Our team

Heather-Marie Bloom

Heather-Marie Bloom is the founder and sole proprietor of Rising Phoenix Community Farm. She founded the farm in 2011 after working as an intern for Northern Harvest Farm in Wrenshall. For many years, she was a “landless farmer,” moving from location to location and living in the tinyhouse she and her father, Tom, built together. In 2020, she and her partner John purchased a 40-acre farm in Barnum and began building it up. A native of Minnesota and an avid birder, Bloom worked for many years as an environmental educator. She is also an artist, creating work as a printmaker, potter and jewelry maker.

John Hatcher

John Hatcher works in support of Heather-Marie, especially during the summer months when he is not working as a journalism professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. A native of Florida, John moved to Minnesota to teach in 2007. He had been a longtime backyard gardener when he met Heather-Marie in 2018. Today, he enjoys learning about soil health, cover crops and regenerative agriculture in his role on the farm. He has three children and one grandchild. He has worked as a journalist since 1999 and enjoys writing about agriculture and the natural world. He is also a student of photography and is still trying to figure out all the functions on his digital camera.

Kristina Dexter-Nienhaus

Kristina Dexter-Nienhaus has been charmed by plants her entire life. As a child, she enjoyed spending time in her mother’s garden, doing garden-based 4H activities, and reading books from the library about flowers and plants. Today, her interest continues to grow, and she loves spending time with her husband, Clinton, and her sister, Jessica, in the ever-expanding gardens of their home in Duluth’s Chester Creek neighborhood. She grows all sorts of flowers, native plants, vegetables, house plants, and is now even getting into growing mushrooms! Kristina worked briefly at a greenhouse & florist about 20 years ago, and floral design is still one of her favorite forms of creative expression today. The wild flora & fauna of the world spark her curiosity and she is an enthusiastic and active naturalist/birder. She frequently volunteers as a naturalist with Friends of Sax-Zim Bog and serves on the board of directors of both Duluth Audubon Society and the Minnesota Ornithologists Union. Kristina has also loved volunteering to work with her dear friends Heather-Marie & John on the Rising Phoenix Community Farm and serving as a member of their Core Group. Kristina is passionate about conservation and sustainability, so it’s a dream come true to be combining her many years of experience with small businesses and her love of plants to work for the sustainability and conservation champions at Rising Phoenix. Aside from her deep interest in plants and the natural world, Kristina is an artist and she also loves good music, good food, and good people.

Olivia Jutila

Olivia Jutila is currently a junior at Moose Lake Community School. She participates in track, cross country, and multiple other clubs and activities at her school. Outside of school, she enjoys snowboarding, cross country skiing, spending time with friends and family, and gardening. Her interests in gardening and sustainability have lead her to this internship, and she is excited to get to know and work with this community!

Amelia Olson

Amelia Olson is a junior at Moose Lake Community School. She is part of both the cross country and track teams at the school. She is also in math league, green team, NHS, and history club. When she is not in school, she loves to be outside hiking and enjoying nature. She also likes reading, water sports, playing games with her family and hanging out with friends. She is excited to learn more about gardening through this internship.