Our Team

Jody Tick joined Sunflower in August 2021 as Executive Director. Jody leads the organization to operationalize its mission of using food as a tool for greater training and employment opportunities for people with learning differences. Jody is focused on Sunflower Bakery’s long-standing partnerships; the creation of innovative new partnerships; and growth of Sunflower’s work to reach and employ more students.

Jody has 30 years of experience managing food system-related programs and projects for DC-based nonprofits focused on international and domestic hunger and poverty alleviation; food safety; and the promotion of healthy food access to underserved communities.

Prior to Sunflower Bakery, Jody spent 15 years at the Capital Area Food Bank where she served most recently as the Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Jody was responsible for the management of the CAFB’s daily operations, strategic work addressing root causes of food insecurity, and using data and metrics to inform resource allocation decisions. jody@sunflowerbakery.org

John joined Sunflower in May 2020. He brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and networks from the food industry to Sunflower. After several years as a chef, most recently John served as Operations Manager for Sodexo at Adventist Shady Grove Medical Center. John is excited to further develop a robust employment training program to enable our graduates to secure job and career opportunities in the pastry arts and hospitality industries. john@sunflowerbakery.org.

Liz Hutter is an accomplished culinary professional and operations leader with extensive experience in baking, program development, and team leadership. A Pastry Arts graduate of L’Academie de Cuisine, her career has spanned roles at notable establishments such as The Watergate Hotel and RSVP Catering. As the Bakery Operations and Training Director at Sunflower Bakery, she manages daily operations, ensures food safety compliance, and leads training programs designed to empower individuals through hands-on learning.

A key achievement in her career has been developing Sunflower Bakery’s Pastry Arts curriculum, which combines technical training with a mission to create meaningful opportunities for growth. Liz’s expertise includes logistics planning, budgeting, and fostering community engagement, all with a focus on operational excellence and mission alignment.

Liz is passionate about creating inclusive environments, supporting personal and professional growth, and driving organizational success. liz@sunflowerbakery.org

Cindy has been a part of Sunflower Bakery since its inception in 2009. Cindy has bookkeeping experience of over 30 years and nearly 15 years specific to the non-profit world. Her responsibilities at Sunflower focus on Bookkeeping and Human Resources. Since 2020, Cindy also serves as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) for Target Community & Educational Services in the Montgomery County office. cindy@sunflowerbakery.org

Chef Rebecca joined the Sunflower team in July 2024. Joining us with over 20 years of pastry experience in locations all over the country. Having worked in country clubs, small bakeries, resorts, fine dining venues, and more, she is looking forward to sharing her love of the world of pastry with students just starting out on their own journey. chefrebecca@sunflowerbakery.org

Joe joined the team in August 2024 as the Cafe Manager and Hospitality Instructor. Joe has spent the last 12 years managing in the retail field in Rockville and is an asset to Sunflower and our students. In addition to his retail work qualifications, he has experience working with young adults with learning differences in retail and hospitality settings. joe@sunflowerbakery.org

Sean joined the team in mid-September of 2024 as a member of the Maryland Service Year Option run by the Department of Service and Civic Innovation. Before Sunflower, Sean worked as a cashier at Eerkin’s Uyghur Cuisine in 2022 before graduating in 2023 and focusing on expanding his talents within the kitchen. Sean hopes to aid Sunflower in our goal of building an all-inclusive society by working with all different types of people from all over and building a bond with everybody he encounters in the workforce. As an associate with Sunflower, he is looking to gain more knowledge in and around the kitchen to further his skills. sean@sunflowerbakery.org

Vickie joined Sunflower in May 2023. A native of Washington, DC, Vickie has been training and teaching for over 20 years. Since 2018, she has served as an adjunct instructor at Prince Georges Community College in the Department of Wellness, Culinary Arts and Hospitality. She is also a Workforce Development instructor specializing in customer service and life skills development. Vickie holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in human services with a focus in juvenile justice. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate in Education/Community Care and Counseling/Trauma Focus where she has begun her dissertation and hopes to complete her studies by late 2024 or early 2025. vickie@sunflowerbakery.org

Mary joined Sunflower in September, 2023, after a full career of financial administration for not-for-profit organizations. She brings a broad range of financial experience including: securing funding, developing budgets, reporting, accounting, and overseeing transactions. Her responsibilities at Sunflower include Accounts Payable support and special projects. Mary holds an MS in Management/Finance, and enjoys contributing to a mission of caring. mary@sunflowerbakery.org

Erin joined Sunflower in September 2024 as the Director of Student Services, bringing with her sixteen years of experience in supporting individuals with learning differences. Most recently, she dedicated seven years at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, where she empowered transition-age students to develop job skills through hands-on learning experiences across various partnerships in the DC metro area. Erin is deeply passionate about collaborating with professional staff to create effective educational programs tailored for individuals with learning differences. She is excited to develop and maintain supportive pathways that enable these individuals to engage with their communities through meaningful employment opportunities. erin@sunflowerbakery.org

Chef Olivia joined us in November 2024, bringing her passion for decorating and a solid foundation in baking from the Culinary Institute of America. Her diverse experience includes working in bake shops across the country, from New Hampshire to Texas, and she most recently honed her skills at Fiola Mare in Georgetown. At Sunflower, Chef Olivia focuses on production and decorating, with a particular love for creating exquisite royal icing cookies. She believes that with passion, patience, and perseverance, anyone can achieve their goals. Chef Olivia is excited to inspire and guide our students as they grow and realize their potential. chefolivia@sunflowerbakery.org

Derrick joined in July 2024, and brings 20 years of customer service experience. He is committed to Sunflower’s success as both a mission and a brand. He hopes to help the Bakery grow by supporting operations and continuing to improve the experience of staff, trainees, and supporters. derrick@sunflowerbakery.org

Alex joined the team in July 2024. He has worked in the culinary field for over 15 years, the most recent an Executive Sous Chef. He completed his Culinary Degree at Le Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh in 2011. He has worked for popular area restaurants such as Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda, and Chart House Prime in Annapolis. Alex had his first experience in the Culinary industry at the ambitious age of 13, when he fundraised over $5000 for a government trip to Australia as a student Ambassador selling baked goods! Alex is passionate about helping our students explore their careers in Pastry and Culinary Arts. chefalex@sunflowerbakery.org

Liam Kirby, a member of the Maryland Service Year Option run by the Department of Service and Civic Innovation, has a rich history of commitment to community and self-improvement. A former Boy Scout, Liam’s passion for service and leadership was built over the course of many years, and which continues to shape his work and values today. Liam is focusing his efforts by supporting Sunflower Bakery’s instructors in their work to teach students important skills such as customer service, task management, and much more. Liam’s journey is marked by his continued learning, community service, and his tenacity to grow in his professional life, and he’s excited to work with Sunflower Bakery to help turn Maryland towards a brighter future. liam@sunflowerbakery.org

YaMarie joined our team in December 2022 as our program associate. Prior to Sunflower, YaMarie worked with children on the autism spectrum as a registered behavior technician, and at an EdTech company that helps high school students create and foster positive learning identities. YaMarie recently received a master’s in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. yamarie@sunflowerbakery.org

Chef Megan joined Sunflower in June 2021 as a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. She brings several years of restaurant and bakery experience to Sunflower Bakery. Megan enjoys working with and instructing our students every day. As someone with a learning disability she is passionate about the mission of Sunflower Bakery and providing the right kind of support to our students. chefmegan@sunflowerbakery.org

As co-founder, Sara was instrumental in helping to establish Sunflower. She now focuses on students and families interested in our Pastry Arts and Hospitality employment training and teen programs. She has helped to develop our curricula and expand our reach to young adults and teens with learning differences in Metro DC. Sara has 45+ years of experience in the disability field and is so proud of Sunflower’s journey. sara@sunflowerbakery.org.

Chef Anna joined Sunflower Bakery in March 2021. She has worked as an Executive Pastry Chef in Washington DC for over the last 13 years. She enjoyed three years at Metropolitan Club of Washington DC where she had the opportunity to train with former White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier and another 10 years running a large convention hotel pastry shop at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. She recognizes the importance of structured learning that will help an individual achieve their true potential and goals. Anna is a passionate teacher, loves sharing her enthusiasm for pastry and finds being a part of the staff at Sunflower to be a very rewarding experience and opportunity. chefanna@sunflowerbakery.org

Janis came to Sunflower in January 2017. She assists customers in placing orders and focuses on developing and implementing our internal databases and ecommerce systems. Janis also serves as our resident IT specialist and website manager. janis@sunflowerbakery.org.

Chris joined Sunflower in December, 2023. As a chef and educator, for more than 25 years, Chris has worked the culinary gamut from fine dining restaurants to cooking with teens on a sustainable farm to personalized catering and from teaching ESL students the fundamentals of culinary arts in a year long program to being an Executive Chef for international food service organizations like Sodexo and most recently Compass Group. His love for cooking has always been driven by the communities it creates. His love for teaching is his true passion. The diversity of his nine years educating youth, teens, college students and adults as well as the many ethnic, cultural, foreign languages spoken and learning differences has continued to leave him humbled knowing that food is a commonality we all have and is a great contributor to life. Having a son with learning differences, Chris knows first hand the needs of our students and is not only committed to their success as cooks yet as individuals as well. chefchris@sunflowerbakery.org

Chef Marion brings more than 25 years of experience as a pastry chef in the DC area to her position as the lead instructor of our pastry program.  Her calm and supportive demeanor in addition to her skill and deep knowledge of the industry provide a warm, expert and caring introduction for our students. marion@sunflowerbakery.org.

Evelyn joined the team in January 2023 as the Café Manager and Hospitality Instructor. Evelyn’s years of experience working in the hospitality field is an asset to Sunflower and our students. In addition to her hospitality work experience, she has also worked with young adults with learning differences in hospitality settings. evelyn@sunflowerbakery.org

Lauren excitedly joined the Sunflower team in September 2024 as an Employment Specialist. They recently graduated from Towson University in spring 2024 and are currently pursuing their Masters degree in Counseling Psychology at the University of Baltimore. As a mental health advocate, Lauren is committed to fighting stigma surrounding mental health and raising support within communities. lauren@sunflowerbakery.org

Paige join ed the Sunflower team in January 2024. She aims to be a vibrant force behind empowering young adults to kick-start their careers. As an Employment Specialist at Sunflower Bakery, Paige uses her Masters degree and diverse skill set to assist students in various skills from resume refinement to interview mastery. Paige believes in the power of passion and purpose to drive both personal and professional growth, and aims to help each student reach their fullest potential. paige@sunflowerbakery.org

Jessica joined the Sunflower team in September 2024, as a member of the Maryland Service Year Option. She has two years of experience in customer service, and is thrilled to be assisting the bakery with their student hospitality training program. Jessica hopes to further her skills in a professional job setting while also giving back to the community around her. jessicasteyskal@sunflowerbakery.org