James (Jim) Matalik

Jim joined Bending Oak in the fall of 2019 and became the Farm Manager in Spring of 2020. He is responsible for the continuing development of the 25-acre educational farm including the off grid infrastructure, fruit & nut orchards, food forest development, hoop house plant propagation and visitor facilities. Jim has extensive training in permaculture including the Permaculture Design Course with Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture, Advanced Permaculture Design with Peter Bane, and Restoration Agriculture with Mark Shepard. Jim is a trained and certified Arborist and has over 20 years’ experience in landscape design and operations with a primary focus on habitat restoration using native plants and trees. 

Jim holds an undergraduate degree in sculpture from Kent State University and has extensive experience working with different mediums including metal, wood and clay and has a love for architecture . He grew up in rural Pennsylvania which was the catalyst for his love of the natural world. Jim plays guitar and lives in Kent, Ohio with his partner Melissa where they cultivate permaculture principles in their backyard homestead with a variety of small animals and two very loud human children- Olivia and Hayden.