Kyonne Isaac knows growth – she nurtures it every day. As a Philadelphia-based horticulturalist and consultant to non-profits, Kyonne spends her days fostering growth both in the garden and outside of it. Her involvement in building community gardens brings people together. Her work is a connected ecosystem of plants and people, one cannot exist without the other. When you talk to Kyonne, it’s clear: one is in the presence of a steward of both the land and her community.
Kyonne is a proud member of the Tioga community. She has been working as a horticulturist and capacity-building consultant in the area for years, and she put down even deeper roots by becoming a homeowner three years ago. Bumping into old clients and colleagues is a part of the deal. It makes sense – part of her work is building beautiful gardens across Philadelphia; gardens that bring people together.
Through her consultant company, Abundant Philly, Kyonne works with Philadelphia neighborhoods to create sustainable community gardens for all to enjoy. In Tioga alone, she has established a network of five gardens. She’s partnered with the Philadelphia Horticultural Society (PHS) to lead educational sessions around organic gardens, and with the Purple House Project to create a therapeutic sensory garden for women in shelter. Kyonne is beginning to work with Christo Rey School to make its public space more welcoming and connected to the surrounding community. In short, she’s involved. Kyonne’s partnerships across the community prove that horticulture and community culture are connected. It’s more than planting—it’s about building relationships.
When asked about what drives her, Kyonne is sure of one thing – she wants to build something that will stand the test of time. She says gardens have taught her about patience, yes, but more importantly that the real things that last are collectivity. “Part of my job,” she discloses, “is teaching neighbors so that they can take the ball and run with it. I’m building gardens and building leaders.”
Her educational work extends to local organizations as well. She works to build organizational capacity for non-profits in Philadelphia through Abundant Philly, taking her social policy experience and teaching the next generation of leaders. Kyonne is passionate about cultivating strong community and she credits her skills in part to her time at the Citizens Planning Institute (CPI).
CPI helped launch Kyonne into the engagement world and gave her language for what she had been intuiting up until then. “CPI gave me truth to power,” she ways. Learning how the city runs and how it is planned gave her the language she needed made her a stronger advocate. Kyonne notes that people can become pessimistic when they don’t know how something works; education is critical for hope.
Kyonne encourages others going through the program to keep an open mind. Both about what they are going to learn and who they are going to meet. “It’s a diverse program,” she says proudly, “and that’s a strength.” To this day, she keeps in touch with several fellow Citizen Planners, and has even partnered with some on community projects.
“Philadelphia is riddled with stories,” Kyonne muses. And thanks to her work, she has become part of the city’s rich legacy of change-makers, community leaders, and cultivators of a better tomorrow.
Written by Nina Carlsen, Spring 2025 CPI Intern