Michael Hermary is co-founder and President of Gaia College. He has been active in the organic land care community since 2003 and currently also serves on the board of the Canadian Society for Organic Urban Land Care (SOUL). He has BSc. and MSc. degrees in mathematics and statistics, and qualifications in actuarial science. Michael has worked in the financial industry, systems development, post-secondary education, and has read widely. Michael is a lifelong environmentalist and is blessed to be serving the organic land care community through his work with Gaia College and SOUL. 

Michael and Heide Hermary (deceased 2016) launched Gaia College to help people make a transition to sustainable land care practices. They wanted people to be aware of the connectedness of life and the importance of their choices and activities in making a difference in the world. 

“Many people want to do things differently and we want to show them how.” - Michael Hermary

Julia is Gaia College’s Administrator and Registrar, and responsible for IT. Her main role is ensuring students are able to register and access their respective online classrooms at the beginning of each semester.

Julia came to Gaia College in a roundabout way after completing a BSc in Chemistry and working for some time in both medicinal and inorganic chemistry labs. After completing a term position as a Program Coordinator at Canadian Organic Growers (COG) and being the Administrator at SOUL, Julia joined Gaia College in 2016 to take over management of the website and e-learning platform, Moodle. Since then her role has expanded to include administrator and registrar duties in addition to IT/IM duties.

Julia holds a MSc. (Environment and Management) from Royal Roads University, is an Accredited Practitioner (SOUL), and Certified Lab Tech (Soil Food Web).

Julia currently lives in Ottawa where she maintains a growing worm farm and dabbles in thermal composting while trying to grow enormous amounts of food in a small garden. She is the proprietor of Soils Alive Composting & Consulting, a microscopy lab that focuses on microorganisms in soil and compost and helps people improve their soil health. Julia also sits on the SOUL Board of Directors.

While completing her masters at Royal Roads, her cohort’s mantra for a big project was “be the change”. Being a part of Gaia College, makes Julia feel like she is a part of the change that is helping gardeners and landscapers adapt to more holistic practices. 

Ann is a passionate gardener and enthusiastic environmentalist, always seeking ways to support positive change in the world. As part of her quest for solid, science-based knowledge to convert to organic land care practices, Ann completed the Gaia College Organic Horticulture Specialist course in the fall of 2024. She is eager to share her passion for ecological horticulture with Gaia students and alumni.

Her journey to her current role with Gaia College took a circuitous route. Ann’s professional background is in Cytopathology. She worked in hospital pathology laboratories for many years before taking a clinical coordinator position with the Provincial Health Service’s supply chain.

Ann’s undergraduate education in the Biological Sciences, prepared her for the Canadian Society of Medical Laboratory Science diploma in Cytology. She returned to her studies several years later to earn her master’s degree in medical science Cytopathology. Her time working in clinical laboratory and pathology deepened Ann’s understanding of the complex relationship between human health and the environment.

Ann believes that we can all make a difference in achievable ways and that organic horticulture is not only important but an obligation. The hope that is inspired through ecological gardening practices was beautifully captured by the late Audrey Hepburn - "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow."