her art class, attends Black Women Who Wine events, and does crosswords in pen.