1. Speaker Bios for CFSC National Food Policy Conference 2011
(In Alphabetical Order by Last Name)
Aliyah Ali
Aliyah Ali received a Master in Public Health Administration and Policy from the
University of Minnesota School of Public Health in 2007. Currently, she is a Project Specialist
for the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) at the Minneapolis Department of Health
and Family Support, which focuses on reducing the burden of chronic illnesses by creating
environments conducive to healthy behaviors. As part of her SHIP work, Aliyah coordinates the
Minneapolis Healthy Corner Store Program -a strategy to increase access to healthy foods in
Minneapolis’ low-income neighborhoods – by supporting store owners in making fresh produce
more attractive and affordable to neighborhood residents.
Aliyah Ali, MPH
Statewide Health Improvement Program, Project Specialist
Minneapolis Department of Health & Family Support
250 South 4th Street, Room 510, Minneapolis, MN 55415
Phone: 612-673-3861 || Fax: 612-673-3866
aliyah.ali@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Rachael Banks
Rachael Banks is a Program Supervisor for the Community Wellness and Prevention
Program at Multnomah County Health Department. In her role, she advances policy, systems and
environmental strategies to support tobacco prevention and control, physical activity and healthy
eating. She is currently leading the Health Department’s Population and Setting Specific Food
Programs which includes the CDC’s Healthy Communities ACHIEVE Initiative.
Erin Barbaro
Assistant Director and Senior Geographic Information Specialist, Center for Applied Research
and Environmental Systems
Erin Barbaro is an Assistant Director and Senior Geographic Information Specialist at the
Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems (CARES) at the University of
Missouri. At CARES, Erin is involved in over 40 distinct projects in a coordination and client-
services role. She has played a major role in the development of the collaborative management
tools developed at CARES in both design and implementation. Erin carries out geospatial
analyses and works with clients to select quantitative and qualitative data to create opportunities
for collaboration and narrative in communities. Additionally, Erin creates and implements
training modules to help clients successfully utilize the suite of collaborative management tools
developed at CARES. She received both a B.A. and M.A. in Geography from the University of
Missouri.

2. Suzanne Briggs
Suzanne grew up on a Montana wheat farm. During the 80’s and early 90’s she was a
Production Manager in the apparel industry, which included 7 years at Nike. In 1997, she found
her way back to her farm roots when she co-founded the Hollywood Farmers’ Market in her
Portland neighborhood. With 100 volunteers and 50 vendors, this market now attracts 4000
shoppers each week.
Inspired by the success of the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, Suzanne helped revitalize the
Oregon Farmers’ Market Association and served as its President from 2000 to 2005. Over the
past six years, she has developed and taught workshops on SNAP in Farmers’ Markets in ten
different states.
In 2010, Suzanne co-authored Real Food, Real Choices: Connecting Snap Recipients
with Farmers Markets. Currently, Suzanne is providing Technical Assistance to CPPW grantee’s
farmers Markets in Portland, Maine, King County, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona.
Janie Burns
Janie Burns has been active in providing local food for local people since 1989 when she
started selling organic vegetables at Boise’s first farmers’ market. She is a charter vendor of the
Capital City Public Market where she sells grass-fed lamb and pastured poultry raised on her 10-
acre Meadowlark Farm south of Nampa, Idaho. Over the past 22 years, she has raised a wide
variety of crops and sold to restaurants, CSA’s and to retail stores. She is the co-owner of
HomeGrown Poultry, LLC, Idaho's first licensed poultry processing facility. In addition to her
farming and business ventures, Janie serves as the co-chair of the Treasure Valley Food
Coalition, on the board of the Food Coalition’s parent organization: Sustainable Community
Connections, and the advisory committee of the University of Idaho’s Department of
Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology.
Kerri Cechovic
Kerri is responsible for implementing outreach strategies for Washington Environmental
Council’s legislative policy efforts and campaigns. She first joined the WEC team in 2006 and
has worked to develop and implement organizing and coalition building strategies on WEC’s
climate and clean water campaigns. Kerri directs WEC’s Local Farms-Healthy Kids campaign
to help connect Washington farms with schools across the state. She received her Bachelor's
degree in Political Science from the University of Montana in 2002.
Kerri Cechovic, Outreach Director
Washington Environmental Council
1402 3rd Avenue, Suite 1400
Seattle, Washington 98101
206.631.2607
kerri@wecprotects.org
www.wecprotects.org
Kathryn Colasanti

3. Kathryn Colasanti is an Academic Specialist with the C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable
Food Systems at Michigan State University. Her current work involves coordinating the Michigan
Good Food policy initiative, which sets forth six overarching goals for Michigan’s food system,
and researching school food procurement. She completed her master’s degree in the Community
Food and Agriculture program within Michigan State University’s Department of Community,
Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies in May of 2009. Her thesis research investigated the
production potential of and community perspectives regarding city-scale urban agriculture in
Detroit, Michigan. Before coming to MSU she worked on community-based neighborhood health
initiatives through Denver Urban Gardens in Denver, Colorado.
Amanda Edmonds
Executive Director, Growing Hope; 734-786-8401 amanda@growinghope.net
Amanda Edmonds is the founder and Executive Director of Growing Hope, an
organization based in Ypsilanti, Michigan that helps people improve their lives and communities
through gardening and healthy food access. Amanda was recently appointed to the Michigan
Food Policy Council, a state-level advisory body.
Gail Feenstra
Gail Feenstra is the Food and Society Coordinator at the Agricultural Sustainability
Institute (ASI). As the food systems program leader, she encourages the development of
regional food systems that link farmers, consumers and communities. Feenstra’s research
and outreach includes: farm-to-school evaluation, regional food system distribution,
food access and food security for low-income populations and food system assessments.
Feenstra has a doctorate in nutrition education from Teachers College, Columbia
University with an emphasis in public health.
Gail Feenstra, Food systems coordinator
UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program and
UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute
Phone: 530-752-8408
Email: gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu
SAREP website: www.sarep.ucdavis.edu
Mailing address: SAREP, 1 Shields Ave., University of California, Davis, CA 95616
Gwendolyn Flynn
Ms. Flynn is Community Health and Education Policy Director with Community Health
Councils, a non-profit community-based, health policy advocacy organization in Los
Angeles, California.
Her background includes more than 15 years experience addressing social justice
issues in various capacities.

4. She joined the staff of Community Health Councils, Inc. in 2001 working with the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national REACH initiative to eliminate chronic
disease disparities in racial and ethnic populations. One of her responsibilities was
to create and implement strategies that transform the community infrastructure, one
component of the Project’s comprehensive efforts to reduce cardiovascular disease
(CVD) and diabetes disparities in the African American communities of South Los
Angeles County.
As Policy Director, she oversees efforts that improve access to nutritious food and
physical activity opportunities through polices that change institutional practices,
promote local reinvestment, and improve existing resources in South Los.
Ms. Flynn represents Community Health Councils on various committees and boards
including Roots of Change Stewardship Council, City of Los Angeles Food Policy
Council and is an American Public Health Association member.
Gwendolyn “Gwen” Flynn, Policy Director
Community Health and Education
Community Health Councils, Inc.
3731 Stocker St. Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90008
323-295-9372 X 239
323-295-9467 (fax)
gwen@chc-inc.org
www.chc-inc.org
Kimberly Freeman
Kimberly Freeman has over 15 years experience in land use planning and resource
management. Most recently she has focused on agricultural preservation and was Project
Manager for the innovative Orting Valley Farms which established 3 new organic farms in the
south Puget Sound region. She is responsible for the transfer and purchase of development rights
program in Pierce County, Washington.
Thomas Forster
Thomas, a committed advocate for developing a local and regional food system, is the
Policy Advisor for School Food FOCUS. He is also co-director for the International Partners for
Sustainable Agriculture, and teaches food policy at the New School in NYC. He also served as
Policy Director for the CFSC.
Thomas Forster, School Food FOCUS, Policy Director
301 Degraw Street, Apt 2
Brooklyn, New York 11231
347-414-2951
thomasforster2@gmail.com
http://www.schoolfoodfocus.org/

5. Christopher Fulcher, PhD
Christopher Fulcher, PhD Co-Directs the Center for Applied Research and
Environmental Systems (CARES) at the University of Missouri - Columbia. Chris’ applied
research focuses on developing and implementing social innovations for strategic planning and
decision support. His systems-based approach to decision making enables local, state, national
and international public and nonprofit sector organizations to effectively address social issues
using unique collaborative management systems. Chris and his team integrate emerging
computer technologies including geographic information systems, data visualization, community
engagement tools and Internet accessibility to better serve vulnerable and underserved
populations. These web-based technologies help organizations and policy makers make more
informed decisions about access, equity, and allocation of resources. Chris received his B.S. in
Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University in 1984 and his M.S. in Agricultural
Economics at Texas A&M in 1985. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at the
University of Missouri in 1996. In 2005 Chris completed his National Library of Medicine Post
Doctoral Health Informatics Fellowship. He serves as a faculty member in the Division of
Applied Social Sciences and the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of
Missouri.
Kathryn Gardow
Kathryn Gardow started Gardow Consulting to enlarge the conversation on why the
Pacific NW needs to protect our farming and food production economy, to provide land use &
permitting services to farmers, and to advise jurisdictions & developers on strategies to save
farmland on development projects. Kathryn was the Executive Director of PCC Farmland Trust
in Seattle during the Orting Valley Farms project in Pierce County, in which 100 acres of organic
agricultural conservation easements were acquired. Kathryn has over 30 years of land use
expertise.
Kathryn Gardow
Gardow Consulting
206-419-8923
Ellen Gray
Ellen has been the Executive Director of The Washington Sustainable Food & Farming
Network since January 2008. She stepped up to this role from her staff position of Development
Coordinator. Ellen currently Chairs the Washington Small Farm Advisory Board, serves on the
“Kitchen Cabinet” of Washington State University’s Dean of the College of Agriculture, Human
and Natural Resource Sciences and co-chairs the Good Food Coalition. Ellen has a MMA from
the University of Washington and a BA from the University of Vermont. She is a dynamic,
articulate, energetic, and seasoned nonprofit professional with diverse hands-on experience and
skills. Ellen has a long commitment to advocacy work and more than 25 years experience in the
non-profit sector. Originally from Vermont, Ellen spent much of her childhood working on either
dairy or horse farms. She has a deep appreciation for the challenges facing small farms that are a

6. vital element of a healthy agricultural landscape. As a parent of a 13 year old boy, Ellen has
worked for several years to encourage her school district to serve more locally grown fresh fruits
and vegetables. She has a passionate and personal interest in the farm to school movement.
www.wsffn.org
Ellen Gray, Executive Director
Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network (WSFFN)
PO Box 762, Mount Vernon WA. 98273-0762
Phone: (360) 336-9694 Fax: (360) 336-1579
egray@wsffn.org
www.wsffn.org
Sandy Han
Sandy is currently a staff attorney and adjunct at the Harrison Institute for Public Law
working on health law and policy. She focuses on increasing access to health services and is
currently working on food and nutrition policies. Specifically, how the law can increase access
to healthy food options in schools. Prior to working at Georgetown, Sandy worked in health care
regulation and compliance at the Washington Hospital Center and Strategic Management
Systems. Sandy was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 2000 and the District of Columbia Bar
in 2008.
Sandy Han, JD, LLM
Supervising Attorney, Harrison Institute for Public Law
Georgetown Law
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Suite 120
Washington, DC 20001
202.662.4023
shh27@law.georgetown.edu
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/clinics/hi/PolicyClinic.htm
Alisa Haushalter
Alisa Haushalter is the Director of the Bureau of Population Health Programs with the
Metro Public Health Department of Nashville, Tennessee. The Bureau includes a variety of
population-based divisions and programs including STD/HIV, Ryan White, Tuberculosis
Elimination, Occupational Health, Behavioral Health, Prevention and Wellness as well as
Communities Putting Prevention to Work for which Alisa serves as project director. Alisa began
her public health career as a Metro Health district nurse over 28 years ago. She holds a Doctorate
of Nursing Practice in Public Health Leadership from the University of Tennessee Health
Science Center.
Jim Johnson
Jim is currently the Land Use and Water Planning Coordinator with the Oregon
Department of Agriculture. His land use planning career has bridged local, state and regional
perspectives including positions with Klickitat County, Washington; Wasco County, Oregon, the

7. Columbia River Gorge Commission and the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and
Development, the Sate of Oregon’s land use planning agency. Jim is currently a member of the
City of Lake Oswego Planning Commission.
Jim earned a MA in geography from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and a BS from Western
Oregon University.
Contact Informatiom:
Oregon Department of Agriculture
635 Capiutol Street NE
salem, OR 97035s
jjohnson@oda.state.or.us
(503) 986-4706
Hannah Laurison
Hannah Laurison is a senior associate at Public Health Law & Policy in Oakland,
California. She works closely with advocates around the country to enact policies that will create
communities where grocery stores and farmers markets are accessible to everyone. Hannah
holds a masters in planning from Tufts University.
David E. Procter is director of the Center for Engagement and Community Development and the
Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy at Kansas State University. He leads the Rural
Grocery Sustainability Initiative, which works to develop models to sustain retail sources of food
for rural Kansans. Procter holds a doctorate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Sharon Thornberry, Community Resource Developer at the Oregon Food Bank, has been
influential in policy advocacy, coalition building, and incubating many 'grassroots' food-related
efforts from conception to completion. She has tirelessly dedicated herself to increasing access to
healthy food for low-income communities - particularly in often overlooked rural Oregon. She
simultaneously advocates to stop providing junk food while working to increase the distribution
of fruits and vegetables.
Lyn Kathlene, Ph.D.
Senior Research Associate, Center for Systems Integration
Lyn Kathlene is a senior research associate at the Center for Systems Integration
(CSI). Prior to joining CSI, she was the founding director of the Colorado Institute of Public
Policy (CIPP) and professor of political science at Colorado State University. Dr. Kathlene has
facilitated research-based stakeholder dialogues, directed numerous community action projects,
overseen the design and implementation of both formative and summative evaluations for state
agencies, non-profits, and local governments, and designed and implemented citizen
participatory planning, policy and planning processes, and non-traditional policy research
methods. Her research has been published in the top journals of political science and public
policy, and she has received numerous research and teaching awards. In addition to publications,

8. Dr. Kathlene’s research on livable communities is the subject of a NE-PBS documentary,
Community by Design. Her current projects and professional commitments include: Staff for the
Colorado Farm to School Taskforce, project director of the Colorado Farm to School statewide
initiative, research analyst for the Colorado Food Assessment Framework, co-chair of the
National Advisory Committee of the Leadership for Healthy Communities Initiative at the
Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, and Advisory Committee member for a National Science
Foundation’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) project on
water sustainability. Dr. Kathlene received her M.A. in public policy analysis and Ph.D. in
political science from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Her academic appointments have
been at Purdue University, University of Minnesota (on sabbatical at the Hubert H. Humphrey
Institute of Public Affairs), the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, and Colorado State University.
Katie Lynd
Katie Lynd is the Food Policy Coordinator in Multnomah County's Office of
Sustainability. With a masters degree in Urban & Regional Planning from PSU, Katie has
brought experience in community involvement and strategically planning for sustainable food
system action to her position within the Office of Sustainability. Most recently, Katie has
focused efforts on community engagement through the Multnomah Food Action Plan's review
and adoption process. Following the County Commissioner's adoption of the Action Plan in
January 2011, Katie has been working to implement the outlined goals and actions of the plan
through stakeholder outreach, network formation, and policy change. Prior to her role at
Multnomah County, Katie has worked for a number of years in local government in the field of
sustainability. Projects have included education and outreach, on both programming and
instruction, as well as planning for specific issues. Prior to working for Multnomah County,
Katie spent 2 years as Metro's Recycle at School Coordinator to help reduce solid waste streams
and secure local food procurement. Katie is a Montana native, and currently a 3 year resident of
Portland.
Erin MacDougall
Erin MacDougall, PhD is the manager for the Healthy Eating and Active Living Program
at Public Health – Seattle and King County. She supports planning, policy development,
coalition building, and technical support to King County organizations in order to facilitate their
working together toward chronic disease prevention in the areas of nutrition and physical activity
policy. She holds a Doctorate in Nutrition from the University of California, Davis and was an
IATP Food and Society Fellow.
Roxanne Medina-Fulcher
Roxanne Medina-Fulcher, J.D. is Director of Operations and Training for Community
Initiatives, a network of professionals and partner organizations helping build healthy,
whole communities. Roxanne’s background includes community organization,
community indicator development, poverty law and nonprofit management. She
served as Senior Vice President of Community Building at Trident United Way,
helping solve problems facing individuals and families. Roxanne directed development

9. and implementation of United Way’s Community Investment Process, guiding data
collection to support decisions and demonstrate United Way’s impact on Charleston—
emphasizing policy and environmental change strategies. Roxanne was Regional
Director of Community Investment Strategies and Community Impact Process Manager
for United Way of Southeastern Michigan. Prior to United Way, Roxanne was Director
of Programs for Women’s Philanthropy Institute, helping develop national programs and
training to enhance giving. As a Managing Attorney, Roxanne practiced poverty law
in Detroit MI at Legal Aid and Defender Association. Roxanne received a Juris Doctor
from Michigan State University and a B.S. in Political Science/Economics from Andrews
University.
Tammy Morales
Tammy Morales is a principal of Urban Food Link, a consulting firm specializing in
connecting communities to healthy food. She puts her community development and food
systems know-how to work in neighborhoods throughout Seattle, providing seasoned guidance
on food project planning.
Tammy¹s work has earned her a solid reputation as a food systems leader in the Puget
Sound region, where she advises policy makers at the local, county and regional levels. She is a
board member of the Community Food Security Coalition and a member of the American
Planning Association.
Wendy Peters Moschetti
Wendy Peters Moschetti, founder of WPM Consulting, LLC of Boulder, Colorado,
consults on a wide variety of local and state-wide food systems policy projects, as well as school
health and wellness initiatives. Wendy works closely with communities across the state of the
Colorado, including LiveWell Colorado, the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment, and the Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council. Prior to launching WPM
Consulting, Wendy provided project management support for the Metro Denver Health and
Wellness Commission Schools Team, worked with the national Healthy Eating-Active Living
Convergence Partnership, and also served as Project Coordinator for the CU Denver Gardens for
Growing Healthy Communities project. Wendy holds a BA in Social Work from the University
of Washington with a focus in child development and the child welfare system and a Masters in
City Planning from the University of California-Berkeley with a self-defined concentration in
Community Environmental Planning.
Sara Padilla
Sara Padilla is the Program Manager for the CDC’s Communities Putting Prevention to
Work program at the Community Food Security Coalition. Sara has over fourteen years of
experience working in public health and program management in the United States and
internationally. She holds a master’s degree in Public Health from Tulane University and speaks
Spanish fluently. Sara resides in Portland, Oregon with her family.

10. Megan Rowan
Megan Rowan, MPH, Senior Research Manager, Department of International Health,
Center for Human Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH).
She has over 7 years of research and management experience in chronic disease prevention and
treatment. In partnership with Joel Gittelsohn, PhD, she currently manages 6 JHSPH Healthy
Cornerstore Programs, which utilize culturally- and setting-relevant interventions and have
demonstrated success improving food availability and consumption. Under Ms. Rowan’s
guidance, evidenced-based healthy store criteria have also been integrated into policy
recommendations for Baltimore City.
Linda Shak, MSW
Linda Shak oversees projects related to healthy, sustainable food systems. Linda provides
training and consultation to government, foundations, and collaboratives, helping them develop
quality prevention initiatives. She is project manager for the Environmental Nutrition and
Activity Community Tool and primary author of “Recipe for Change: Healthy Food in Every
Community.”
Sharon P. Sheldon
Washtenaw County Public Health Department, 734-544-6781, sheldonsp@ewashtenaw.org
Sharon P. Sheldon is the Program Administrator for the Health Promotion / Disease
Prevention Division of the Washtenaw County Public Health Department and has been with the
department for 8 years. Ms. Sheldon is on the Board of Directors of the Food System Economic
Partnership, a five county collaborative working to change the food system in SE Michigan. Ms.
Sheldon received her MPH degree from the University of Michigan School of Public Health,
Health Behavior and Health Education Program.
Juliet Sims, MPH, RD
Juliet Sims, Program Coordinator at Prevention Institute, supports projects related to
healthy eating and active living. She collaborates with agencies and organizations across the
country, providing training and consultation to incorporate prevention strategies into their
efforts. Juliet helps with Strategic Alliance, California's statewide coalition of food and activity
advocates, including coordination of its Rapid Response Media Network, which enables more
effective advocacy related to nutrition and physical activity. She also oversees development of
the Environmental Nutrition and Activity Community Tool (ENACT), a Web-based resource
designed to give policymakers and advocates the tools to improve local nutrition and activity
environments.
Shannon Stember
Shannon is a Registered Dietitian and Child Nutrition Specialist with over 20 years experience in
K-12 schools including 14 years with Portland Public Schools (PPS) Nutrition Services. Since
receiving her dietetics degree from UC Berkeley, Shannon has specialized in nutrition education

11. to increase fruit and vegetable choices, implementation of nutrition standards in child nutrition
programs and promoting PPS Farm to School programs, Harvest of the Month and Local
Flavors. Shannon was a member of the first Portland Multnomah Food Policy Council in 2002-
04 and has been active in federal child nutrition policy work since 2003.
Shannon Stember, RD, Assistant Director of Nutrition Services
Portland Public Schools
501 North Dixon Street
Portland, Oregon, 97227-1807
503.916.3365
shannons@pps.k12.or.us
http://www.pps.k12.or.us/
Deirdra Stockmann
Food System Economic Partnership (FSEP), deirdra@umich.edu, 734-222-6859
Deirdra Stockmann is a PhD candidate in the Urban and Regional Planning program at
the University of Michigan, where she received her Masters of Urban Planning degree. Her
dissertation focuses on the socio-politics behind emerging municipal-level food policy. Her
research and advocacy interests include food systems planning, policy innovation and adaptation,
and civic participation. She is a board member of the Food System Economic Partnership, a
regional collaborative working to change the food system in southeastern Michigan, and is the
treasurer of Slow Food Huron Valley.
Fran Talsma
Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR) , 734-646-3412,
ftalsma@umich.edu
Fran Talsma is a Research Policy Advocate for the Michigan Institute of Clinical and
Health Research (MICHR). She works to educate local and state policy makers about the good
work of MICHR’s community partners, to increase policy makers’ knowledge about health-
related issues, and to establish mutually beneficial lines of communication. In addition to her
work at MICHR, Fran leads Michigan’s Pioneering Healthier Communities, a state-wide YMCA
effort that promotes policy, system, and built environment changes to reverse the childhood
obesity trend.
John Weidman
John Weidman is the Deputy Executive Director of The Food Trust, a Philadelphia-based
nonprofit working to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food. The Food
Trust operates farmers’ markets, provides nutrition education services in schools, and works to
bring supermarkets to underserved neighborhoods. He holds a Master’s degree in Political
Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

12. John R. Williams
John R. Williams is Deputy Director for Community Development in Metro’s Planning
and Development Department in Portland, Oregon. This work includes oversight of a spectrum
of current and long range land use and transportation planning activities. He’s recently
completed work on an innovative effort to designate urban and rural reserves around the Portland
metropolitan region, creating a 50-year blueprint for regional growth. The department’s focus
now is working with local jurisdictions, citizens and the private sector to spur development on
the ground to fulfill regional desired outcomes and local aspirations.
Prior to working at Metro, John served as Community Development & Planning Director
for the City of Canby, OR. He has a B.S. in Geology from Tufts University, a Master’s degree in
Geological Science from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, and a Master’s Degree
in Public Administration from Lewis & Clark College. John grew up in Brooklyn, New York.
Sabrina Wu
Sabrina Wu is staff to the HOPE Collaborative and serves on the Oakland Food Policy
Council. She has worked in public health, nutrition, and sustainable food systems for over 10
years. Sabrina holds a MS in Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Policy from Tufts University
and a BA from Barnard College of Columbia University.
Deborah Yashar
Deborah Yashar serves as Food Systems Program Manager at the Agriculture & Land-
Based Training Association (ALBA) – an organic farm incubator and training center for
beginning and aspiring farmers in Monterey County, California. Deborah has played a key role
in the establishment of 10 SNAP-accessible certified farmers’ markets and farm stands on the
Central Coast as part of her work to improve market access for emerging farmers while
increasing affordability of healthy foods. She led the successful passing of California Assembly
Bill 537 in 2010 for federal food assistance (EBT) benefits to be universally accepted as a
legitimate form of payment in farmers’ markets in 2010. Deborah is a member of the Santa Cruz
Farmers’ Markets board of directors and the Certified Farmers’ Market Advisory Committee of
the California Department of Food & Agriculture.