University Liggett School honors Nona Yehia ‘89 as the 2024 Distinguished Alumna at Alumni Weekend
Architect and urban farming visionary, Nona Yehia ‘89 was honored as University Liggett School’s 2024 Distinguished Alumna at Alumni Weekend, held May 17 & 18th at the school.
Head of School Tom Sheppard introduced Yehia to alums, friends and family, including members of the Class of 1989, who were in attendance celebrating their 35th reunion, remarking that Yehia perfectly represents our mission — inspiring lives of purpose through education grounded in a spirit of discovery.
“Nona’s important work as CEO of Vertical Harvest — a company she founded in 2016 — is a shining example of how caring for community, and creating a culture of respect and empathy can work in concert to create a massively successful and vital organization that positively impacts the lives of hundreds of people every day and enables one to live a life of purpose each and every day.”
When accepting the award, Yehia said she was deeply humbled and honored to be in the company of previous Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, adding that her time on Cook Road gave her a solid foundation and taught her about the art of possibility.
“It is here that I was given the skills to become a relentless optimist,” she said. “The strong foundation that was built at Liggett enabled me to follow a path of innovation that aligns with my strength, passion and the needs of the world. This foundation was built with the values of integrity, empathy and inclusion.
Also, during Alumni Weekend 2024, Yehia spoke to Upper School students and shared wisdom about her career path. She reminded them of the importance of cultivating and building a community — something she learned about during her school years at ULS.
“I am standing here before you because of all the people who invested in me as a person. My mother and father gave me the best of what this country could offer. By sending me to Liggett, they introduced me to my husband, whom I met in 6th-grade homeroom, who has supported me through the entrepreneurial and creative journey, to my best friends to this day, who stand amongst you and to investors in my company who have had the faith in me to innovate something truly new.”
Yehia is the co-founder of Vertical Harvest. An accomplished architect with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s from Columbia University, Yehia designed the Vertical Harvest greenhouses to grow up instead of out. Completed in 2016, the company’s facility in Jackson Hole, WY, was the first vertical greenhouse in North America. The three-story greenhouse sits on just a tenth of an acre but can produce as much food as five acres of traditional farmland.
Earlier this year, Vertical Harvest announced that it will bring a facility to Detroit. In partnership with Bedrock, the company will build a 60,000 sq. ft. facility in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction neighborhood. Slated to open in 2025, the 74-foot-tall farm will use 95% less water than traditional farms and produce around 2.2 million pounds of fresh vegetables and greens year-round. Seventy percent of that produce will stay local, being distributed within 100 miles of Detroit to schools, hospitals, restaurants, and local grocery markets.
A key priority for Yehia and Vertical Harvest is inclusivity. The company strives to create inclusive, customized employment opportunities for people with physical or intellectual disabilities. At the Jackson, WY and new Maine and Detroit facilities, 40% of positions will be reserved for people with disabilities and those needing career growth assistance.
Yehia has received national recognition for her work. She was named a CNN Champion of Change, and Vertical Harvest has twice been named a finalist for Fast Company's Best Places to Work for Innovators. Additionally, Nona was JUST this past week recognized as an “executive to watch in the innovation space” by Chief, which is the largest network of executive women in the world.
Previous Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are:
- Investment Professional and philanthropist Adam Levinson ‘88
- Investment Professional and philanthropist Lisa Black ‘77,
- Pediatric infectious disease physician and vaccine researcher Dr. Kristen Feemster ‘91
- C-SPAN co-founder John Evans ‘62 GPUS
- Washington Post foreign correspondent Keith Richburg ‘76
- Retired Rear Adm. Stanley W. Bryant ’64 GPUS
- Real Estate Developer Richard Baron '60 GPUS
- Lawyer and U of Mich Regent Denise Ilitch '73
- Community leader, longtime ULS Board Chair Bill Shelden ’68 GPUS
- Federal Magistrate Judge Nita Stormes '72
- Broadcast news journalist Miles O'Brien '77
- Carhartt heir and philanthropist Gretchen Valade '45 CDS
- Founder and owner of the Buffalo Bills Ralph Wilson '36 DUS
- Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jeffrey Eugenides '78