ABOUT ECO FEST
Our mission is to create awareness, educate our community, create a platform to promote sustainability, and inspire individuals and businesses alike to move towards a more sustainable future.
Eco Fest is a certified 501(c)(3) non profit through the State of Indiana.
Staff
Addie Farris, Executive Director
After moving back to her hometown of Fort Wayne in 2020, Addie brought the idea of Eco Fest with her and established the sustainability oriented celebration in the Summit City. As the founder of Eco Fest, Addie believes that community is the center of everything that we do and she is passionate about helping NE Indiana grow sustainable initiatives and practices. Outside of her duties with Eco Fest, Addie enjoys reading historical biographies, gardening, and traveling with her husband and two kids.
hello@ecofestfw.com
Board Members
Neil Miller, President
Neil currently serves as Supervisor of Community Outreach for Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation. He joined the board of Eco Fest in 2021 to help support sustainability efforts in Fort Wayne and conservation efforts abroad. He regularly volunteers at events and loves nothing more than connecting and having meaningful conversations with the Fort Wayne community. If not at events, he and his partner can more than likely be found grabbing a drink around town or spending time with his dogs, Julep and Porter.
neil@ecofestfw.com
Jodi Leamon, Vice President
Jodi currently serves as Program Manager on the Sustaining Fort Wayne team at City Utilities. She was born in Fort Wayne and has lived here on and off her whole life. Jodi joined Eco Fest because it aligns with her values of conserving natural resources. When not spending time traveling with her husband or hanging out with her cat, Nacho, Jodi also serves as the Site Director for a local nonprofit called Food Rescue US whose mission is capturing uneaten food and using it to feed people, not landfills.
jodi@ecofestfw.com
Shelby Nichter, Secretary
A lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, Shelby currently works as the Impact Coordinator at Greater Fort Wayne, Inc. With over a decade of experience leading environmental education programs through the YMCA and Allen County Department of Environmental Management, Shelby has built a career rooted in community connection and environmental stewardship. She enjoys supporting pollinators through gardening and beekeeping as well as expressing creativity through sewing, crafting, and home improvement projects. Guided by her passion for the natural world, Shelby is excited to further Eco Fest’s mission to create awareness and promote sustainability.
shelby@ecofestfw.com
Emma Karazsia, Treasurer
Emma is the Office Manager for a local consulting firm and has a background in higher education and non-profit organizations. She’s also an active volunteer for Humane Fort Wayne, Mustard Seed Furniture Bank, and Firefly Children & Family Alliance. Emma, a proud dog-mom of three rescued doodles, loves a weekend getaway to a quaint water town, unexpected thrift store scores, and iced coffee year-round. As a Fort Wayne native, she’s energized by the efforts of Eco Fest, especially, connecting with a like-minded team to propel educating and encouraging the community in its sustainability journey.
emma@ecofestfw.com
Megan Zwick, Board Member
Megan Zwick is a Fort Wayne native and seasoned business leader who oversees investment, personnel, and operational strategies at her firm. She manages finance, contracts, and technology systems, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations at MKM architecture + design. A graduate of Trine University and Leadership Fort Wayne, Megan is an active community volunteer working toward positive growth, change, and engagement in Northeast Indiana. Megan has provided her tenacity and strategic mindset to the Eco Fest team for since its first year in Fort Wayne.
megan@ecofestfw.com
Jessi Spencer, Board Member
Jessi Spencer and her family moved from Illinois to the Foster Park area in 2014. She is passionate about conservation, ornithology, and native plants. She maintains a native garden called the Old Mill Arboretum that showcases hundreds of plant species native to Indiana. She's enjoyed attending Eco Fest every year since 2019 and looks toward to seeing it grow.
jessi@ecofestfw.com
Sarah Vise, Board Member
Sarah is the Planetarium and Science On a Sphere Manager at Science Central. She also volunteers as a NASA Solar System Ambassador and acts as the Vice President of the Fort Wayne Astronomical Society. She has been a Fort Wayne resident since 2020 and decided to join the board of Eco Fest to help grow and connect with the community she found here. Sarah loves her cat Dottie, enjoys watching movies, is part of a curling club, and is an avid collector of vintage ashtrays!
sarah@ecofestfw.com
Brianne Spellman, Board Member
By day, Brianne works as Program Coordinator and Undergraduate Medical Education Manager at Fort Wayne Medical Education Program's Family Medicine Residency. She moved to Fort Wayne from Indianapolis in 2016 and is excited to be involved with Eco Fest to help make a difference in her community and connect with her passion for sustainability. She is an avid reader and loves spending time outdoors. She has one dog, Allie, and is excited to soon be hosting toads at her recently-installed toad hotel. She and her husband love trying out new restaurants and have a goal of visiting every major ballpark stadium. They are halfway there!
brianne@ecofestfw.com