Speakers and Program Staff

 2007 Food and Society Networking Conference Plenary Speakers and Program Staff:

	Rabbi Chava Bahle is a storyteller, musician and community leader whose work focuses on human rights, building bridges between diverse groups and expanding the soul power of love, peace, joy, abundance and blessing in the world.  She frequently blesses food and the people and systems that make it possible.
	Lucas Benitez, Co-Founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), immigrated from Guerrero, Mexico to the US 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.
	Diana Endicott is the founder and director of Good Natured Family Farms’ alliance.  Diana farms with her husband Gary on a 400 acre organic and 400 acre transitional farm in southeast Kansas.  She is a recipient of the National Agriculture Hall of Fame’s Honor Acre, the SBIR Tibbetts Award, and named a ‘Trailblazer’ by the Kansas City Star. She has been featured in publications such as Successful Farming, The Furrow, Rural Cooperatives, Small Farm Today, The New American Farmer, etc.  Diana is published in Women and Sustainable Agriculture-Agents of Change and The Status of Women in Agriculture in Kansas- Institute for Women’s Policy Research.  Diana has a BS and MS in Horticulture/Soil Science from OSU and post-graduate studies at LSU.
	Matt Jonas is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Balls Food Stores.  He is responsible for the marketing, pricing, promotion, and merchandising of all departments in the 30 retail stores they operate in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.  He also is responsible for the operation of the Central Warehouse, Tippin’s Pie Plant, and Tippin’s Food Plant.  Matt has over 40 years experience in the food business with 20 years spent in distribution and over 20 years spent in retail operations.  He has a BA in Economics and a MBA from Rockhurst University.
	Bob Kewaygoshkum has been the Chairman of the Tribe of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians since 2000 and is in second four-year elected term in this position. A born and raised Traverse City native, Bob has been with the tribe for about 24 years and has worked from the bottom up in myriad positions, from maintenance, to accounting department, to travel manager, to renewable energy officer, and many other positions in between and has gained the respect of fellow members.
	Tim Merry supports organizations and communities to reach collective clarity and take wise action to improve their lives and the lives of people in their sphere of influence. Currently, Tim is setting up a community leadership and social entrepreneurship training center in Canada called the Shire, www.oftheshire.org. He is also an internationally performing slam poet working to bring the arts back into our community conversations.
	Otavio Silva has been working as a civil engineer and environmental consultant for more than 21 years and has worked extensively in the environmental field and sustainable agriculture in the United States and Latin America. At Bridging The Gap, Otavio manages the Kansas City Regional By-Product Synergy Initiative, the Buy Fresh Buy Local Kansas City program and other environmental programs connecting community, industry and government.  Otavio is a member of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce's Environment Committee and serves on the Community Advisory Panel for Bayer ScienceCrop. He is the founder and current Chairperson of the Brazilian Club; the Brazilian Commissioner for the Ethnic Enrichment Commission; a Board Member of Beyond the Book; and is a member of the International Relations Council.
	Staff of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the H.A. Wallace Center at Winrock International:
	Linda Jo Doctor is the Program Director in Health at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Previously, Ms. Doctor was deputy director for The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Allies Against Asthma program and directed the prevention division at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She has worked in substance abuse prevention and managed a national training and technical assistance delivery system supported by the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.  She has had leadership roles in several professional associations including Prevention Network and the Association of State and Territorial Health Promotion Directors.  Ms. Doctor received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and her master’s degree from Boston University.
	Shonna Dreier is a Program Officer at the H.A. Wallace Center, focused on social enterprise development and market-based change in the food system. Shonna has 13 years of for-profit experience, predominantly in healthcare, including 5 years with the Boston Consulting Group advising for-profit leaders in enterprise development.  Over the past year, she has transitioned to non-profit management and social enterprise development. Shonna holds an MBA from the Wharton School.
	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 and 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, Food and Fitness, Mid South Delta Initiative, People and Land, Rural People Rural Policy, and the 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 Tropical Region (EARTH University) in Costa Rica. Rick was a leadership fellow in the Kellogg National Fellowship Program from 1987-1990 and served as a Thorton Bradshaw Fellow exploring ‘the Humanities and the Young Professional’ in 1991. 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.
	Johnnie Frueauff is a Recruiter for Winrock International's Volunteer Technical Assistance Program.  She has more than 25 years experience in administrative support and management.  Over the past eight years Johnnie has recruited and mobilized more than 500 professionals in diversified areas of agriculture and agribusiness to the Newly Independent States, Africa, Asia, Haiti, and Russia.  Other experience includes more than 10 years of backstopping international programs and projects for Winrock International, including international travel and liaison activities with collaborators involved in the recruiting and mobilization of volunteers.
	Patti J. Grimes is a Program Assistant with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. She assists management staff by providing operational support for programming and administrative work that includes information and financial data analysis, communication, and liaison. Patti initially joined the Foundation in 1992 to assist the corporate secretary, program directors, and evaluation managers in various programming and administrative duties that included filing systems, site visit logistics, report writing, and grants maintenance. Patti graduated from Argubright Business College (a.k.a. Davenport University) in Battle Creek, Michigan.
	Daniel J. Gudahl, the Director of Contracts for Winrock International has over 20 years of international development experience relating to the USA, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Prior to Winrock International, Dan has worked with Heifer International and has served in Peace Corps Philippines. He has expertise in management, community development, agriculture education, and training activities relating to development and livestock. Dan also an adjunct faculty member of the Clinton School of Public Service and a former Partners of the Americas Kellogg Fellow. Dan has his M.S. in international agricultural development from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a B.A. in biology from University of Minnesota.
	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.  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, in St. Paul.
	Gail Imig is Program Director for Food Systems and Rural Development at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Gail 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.
	Matthew Kurlanski, Research Associate for the H.A. Wallace Center at Winrock International has previously worked in sustainable agriculture policy, specifically focusing on resource creation for farmers’ markets and direct-marketing.  Prior to working at the Wallace Center Matthew served as a Robert F. Kennedy Fellow and as an Americorps volunteer.  Matthew received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Human Services from The George Washington University, Washington DC.
	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.
	Annett Pagan is the Director of Winrock International’s domestic work in Arkansas, across the mid-South and nationally.  In this position, she oversees rural development projects, including value-added agriculture, energy and environment, immigrant issues, and economic enhancement programs.  Pagan joined Winrock in 1992 and has worked extensively with development initiatives that create jobs and income opportunities in rural areas.   Pagan serves on several boards and commissions and she currently chairs the Arkansas Alternative Fuels Commission.  She is a member of the Arkansas Environmental Federation, Arkansas Forestry Association, and the Arkansas Women’s Forum to name a few.
	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. He provides leadership for the Food and Society initiative and other programming in the areas of sustainable agriculture, community food systems, Native American food systems, immigrant communities in agriculture, and in strengthening the role of institutions of higher education in these fields. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2007, Ricardo was on the Agronomy faculty at Iowa State University, where he researched the ecological footprint of row-crop agriculture, alternative agricultural systems for the Midwest, and traditional agricultural systems in the developing world. While at Iowa State University, Dr. Salvador was the first chair of the Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture and Faculty Director of the University Honors Program.
	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 a Program Director for Food Systems and Rural Development at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Her grant-making focus is on communications and policy across all the initiatives of the unit including Food and Society, Mid South Delta Initiative, Rural People, Rural Policy, and Food and Fitness a joint initiative between her unit and the Health programming unit. Ali 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 lead support in this program. Prior to joining the Foundation in 1997, she had a three-year assignment through Manpower working in the International Study Grants department. Teresa graduated from Ross Medical Education Center in Lansing, Michigan where she earned a certificate for Medical/Dental Administration.
	Katie Yaeger, Program Assistant for the H.A. Wallace Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Winrock International, 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 last year.  Katie received her bachelor’s degree in environmental policy and Spanish from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania.
	Kathy Zurcher, Director of Program and Organizational Learning for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Kathy's team  provides leadership for creating projects, approaches, and systems for continuous learning from our past, present, and future programming work and reinvesting those learning profits both internally and externally,  designing and managing organizational visioning, goal setting and strategic planning processes, designing and implementing programs that build organizational learning capacities in staff, grantees, and the philanthropic sector, and deepening WKKF’s application of program and organizational learning and diversity tools and frameworks in service of organizational goals both internally and externally, developing staff organizational learning capacities and designing and facilitating generative conversations, retreats and work sessions. 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.

Many Thanks to the FAS Planning Team:

Don Bustos, AFSC, New Mexico Program
Patty Cantrell, Michigan Land Use Institute
Nicole DeBeaufort, Headwaters Group
Michael Dimock, Roots Of Change
Mike Everts, Blackbird Gardens
John Fisk, H.A. Wallace Center, Winrock International
Robin Flees, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Marty Garencer, Michigan Food & Farming Systems
Cari Beth Head, Headwaters Group
Oran Hesterman, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Barbara Mutch, Michigan State University Extension
Sandhya Rao, Emerging Markets Group
Ricardo Salvador, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
John Sherman, Headwaters Group
Anim Steel, The Food Project
Connie Vunovich, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Katie Yaeger, H.A. Wallace Center, Winrock International
Kathy Zurcher, W.K. Kellogg Foundation