Get To Know Us

Our partnership network is built to connect and engage people and organizations across all sectors of our community food system. The membership determines the direction of the network and creates projects and programs to influence food system development.

What is
Homegrown Hillsborough?

Meet the Team.

  • Monica Petrella, Food System Program Coordinator, UF/IFAS Extension Office

    Petrella has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida in Food and Resource Economics, with a Minor in Organic and Sustainable Crop Production, and a Master of Science from the University of Vermont in Community Development and Applied Economics. Petrella started with Hillsborough County as a legislative aid under Commissioner Kimberly Overman and established the position of the Food System Program Coordinator in 2019. Today the program consists of a network of  over 280 food system stakeholders.

  • Dhalia Bumbaca, Director of Development & Programming, WellBuilt Cities

    Bumbaca holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Business with a Minor in French, a Master of Business Administration, and a Master of Science in Finance from the University of South Florida. She serves as the consulting partner to Homegrown Hillsborough on behalf of WellBuilt Cities, where she leads strategic development, cross-sector collaboration, and ensuring a commitment to community development.

  • Savannah Bennett, Homegrown Hillsborough Coordinator, WellBuilt Cities

    A Tampa native, Bennett has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a Minor in Public Administration and a Master of Arts in Sustainability with a focus on food security and sustainability. In her previous role with the City of Clearwater Bennett served in the Solid Waste Department focused on Recycling Outreach and Education. Bennett joined the Homegrown Hillsborough team, first as a Program Ambassador in the inaugural internship program in 2024 and has since transitioned into a full time food system professional.

Know our Partners.

  • UF IFAS Extension Office

    UF/IFAS Extension in Hillsborough County, located just minutes from Tampa, is an educational service provided by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) and Hillsborough County. Extension provides education and information to the Hillsborough County public through workshops, publications, and mass media.

    Providing Education and Services In:

    - 4-H Youth Development
    - Agriculture
    - Family, Nutrition, Health & Finance Education
    - Lawn & Garden
    - Urban Trees, Forestry & Natural
    - Resources
    - Professional Horticulture Services

  • WellBuilt Cities

    WellBuilt Cities is a social venture studio and 501c3 holding company building an ecosystem of socially driven enterprises that employ an asset oriented approach to community development. We recognize that communities are rich in resources and seek to set a dignified table that cultivates the connections necessary to create change.

    Call it entrepreneurship, apostolic mission, artistic endeavor, or public service, our intention is to invest our creative energies into rehearsing our vision for the future of our city within our current contexts: In homes. In the marketplace. In Culture. We are working to be the answer to our own prayers, to see our city made whole, or in other words, a #WellBuiltCity.

  • Hillsborough County

    Hillsborough County, Florida, is governed by a Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) consisting of seven members, each representing a specific district. The BOCC is the primary legislative and executive body, responsible for setting policy and overseeing county operations. The county also has an appointed County Administrator, County Attorney, and County Auditor, who manage the day-to-day operations and provide legal and financial oversight.