Our Team

Bridging Hard Science and Operational Execution

Close-up of a woman with blonde hair and glasses smiling, wearing a black top, with a blurred background including a Christmas tree.

Sarah Daken, J.D.

President, CEO, and Co-Founder

Former Lead Litigation Attorney & Co-Founder of Grateful Gardeners and Floraponics. Blends legal acumen and operational execution, driving over $230,000 in annual organic floriculture sales.

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Allen Place, Ph.D.

Scientific Advisor

Tom Precht, Ph.D.

CTO and Co-Founder

Ph.D. in Neuroscience & Pharmacology; Former Thermo Fisher & STEMCELL Sales Executive. Co-founder of Grateful Gardeners and Floraponics. Expert in regenerative farming, sustainable technology, commercial deep-tech B2B sales, telemetry systems, and biological loop design.

Smiling elderly man wearing a plaid cap, beige shirt with blue ocean wave design, and a blue collar, standing in an indoor space with wooden stairs in the background.

Jose-Luis Izursa, Ph.D.

Ecological Advisor

Senior Lecturer, University of Maryland Department of Environmental Science. Founder of the UMD Aquaponics Initiative and leader in urban agricultural design.

Tenured Professor, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET). Pioneer in marine biotechnology, aquaculture nutrition, and microalgae research.