Higher Learning
Sustainable Science Academy No.1
"Growing Character, Health, and Community Leaders from the Ground Up!"
Our Staff
Mary Gray - Sustainable Science Academy No. 1 Director
Mary Roberts-Gray in a native Oklahoman Black Seminole member of National Women In Agriculture Association since it was established in February 2008. She was one of the original members that assisted providing technical assistance and connecting minority women farmers to USDA resources to help them save their farms. She has been outreach assistant coordinator and traveled to several counties in Oklahoma and the United States assisting farmers to trust USDA programs and agents. Also Mrs. Gray served as a financial coordinator for financial reporting. Additionally, she serves as the Childcare Director at Sustainable Science Academy (the only Agriculture Childcare Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma).
Rhonda Spencer- Sustainable Science Academy No. 1 HR/Master Teacher
_heic.webp)
​Rhonda Spencer is a native of Brooklyn, New York. She is married, a mother of two, an educator and entrepreneur. She has a background in education that began in 1999 in the New York City Public School system, where she taught in The Bronx and Manhattan. She received her Master’s Degree in Education and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership at Cambridge College in Boson, Massachusetts, and would later become an adjunct professor and student teacher supervisor at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania.
Valontay Linzy - Sustainable Science Academy No. 1 Lead Personnel/ Teacher
Valontay Linzy is the executive assistant for National Women in Agriculture. She works directly with Executive Director Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele at the headquarters building located in Oklahoma City, Ok. She has been a part of the organization since she was 12 years old, and throughout the years she has learned many skills to assist in being a great leader. Valontay is a product of Sustainable Science Academy and now serves in the United States Army in the Oklahoma National Guard as a Logistics Specialist while continuing her education in Early Childhood Development.
​
Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele - Sustainable Science Academy No. 1 Master Teacher
Dr. Tammy Gray-Steele is the first American agricultural specialist, agri-preneur, educator, and women and children ag-advocate. Born and raised on a farm, she received her secondary education in the rustic and rural community of Wewoka, Oklahoma. Upon graduating high school, Dr. Steele left Oklahoma to pursue a dual educational and business career in New York City. Armed with the legal degree she obtained from New York University Law School, and the requisite legal business experience she acquired on Manhattan's Wall Street, she returned home to her family farm, and started to give back to the Oklahoma rural communities, in the process working full-time in the Oklahoma Corporate legal arena, and devoting time to study for a Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA), Horticulture and Childcare Development Certifications.
Elisa Joseph - Sustainable Science Academy No. 1 Nurse/Master Teacher
_edited.jpg)
Elisa Joseph, Michigan native and the Mother of 2 young boys. A dedicated and compassionate Community Registered Nurse, Lactation Expert, and CEO of Maternal Essence Inc. Elisa has been providing exceptional care for 16 years. Her drive in wanting to know more and gain educating has earned her a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. She began her nursing career in 2007, working in psychiatric facilities and later began working in higher medical facilities. During this time, she gained valuable experience in providing notable direct patient care, managing patient records, administering medication, and managing healthcare personnel all while collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to provide comprehensive care to those in need.