Dr. Jessica Tullar Caroom is from the DFW area and grew up in gardens with her parents and grandparents. She graduated from Rice University with a BA in Biology then went on to get her Masters in Public Health and then her doctorate in Epidemiology at the UT Houston School of Public Health. Prior to founding Growing Together Texas, Dr. Caroom was faculty at the UT Houston School of Public Health leading teams of researchers to study population health for twelve years. In 2016 she spearheaded a group of parents and teachers to install gardens at her children’s school, Christ the King. As a volunteer, she ran the garden program classes and led volunteers for four years. In 2017 she was asked to chair the Hunger and Horticulture Action Team for the South Plains Hunger Solutions Coalition to connect small scale growing projects to address hunger issues. In the spring of 2020, she launched Growing Together Texas. She has fundraised to provide further support of those gardens by providing resources (mulch, compost, seeds, soil, plants, etc.) to community growers as a way of lowering the barriers for school and community gardens. She has always enjoyed going to farmers markets from the time her dad carried her on his shoulders at the Dallas Farmers Market to the time she found market stores in Hershey, PA during her husband's fellowship and now in Lubbock, Texas. Farmers markets are a great place to network with local growers and learn tips and tricks for growing in the area. Thanks to support from the Lubbock Mayor's Fitness Council originally with the South Plains Hunger Solutions but eventually as Growing Together Texas, she has held Kids Farmers markets at several locations from community centers to community gardens and libraries.