Glory Benacka

Growing up in both urban Chicago and rural Nebraska, Glory pursued Environmental Studies and Visual Art with a documentary media focus, nurturing her love of ecology and creativity. Her lifelong passion for insects, homesteading, and environmental history aligns with The Land Institute’s mission to transform agriculture and repair the planet. At The Land Institute, Glory manages a diverse range of greenhouse responsibilities from crop care and environmental controls to insect monitoring, data collection, and research assistant supervision, all supporting research to develop resilient perennial crops.

My most perennial trait: Optimism—from chasing bugs to solving greenhouse puzzles, I can’t resist solving day-to-day challenges using humor while learning from insects, plants, and people.