Meet the Panelists for How Does Your Garden Grow Panel Discussion
- Headmistress Jill Miller
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Thanks to these green-thumbed badasses for agreeing to be on our How Does Your Garden Grow Panel Discussion on April 30th at Flying Pig Improv's new location at 2320 E. Douglas at Grove in Wichita, Kansas. (Parking and entrance in back.)
About the event: Spring has sprung in Wichita! It’s time to get your hands dirty and work the soil. Whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting, come and have all your questions answered by a panel of amazing gardening experts.
Sponsored by Optometric Billings Solutions, optometricbilling.com, (316) 722-2021 and Flying Pig Improv, flyingpigimprov.com, (316) 833-1889
This event is open to the public, and everyone is welcome.
The registration fee is $10 at the door or in advance.
We are meeting at Flying Pig Improv's new location at 2320 E. Douglas Ave. at Grove, 6 to 8 PM.
Panelists:
Leah Dannar-Garcia, Owner of Firefly and Rise Farms
Leah Dannar-Garcia grew up two doors west of Firefly Farm and played here as a kid; the experience left her with a deep love of animals and farming life. She spent her early adult years in New York City. Later, she travelled and worked in countries worldwide before returning to Wichita in 1998 and marrying the boy next door soon after.
She will never forget the persimmon groves she saw in Korea, the ladyfinger bananas she ate in Mexico, or the vineyards she toured in the Republic of Georgia. Those faraway experiences had a great impact on her ideas about regional agriculture and cuisine.
She founded Firefly Farm in 2015, specializing in heirloom tomatoes and organic processes. Over time, Firefly hosted many farm-to-table dinners, to great acclaim, farmers’ markets, a farmers’ book club, and private events.
In 2020, Leah received an opportunity to research, design, and build a rooftop farm in downtown Wichita. RISE Farms opened in 2022 and is the largest rooftop farm in the Midwest. The Hub supplies Lotte, Wichita’s premier farm-to-table restaurant, just five floors below, and many other local restaurants in the region.
Leah founded Firefly Food Hub to build the local food community. Inviting other farmers and food producers to sell through the online platform, Firefly Food Hub makes it easy and convenient for retail consumers and restaurants to support local farmers. With an emphasis on schools and food banks, and filling the need for food deserts in our city, Firefly Food Hub focuses on growing the local food supply chain with the help of many dedicated farmers and makers.
Leah gets little free time these days, but when she does, she enjoys music and the visual arts, hiking and kayaking in SE Kansas, and essay writing. Leah and her husband live at Firefly Farm with their dog Buckie, three cats, and a growing flock of wild turkeys.
Charolett Knapic, Echo Landscapes
Raised on a wheat farm and cattle ranch in Waterloo, Kansas, Charolett grew up steeped in the rhythms of prairie life—gardening, milking the family cow, and preserving food from the land. From an early age, she worked in her grandparents' beloved McQueen's Café & Serveteria in Kingman, KS, where “Mom & Pop McQueen” taught her the value of hard work, hospitality, and community.
After high school, she married and raised a family grounded in simplicity and sustainability—home birthing and homeschooling three children who are now thriving adults living and working in Monterey, California. While nurturing her family, she also ran a home-based cleaning business and continued her deep love for growing things.
Her move to Wichita opened new doors when she began working under Kari Ossman at Wichita State University, gaining experience in greenhouse management and commercial floral planting. That chapter sowed the seeds for Echo Landscapes, which she founded in the fall of 2000.
Today, Echo Landscapes specializes in sustainable garden consultation, design, installation, and maintenance, focusing on eco-friendly xeriscape and permaculture practices. With decades of experience growing, nurturing, and stewarding land and life, Charolett brings authenticity, wisdom, and beauty to every landscape she touches.
Randi Thimesch
I'm a committed community volunteer with a deep-rooted passion for civic engagement, sustainability, and local history. I serve on the boards of the League of Women Voters of Wichita Metro, the Wichita Genealogical Society, and the City of Wichita’s Sustainability Integration Board.
My work is grounded (literally and figuratively) in advocating for eco-conscious living—from composting and native landscaping to everyday practices that reconnect us with the Earth. I also publish a local newsletter, 316 United, highlighting environmental news and sustainability efforts in and around Wichita. At the end of the day, I believe in the power of informed communities, regenerative practices, and the joy of colorful flowers.
Moderator:
Jill D. Miller is passionate about helping people grow – professionally and personally. Her consulting company, Creative Solutions, has helped fledgling and seasoned entrepreneurs launch and grow out-of-the-ordinary and sometimes quirky ventures since 1998. Jill found her gift for teaching as a corporate trainer and loves influencing young minds as an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship in the Arts at Wichita State University.
As Headmistress of the Finishing School for Modern Women, Jill has worked with thousands of women, inspiring them to overcome obstacles and move toward their goals. She founded the Badass Women of Wichita Alliance in 2021 with weekly gatherings to build community, promote nonprofits, and develop “badassery.”
After writing a blog for the Finishing School for seven years, Jill was inspired to compile her favorites into her first book, “Never Finished: Practical advice for Modern Women to inspire your fierce, authentic self she published in October 2022.
Active in the Wichita community, Jill leads cultural and women's organizations and is a zealous volunteer. In her spare time, she likes to attend artistic events and relax at home with her miniature rescue poodle, Jack.
This panel is sponsored by Optometric Billings Solutions, optometricbilling.com, (316) 722-2021 and Flying Pig Improv, flyingpigimprov.com, (316) 833-1889
Thank you to our sponsor, Optometric Billing Solutions!
Because of their sponsorship, we're able to keep the prices for our Badass Women of Wichita Alliance events at only $10, including panel discussions.
At 10501 W. Hampton Lakes in Maize, OBS is a woman-owned, nationally recognized insurance billing company for optometrist clinics in 43 states. It was named by Wichita Business Journal as one of the best places to work in Wichita, based on confidential employee job satisfaction surveys.
If you’re ready for a career in an employee-centered company with flexible hours and options to work at home after training, OBS wants to talk to you! Go to https://bit.ly/OBSBadass for more information.
Sending a resume to BWWA@obsteam.com and letting OBS know the applicant is referred by the Badass network automatically guarantees them an interview. Make sure they drop your name when they apply! OBS rewards your referral with $150 cash each time the person you sent gets hired!
Did you know I've published a book? Learn more about it here!
Because We’re Never Finished
The Finishing School for Modern Women, located in Wichita, Kansas, offers classes to help women find their authentic selves, not because we need finishing, but because we’re never finished. We bring together women of all ages to learn from experts and each other how to claim our power in business, finance, communication, and life.
To learn more about what we do:
https://www.finishingschoolformodernwomen.com for our classes and free social membership.
Contact Us
Phone: 316-841-8927 Email: jill@finishingschoolformodernwomen.com