Speakers

2006 Food and Society Networking Conference Plenary Speakers and Program Staff:

Molly Anderson is currently working as Research Coordinator for the national Farm and Food Policy Project. She was employed by the U.S. Regional Office of Oxfam America between 2003 and 2005, most recently as director of the U.S. Program, supporting programs and policy that help poor rural communities in the United States. Prior to Oxfam America, Molly worked at Tufts University for 14 years as a professor, administrator, partnership builder, and researcher. She co-founded and, for five years, directed the Agriculture, Food and Environment Graduate Program in the School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts. She was a national Food and Society Policy Fellow between 2002 and 2004.

Susan Nall Bales is the President of the FrameWorks Institute and an integral contributor to the development of “Strategic Frame Analysis.” She is also a visiting scholar at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management. A veteran communications strategist and issues campaigner, she brings more than 20 years of experience in public interest research, communications, and project management to FrameWorks. Bales graduated with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles and received her master’s degree in literature and language from Middlebury College.

Lucas Benitez, Co-Founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), immigrated from Guerrero, Mexico to the U.S. when he was 17 to work in the fields. He helped organize the first-ever general strike in Immokalee history, with 3,000 workers staying out of the fields for a full week. He also helped workers escape from a labor camp of the violent Ramos slavery operation in Lake Placid, FL. In 1999, Lucas received the Rolling Stone magazine/Brick Award as America’s Best Young Leader. In 2003, he was named a Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Laureate for his work in combating modern-day slavery and leading the successful Taco Bell Boycott.

Terry Bellamy, is the mayor of Asheville, NC. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and is working on a masters degree at Western Carolina University. Before her duties as mayor, she was employed with Mountain Housing Opportunities, which builds affordable housing and renovates and builds homes for senior citizens and others in need. She also served on the Asheville City Council; in 2001, Terry was voted Vice-Mayor by her peers on City Council for her leadership skills. Since then, she has succeeded by working closely with constituents, both liberal and conservative. Terry is known as a staunch advocate for senior citizens and children. Terry has been recognized by One Youth at a Time as its Volunteer of the Year for her work with disadvantaged youth.

Craig Cox has devoted his working life to natural resource conservation beginning when he joined the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a field biologist in 1977. Since then, he has served as Senior Staff Officer with the Board on Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences; Professional Staff Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Special Assistant to the Chief of USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service; and briefly as Acting Deputy Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment at USDA. He is currently Executive Director of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, a professional Society dedicated to promoting the art and science of natural resource conservation.

Anthony Flaccavento, founding member and Executive Director of Appalachian Sustainable Development (ASD) helped create an infrastructure of sustainability in both agriculture and forestry in southwest Virginia and northeast Tennessee. In sustainable agriculture, he has been instrumental in creating an alternative means of income through the promotion of certified organic farming and establishing market opportunities for farmers, particularly tobacco growers. Anthony holds a bachelors degree in Agriculture and Ecology from the University of Kentucky and a master’s degree in Rural Development from the University of Pittsburgh. He raises two acres of certified organic produce on a farm just outside Abingdon, Virginia.

Reverend Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. has served as the fifth Senior Minister of New York City’s 2,400-member Riverside Church since 1989. Prior to that, Dr. Forbes was Professor of Preaching at Union Theological Seminary. He is known as the preacher’s preacher because of his extensive career and his charismatic style. In 1995, Newsweek recognized him as “one of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world.” Dr. Forbes was featured on Bill Moyers’ Speaking to Power in 2003; in 2004, he keynoted the Let Justice Roll tour sponsored by the National Council of Churches.

Glenn Ford is a former senior-level executive with three Fortune 50 corporations. He has experience developing food brands and distribution in both the United States and internationally. Glenn possesses a master’s degree from Northwestern University with undergraduate degrees in Economics and Business Management. Glenn has taught Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas and Concordia University. In addition to being a member of the Robinhood consulting group, he is also active in assisting minority entrepreneurs with finding financing and outlets for establishing businesses and finding scarce equity capital.

Paula Garcia is Executive Director of the New Mexico Acequia Association which represents the centuries-old communal irrigation systems of the state and the small-scale farmers and ranchers that depend on those systems for water. She also serves as Project Director for the Northern New Mexico Food and Farm Policy Project, a collaboration between community organizations and university partners that seeks to strengthen viability of small-scale farming and ranching through policy development. In addition, she is President of the Mora Land Grant and serves on the New Mexico Water Trust Board and the New Mexico State Land Trust Advisory Board. Paula was raised on a small ranch in northern New Mexico where she lives with her husband, son, and extended family.

Allen Hance is a senior policy analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute in Washington, DC. Allen directs the Institute’s Agriculture and Food Policy Program, which researches federal agriculture programs and related legislation, analyzes trends, and distributes information to educate and inform congressional staff, state legislators, policymakers, and other stakeholders on a variety of agriculture-related issues, including conservation and sustainable agriculture policy. He is currently the project coordinator for the Farm and Food Policy Project, a national collaboration between environmental, anti-hunger, and family farm organizations united by the common vision of a more sustainable agriculture and food system for the United States.

Ferd Hoefner serves as Policy Director for the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (SAC), working as a Washington representative for the group since its inception in 1988. The Coalition is an alliance of national, regional and local grassroots farm, rural, and conservation organizations that together advocate for public policies supporting the long term economic, social and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources and rural communities. Ferd has nearly 30 years experience in federal food, development, agricultural and environmental policy. He recently served on the USDA Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers and the Blue Ribbon Panel for the USDA Conservation Effects Assessment Project and has been a long-time contributor to the Conservation Coalition, National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, and many other policy coalitions. Hoefner currently is a member of the coordinating council for the newly-formed Farm and Food Policy Project (FFPP), a collaborative of diverse organizations united by the common vision of a more sustainable food and agricultural system.

Kim Leval is Senior Policy Analyst in the Rural Policy Program with the Center for Rural Affairs. Her efforts focus on developing a national agriculture policy agenda that serves family farmers and ranchers, rural communities, and the environment. During the 2002 Farm Bill, she helped secure passage of a $200 million value-added producer-focused grant program that supports new direct marketing efforts to help family farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. On a daily basis, Kim works with farmers, ranchers, rural policy makers, and USDA and land grant research scientists, administrators and faculty, as well as many farm, conservation and sustainable agriculture organizations. She has spoken and written extensively on agricultural research policy and the impacts research and technology have on family farmers and ranchers, rural communities, and the environment.

Preston Maring M.D., Associate Physician-in-Chief at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland is responsible for tertiary care services planning for Oakland’s and Northern California’s health plan members. Dr. Maring is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Michigan and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Oakland Medical Center in 1974. Dr. Maring’s passion is cooking with the best and freshest ingredients. He established the Friday Fresh Farmers’ Market at the Oakland Medical Center in May 2003, featuring growers approved by the California Certified Organic Farmers’ Association. There are now 25 markets at Kaiser Permanente facilities in 5 states with plans for more. The innovation and spirit of local facility sponsors have resulted in different market models, community outreach and a program-wide focus on healthy eating. Dr. Maring has personally supported the development of many of these markets.

Anim Steel manages the BLAST initiative, The Food Project’s effort to build a youth movement for sustainable agriculture and food justice. Anim’s previous experience in community building, economic development, and college admissions informs his work at The Food Project. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He joined The Food Project in 2002. This summer, he will try to sneak away from work to cheer on his birth country Ghana in its first World Cup of Soccer appearance.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Winrock International Staff:

Linda Jo Doctor

John Fisk is the Director of the H.A. Wallace Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Winrock International. The Center is focused at the national level and works in partnership with regional organizations to expand community-based and sustainable food and farming systems. Prior to the Wallace Center, John was an independent consultant for seven years providing food systems consulting to several Michigan-based organizations, including the Kellogg Foundation’s Food and Society Initiative. He was Programs and Development Director for Michigan Food & Farming Systems, a statewide not-for-profit focused on building capacity and opportunities for value-added agriculture. John has been a Fellow in the Donella Meadows Leadership Program for Systems Thinking and a C.S. Mott Fellow of Sustainable Agriculture. He holds a Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Sciences from Michigan State University, a master’s in Agronomy from University of Missouri-Columbia and a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies-Agroecology from the University of California-Santa Cruz.

Robin Flees, Meeting Assistant for Meeting Services at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, provides secretarial and administrative assistance for the entire department. She is also responsible for many details relative to meeting planning services and is the videoconference contact for the Kellogg Foundation. Robin joined the Foundation in November 1994 as an administrative secretary. Before joining the Kellogg Foundation, she was a customer service representative/loan officer at First of America Bank in Battle Creek.

Rick Foster is Vice President for Programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and he serves on the executive team that provides overall direction and leadership for the Foundation. Specific programming initiatives for which he is responsible include: Food and Society, Mid South Delta Initiative, People and Land, Networks for Rural Public Policy, the Kellogg National Leadership Program and the new Kellogg Leadership for Community Change Program. Rick joined the Foundation in 1991 as a visiting professional while on sabbatical leave from the University of Nebraska, where he served as a professor of agricultural education. Prior to joining the Foundation, he worked in international development activities in Africa and Central America and was instrumental in establishing the School of Agriculture for the Humid Tropics (E.A.R.T.H.) in Costa Rica. Rick received his bachelor's, master’s and doctoral degrees in agricultural education from Iowa State University and taught at Iowa State University, the University of Idaho, and the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.

Oran Hesterman is Program Director for Food Systems and Rural Development programming at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and provides primary leadership to the Foundation's Food and Society Initiative, in addition to focusing on Food Systems and Rural Development policy. Previously, he researched and taught forage and cropping systems management, sustainable agriculture, and leadership development in the Crop and Soil Sciences department at Michigan State University in East Lansing. From 1987-1990, he was a fellow in the Kellogg National Fellowship Program (KNFP). Oran was a fellow at the National Center for Food and Agriculture Policy in Washington, D.C. In the area of sustainable agriculture, he has authored or co-authored more than 400 reports, journal publications, and book chapters. Oran earned his bachelor's and master’s degrees at the University of California-Davis in plant science/vegetable crops and agronomy, respectively. He received his doctorate in agronomy and business administration from the University of Minnesota.

Gail Imig is Program Director for Food Systems and Rural Development at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In this cacacity, Dr. Imig develops and reviews programming priorities and initiatives related to food systems professions education and leadership development for institutional change in higher education, provides leadership for initiatives, and maintains her professional contacts in the areas of higher education, human development and family studies, and rural and community development. Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Imig was Associate Vice Provost at Michigan State University in East Lansing. Earlier, she was Director of Michigan State University Extension. In these roles, she chaired the National Extension Committee on Organization and Policy (ECOP), served on the National Association of State Universities and the Land-Grant College Commission on Outreach and Technology Transfer, and contributed to a Michigan State University Interdisciplinary Rural Family Poverty Research Team and Social Capital Interest Group.

David Norman, Group Vice President of Winrock International, is an agricultural economist with experience managing rural development and credit projects in the United States and overseas. He leads Winrock's Enterprise and Agriculture Group which includes Agriculture, Volunteer Technical Assistance (VTA), the Wallace Center, and U.S. Programs. Most recently, he headed the VTA Program, which focuses on recruiting qualified U.S. volunteers to assist farmers, businesses, and organizations both overseas and in the U.S. Prior to joining Winrock in 1994, Norman was director of Technology Operations for AgriBank in St. Louis. Norman currently sits on the board of directors for AgriBank, a $30 billion cooperative bank serving 15 states. He also chairs Winrock's Information & Communication Technology oversight committee that establishes technology priorities for the institution. He holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Arkansas.

Karen Roth, Program Office Manager for the areas of Food Systems and Rural Development at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, assists the vice president with developing, planning, and implementing strategic plans and program initiatives. Karen serves as liaison with the office of the President/CEO and provides staff leadership, development, and supervision. Karen joined the Foundation in 1988 as commitment assistant, advanced to administrative assistant/programming, and went on to office manager in the Food Systems and Rural Development area before assuming her current role of program operations manager. Before joining the Kellogg Foundation, she was an executive secretary at the Ralston Purina Company in Battle Creek. Karen received her bachelor’s degree in management and organizational learning from Spring Arbor University and her associate’s degree in business from Kellogg Community College.

Ricardo J. Salvador is Program Director for Food Systems and Rural Development at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. A crop scientist by training, he is associate professor of agronomy and sustainable agriculture at Iowa State University and is currently on leave as Visiting Professional at the Foundation. A native of Mexico, Salvador’s main interests are in promoting sustainability in all its dimensions on the basis of social justice, equity, and knowledge. His main agronomic research activities have focused on maize cropping systems and ecological foot printing of agricultural systems, while his teaching efforts have focused on natural methods of learning that are compatible with the subject matter being studied. Salvador was part of a group of faculty that launched the first graduate program conferring M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in sustainable agriculture, and was the first chair of that program at Iowa State University (2001 - 2003) and its Director of Graduate Education (2004 - 2005).

Sterling Speirn, President and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, was president of Peninsula Community Foundation, and founder and chairman of the Center for Venture Philanthropy, which has launched three Social Venture Funds engaging with the issues of poverty, literacy, and environment. He is past chair of the board of directors of Northern California Grantmakers and serves on the Advisory Council of the Global Philanthropy Forum. Mr. Speirn is co-creator and former board member of the Raising a Reader take-home book bag program and has taught a seminar on philanthropy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has been a guest lecturer at University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, Harvard Business School, University of Santa Clara, University of San Francisco, and the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Mr. Speirn, a Michigan native, earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University in California. He holds a law degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Frank Tugwell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Winrock International leads the organization in its quest to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources, and protect the environment. Under his leadership, Winrock's existing program activities have expanded and new initiatives have launched to address the changing needs of the world's people and the global environment. Most recently, Tugwell was executive director of the Heinz Endowments of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Previously, he served Winrock as vice president of Programs and Global Projects and was director of the Renewable Energy and the Environment Program. He is the founder and first president of the Environmental Enterprises Fund, a non-profit organization that invests in small and medium-sized environmental companies in developing countries. Tugwell received his Doctorate in Political Science from Columbia University.

Connie Vunovich is Meeting Planner at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. In this role, she assists in determining conference objectives and selecting formats for delivery of information. She also is responsible for site selection, creation of conference budgets, hotel/conference center negotiations, all logistical arrangements, and on-site meeting management. Connie joined the Foundation in 1985 and has since held several secretarial positions, an administrative assistant position, and most recently served as meeting specialist. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was employed by Michigan Bankard as a sales secretary. She holds an associate degree in secretarial science from Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Ali Webb is Communications Manager for Leadership and Food Systems and Rural Development at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. She manages communication and marketing projects in support of these areas, which include working with staff to plan and design activities and products with print, video, electronic. Webb develops marketing strategies for targeting program-related products and messages to a wide audience of citizens and policymakers. Webb received her bachelor’s degree in journalism at Stanford University, a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in mass communication from Michigan State University.

Teresa Williams, Program Assistant for the Food Systems & Rural Development at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, provides secretarial and administrative assistance for program directors in Food Systems & Rural Development. Prior to joining the Foundation in July 1997, she had a three-year assignment through Manpower working in the International Study Grants department.

Katie Yaeger recently joined the Winrock International team as Program Assistant for the H.A. Wallace Center for Sustainable Food Systems. Prior to her time at Winrock, she worked for several years as an Environmental Education Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua and has traveled extensively throughout Central America, lower Mexico, and the Caribbean. She also had the opportunity to work as a Crisis Corps Volunteer for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief this past autumn. Katie received her bachelor’s degree in environmental policy and Spanish from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Kathy Zurcher, Director of Program Learning for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, provides leadership for developing staff organizational learning capacities and designing and facilitating generative conversations, retreats, and work sessions. Previously, Kathy was senior administrator of Family Medicine at Regions Medical Center in Minnesota. For 15 years, she was professor and extension leader for organization development with the University of Minnesota’s Extension Service, working with county and campus-based faculty throughout the state. As authoring team lead for Issues Based Programming in Extension, Kathy worked with cooperative extension services across the country to provide conceptual and staff development leadership for extension's transition to issues-based programming nationally. Kathy holds an AB in English and secondary teaching, and an MS and Ph.D. in educational psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.