Our Roots

the foundation of our work and the people Guiding and driving our programs and advocacies

Back to Our People

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”

― Margaret Mead

Sherry Manning

Sherry’s work with Global Seed Savers began when she served as US Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines from 2006-2008. She was fortunate enough to be assigned to the town of Tublay in Benguet Province and the loving Cosalan Family as her host family. Sherry dedicated her service to helping the Cosalan’s develop their ancestral land ENCA Farm (our founding partner), into an organic farming training center, youth environmental education facility, and leading sustainable eco-tourism destination.

This critical work continued when she founded Friends of ENCA Farm (now Global Seed Savers) in 2010 to support ENCA Farm’s programs in the Philippines and build advocacy in the U.S. through her role as Executive Director. In 2015, under Sherry’s strategic leadership Friends of ENCA Farm began to expand their work beyond their founding farm and in light of this growth and success, in October 2017 they announced their new name Global Seed Savers at the 7th Annual Nourish Event.

Sherry holds a Masters Degree in Environmental and Natural Resource Law from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and a Bachelor’s in Government from the University of Redlands in Southern California. She is a proud graduate of Seed School in a Day and the weeklong Seed School Teacher Training program of the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance and has facilitated multiple Seed Saving courses in the US and the Philippines. 

In 2021, Sherry was honored to be awarded the Sargent Shiver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service from the National Peace Corps Association. The Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service is awarded annually to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who continue to make a sustained and distinguished contribution to humanitarian causes at home or abroad or are innovative social entrepreneurs who bring about significant long-term change. The award is named in honor of the tremendous contributions of the first Peace Corps Director, Sargent Shriver.