Program Leadership

Jim Harkness
President
(612) 870-3403  jharkness@iatp.org
Jim Harkness joined IATP in July 2006. Previously he served as Executive Director of the World Wildlife Fund in China from 1999-2005, where he expanded the organization's profile from a strict focus on conservation of biodiversity to also addressing the consequences of China's economic growth on a broader sustainable development agenda. From 1995-1999, Jim worked as the Ford Foundation's Environment and Development Program Officer for China. He has written and spoken frequently on China and sustainable development, and has served as an adviser for the World Bank and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Jim grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has a B.A. in Asian studies from the University of Wisconsin and a master's in development sociology from Cornell University.

Corinne Rafferty
Vice President for Programs
(612) 870-3435  crafferty@iatp.org
Corinne Rafferty joined IATP in early 2005 to help with program management and coordination. A lawyer by training, Corinne has devoted her working life to various social justice organizations in San Francisco, New York and the Twin Cities. She was co-founder and co-director of Nicaragua Exchange, which mobilized opposition to U.S. funding of the contras in the mid-1980s. She worked for the North American Congress on Latin America, the National Lawyers Guild and the Institute for Media Analysis before serving as a program officer for the Rockefeller Family Fund and the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock. She moved to Minnesota in 1994, and has worked for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and more recently, Farmers' Legal Action Group, where she served as Executive Director. Corinne has a B.A. in English from Yale University and a law degree from Hastings College of the Law (University of California).

Trade and Global Governance

Alexandra Spieldoch
Director
(612) 870-3419 aspieldoch@iatp.org
Alexandra Spieldoch is the Director of the Trade and Global Governance Program at IATP. Alexandra has been engaged in WTO and regional trade advocacy since 1999. She has published various research and popular education materials on trade negotiations at the WTO and in the Americas from a human rights and development perspective. Previously, she co-directed the Gender, Trade and Development (GTD) Project at the Center of Concern and coordinated the secretariat for the International Gender and Trade Network (IGTN) based out of Washington, D.C. She is a member of the Alliance for Responsible Trade and is active in the Hemispheric Social Alliance. She studied at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina as well as the University of Caen in Normandy, France. Alexandra has a B.A. in French literature from Washington University in St. Louis. She received her M.A. in international policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Sophia Murphy
Senior Advisor
smurphy@iatp.org
Sophia Murphy's work is focused on agricultural trade rules, U.S. trade and agriculture policy, and the interests of developing countries in the multilateral trade system. Sophia has published many reports and articles, including analysis of the effects of international trade rules on development and food security, the impact of corporate concentration in the global food system, a critique of U.S. food aid programs, and trade and poverty-related issues in the global biofuels sector. Sophia has worked with IATP's Trade and Agriculture team since 1997. She joined the Institute from Geneva, where she had worked for two years with the United Nations Nongovernmental Liaison Service. Before that, she worked as a policy officer with the Canadian Council for International Cooperation in Ottawa. Sophia has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University and a master's from the London School of Economics.

Dr. Steve Suppan
Senior Policy Analyst
(612) 870-3413  ssuppan@iatp.org
Steve Suppan has been a policy analyst at IATP since 1994. Much of Steve's work is to explain U.S. agriculture, trade and food safety policy to foreign governments and nongovernmental organizations, especially farmer organizations. This work has taken him to about 35 countries, most recently Costa Rica, South Africa and Mexico. Steve has also represented IATP at meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. He was the NGO liaison to the U.S. government for the World Food Summit +5 in 2002. Steve was a lead author in the global report of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development, a multi-stakeholder project whose executive summary was approved by 58 governments on April 12, 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Suppan has a Ph.D. in comparative literature and taught in the Department of Romance Languages at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also studied philosophy at the University of Vienna.

Alexandra Strickner
Director, Global Dialogue Project
+43 (1) 317 40 14  astrickner@iatp.org
Alexandra Strickner is Director of IATP's Global Dialogue Project, which supports a new framework for public regulation and investment in agriculture, particularly by the U.S. and the EU. Alexandra formerly headed IATP's Trade Information Project in Geneva from 2003 to 2006. She monitored World Trade Organization negotiations with a focus on agriculture and services, and helped trade-focused networks better understand the WTO's negotiation process. Alexandra edited "Geneva Update" and developed a series of IATP publications on the link between services negotiations and other sectors. Before joining IATP, Alexandra worked for five years as senior expert and policy adviser at the Austrian Foundation for Development Research in Vienna, covering issues such as educational cooperation and poverty reduction. She holds a master's in political economy with a specialization on development economics and regional integration from the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.

R. Dennis Olson
Senior Policy Analyst
(612) 870-3412  dolson@iatp.org
R. Dennis Olson is a Senior Policy Analyst at IATP. He recently led IATP's lobbying on the 2008 Farm Bill, focusing on the Bioenergy, Commodities and Competition Titles. This effort prioritized the successful passage of the new Bioenergy Crop Assistance Program, which will provide incentives for farmers to shift acreage to more sustainable "next generation" biomass feedstocks. He also leads IATP's effort to lobby Congress on trade policy with a focus on agriculture, including the recent introduction of the Trade Reform Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act of 2008. As a member of the Executive Board of the Citizens Trade Campaign, he played a lead role in the drafting the agricultural provisions of the bill. Dennis represents IATP in several civil society networks focusing on agriculture and trade policy, including serving as Chair of the Renewable Energy Committee of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture. He also has significant international experience networking with civil society organizations around trade, agricultural, biotechnological and environmental issues. As IATP's point person on biotechnology issues, Dennis focused on outreach to family farmers and Indigenous communities, and was part of a campaign that successfully blocked the introduction of genetically engineered wheat into North America in 2005. Before coming to IATP, Dennis worked as a community organizer for 17 years with grassroots farmer and environmental organizations in North Dakota and Montana on agricultural, environmental and other social justice issues. Dennis graduated from the University of Montana with a combined degree of history/political science and a minor in Russian.

Shiney Varghese
Senior Policy Analyst
(612) 870-3471  svarghese@iatp.org
Shiney Varghese leads IATP's work on global water policy, focusing on the current water crisis, its impact on water and food security, and possible local solutions that emphasize equity, environmental justice and sustainability. In her current work, she examines the implications of GATS/WTO, water sector liberalization, and industrial agriculture for access to water. Since 2001 she has been the co-chair of the UNCSD fresh water caucus, the primary civil society voice on water at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. Shiney has been working with IATP since 2001. Before moving to United States in 1998, she worked in India on social and environmental issues for over a decade with indigenous groups, civil society organizations and international groups such as Oxfam. She has presented and published works on environment, gender, and human rights. Shiney grew up on a farm in South Indian state of Kerala, and after high school moved to Gujarat. She is a graduate of the Institute of Rural Management, India, and has a master's in development from the Institute of Social Studies, Netherlands. Varghese was a visiting fellow at the Agrarian Studies program at Yale University in 1997-98.

Trade Information Project, Geneva

Carin Smaller
Director
+41 (22) 789 0734  csmaller@iatp.org
Carin Smaller is head of the Geneva office for the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. She monitors WTO negotiations, writes the bi-monthly bulletin "Geneva Update," and provides information and analysis to developing country trade negotiators and civil society groups working on trade. Carin is also developing alternative approaches to agriculture trade using a human rights approach and has written a policy paper, Planting the Rights Seed: A Human Rights Perspective on Agriculture Trade and the WTO. Prior to working with IATP, Carin worked with a trade and human rights NGO, 3D - Trade - Human Rights -Equitable Economy. She also worked on development projects for the UNDP in Windhoek, Namibia, the Australian Aid Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the German Development Service in Nepal. She has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts in political science and comparative development from the University of New South Wales (Australia).

Anne Laure Constantin
Project Officer
+41 (22) 789 0724 aconstantin@iatp.org
Anne Laure Constantin joined IATP's Trade Information Project in Geneva in July 2006. Anne Laure comes to IATP from the French Committee for International Solidarity where she advocated on international agriculture and trade issues. Prior to that she worked with Association pour la Création de la Fondation René Dumont (Association for the Creation of the René Dumont Foundation) in Paris, and the World Organization Against Torture in Geneva. She has a master's in international relations from La Sorbonne University in France.

Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy

Dr. Cecilia Martinez
Director
(612) 870-3415  cmartinez@iatp.org
Dr. Cecilia Martinez is currently the Director of the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. She is also a Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Delaware. Her other positions include Associate Professor at Metropolitan State University and Research Director at the American Indian Policy Center. Cecilia has led a variety of projects to address sustainable development at the local and international levels. Her research is focused on the development of energy and environmental strategies that promote equitable and sustainable policies. Cecilia has worked with a range of organizations from local grassroots groups to international organizations engaging in the promotion of sound environmental policy and environmental justice. Among her publications is the co-edited volume Environmental Justice: Discourses in International Political Economy which includes some of her work on North American Indigenous peoples and the challenge of forging a common agenda of indigenous rights, justice and sustainability. She received her B.A. from Stanford University and her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware, where she received the Ryden Prize for Best Dissertation in the Social Sciences.

Shalini Gupta
Fellow-in-Residence
sgupta@iatp.org
Shalini Gupta is a 2008 Archibald Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow investigating equitable climate change policies. As part of her Bush Fellowship, Shalini is a visiting Fellow-in-Residence with the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy at IATP. Shalini was formerly the Senior Energy Associate at the Izaak Walton League, a U.S.-based national environmental nonprofit, where she conducted state/regional regulatory and legislative policy analysis and advocacy related to renewable energy and global warming issues. She was a 2007 Governor appointee to Minnesota's Next Generation Energy Board and a 2006 National Environmental Leadership Program Fellow. Previously, Shalini has worked at multiple scales ranging from developing community-scale energy projects to international work in Kiel, Germany, and at Argonne National Laboratories where she analyzed sources of atmospheric organic pollutants from urban and industrial sites in China. Born in New Delhi, India, Shalini is currently on the Board of Directors of the Headwaters Foundation for Justice. She has also been conducting environmental justice and equity workshops as part of a three-year trilogy with Ananya Dance Theatre, a women of color dance company. Shalini holds a B.S. in the geophysical sciences from the University of Chicago and a master's in environmental management from Yale University.

Environment and Agriculture

Mark Muller
Senior Fellow
(612) 870-3420  mmuller@iatp.org
Since starting at IATP in 1997, Mark Muller has worked on a wide variety of issues, including agricultural diversification, nutrient management, agricultural transportation, regional food systems and renewable energy production. He has been involved in both regional project-based efforts and national policy development. He has had opinion pieces on agricultural policy appear in newspapers throughout the Midwest. Mark has a B.A. in physics from the State University of New York at Geneseo and an M.S. in environmental engineering from Manhattan College. Prior to joining IATP, Mark worked as an environmental engineer and high school science teacher.

Dr. Dennis Keeney
Senior Fellow
(515) 232-1531  drkeeney@iastate.edu
Dennis Keeney was the first director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. He retired in 2000, and is professor emeritus of Agronomy and Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University. Dennis grew up on a family dairy farm near Runnells, Iowa, and obtained a B.S. in agronomy from Iowa State University, an M.S. in soil science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a Ph.D. in agronomy and biochemistry from Iowa State University. He was a faculty member at the University of Wisconsin in soils and water chemistry before coming to Iowa State in 1988. He has pioneered research and outreach on agricultural issues related to sustainability, land resource use, rural community development and water quality. Dennis has published over 140 refereed papers on soil and water quality research, and served on numerous state, federal and international scientific committees and task forces. He also served as president of the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science of America. He has been a Senior Fellow at IATP since 2000 and is also a senior fellow in the Department of Soil, Air and Water in the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Minnesota.

Heather Schoonover
Senior Program Associate
(612) 870-3450  hschoonover@iatp.org
Heather Schoonover is a Senior Program Associate in both the Local Foods and the Environment & Agriculture programs at IATP. Since joining IATP in 2001, Heather's areas of focus have included farm policy and public health; agricultural transportation on the Mississippi River; food access in underserved communities; opportunities and challenges for sustainable biofuels production; and market opportunities for local farmers. Heather currently oversees IATP's mini farmers market project and is exploring ways to link sustainable agriculture and healthy eating through federal food assistance programs. Prior to joining IATP, Heather worked as a research associate and boat deckhand for Audubon's Upper Mississippi River Campaign and as a program coordinator for Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental and Education. Heather holds both an M.S. and a B.S. in earth systems from Stanford University and has undertaken additional coursework at the London School of Economics.

Rural Communities

Jim Kleinschmit
Director
(612) 870-3430  jim@iatp.org
Jim Kleinschmit's work as the Director of the Rural Communities Program focuses on strengthening the link between rural economic policy and local, democratic decision-making in order to aid communities in creating and retaining the wealth that comes from their natural and human resources. Jim grew up on (and is still active in the operation of) his family's sustainable farm in Nebraska. Before joining IATP in 1995, he worked on rural development issues in the Baltic States and Russia. At IATP, Jim has worked on a wide array of issues, including nutrient management; water quality and quantity; renewable energy; bioplastics; climate change and general sustainable agriculture; and rural development issues. He has a M.A. from the Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington-Seattle, and a B.A. from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Jim is a member of several organizational boards and steering committees, including Rural Advantage, the Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative and the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance.

Garat Ibrahim
Rural Communities Organizer
(612) 870-3442 gibrahim@iatp.org
Garat Ibrahim joined IATP in January 2008 as a Rural Community Organizer. Prior to starting at IATP, Garat was a four-year community organizer for the Lexington Hamline Community Council in Saint Paul. At the Council, Garat worked with neighborhood residents on housing, education, social services, immigration and bridging the gap between law enforcement and the Somali community. Prior to that, Garat worked with Lutheran Social Services for five years to develop partnerships and conduct outreach with ethnic groups, employers and service providers to secure affordable housing and employment for refugees. Garat was born in Somalia and has spent eight years in Minnesota. His parents are farmers in the southern region of Somalia. Garat received his B.A. in anthropology from Nairobi University. At IATP, Garat works with African refugees in Midwestern rural communities to improve the standard of living and quality of life.

Christopher Mosel
Program Associate
(612) 870-3431 cmosel@iatp.org
Christopher Mosel grew up on a dairy and crop farm in Minnesota. He is still actively involved in the operation of the family farm and manages the organic production. In addition, he has been extensively involved in community improvement, environmental activism and government. Mosel received his bachelor's degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. At Cornell, he focused on economics, environmental policy and international relations. Christopher's work at IATP focuses on improving quality of life for rural young adults; rural entrepreneurship and green employment; sustainable agriculture, bio-energy and bio-products; and conservation on working lands.

Forestry

Don Arnosti
Director
darnosti@iatp.org
Over the past 15 years, Don Arnosti has held a number of leadership positions with Minnesota conservation organizations. Most recently he served as the Water Campaign Coordinator for the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, an association of more than 80 large and small nonprofit conservation organizations. Prior to that, he served for ten years as Executive Director of the National Audubon Society's Minnesota office. Audubon Minnesota, under Don's leadership, became involved in the earliest efforts to tailor Forest Stewardship Council standards to the Great Lakes region and were early supporters of the first public lands certifications in the region in Aitkin County.

Gigi La Budde
Forest Ecologist
(608) 588-2048  bbf.gigi@earthlink.net
Gigi La Budde serves as education coordinator and ecologist for the Community Forestry Resource Center, where she works with forest landowner groups, resource managers, loggers and farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. She also teaches courses for the Forest Industry Safety and Training Alliance of Wisconsin and is involved with the Woodland School, a project of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, as an instructor and member of the steering committee. She received her B.A. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Gigi is the owner of Bison Belly Futures, an ecological restoration consulting business serving the Driftless area, an organic Goldenseal grower and a volunteer land steward for the Nature Conservancy.

Food and Health

Dr. David Wallinga
Director
(612) 870-3418  dwallinga@iatp.org
David Wallinga, M.D., M.P.A., is Director of the Food and Health Program. David applies a systems perspective to the intersection of public health, agriculture, food and the environment. His expertise includes the impacts of food contamination and the means of food production on human health, including impacts on obesity and ecological health impacts from the inappropriate use of antibiotics and arsenic in livestock and poultry. For several years, David has also researched and advocated around the impacts on fetuses, children and adults of early-life exposures to neurotoxins-including many found in fish and other foods-on brain and nervous system function in children and adults, developing brains and other organs in fetuses and children. He authored Playing Chicken: Avoiding Arsenic in Your Meat; Poultry on Antibiotics: Hazards to Human Health and Putting Children First: Making Pesticide Levels in Food Safer for Infants and Children. He is a co-author of In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development and co-developer of the Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit. He received a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School, a master's degree from Princeton University and a bachelor's from Dartmouth College.

Kathleen Schuler
Senior Policy Analyst
(612) 870-3468  kschuler@iatp.org
As a Senior Policy Analyst in the Food and Health Program, Kathleen Schuler, MPH, advocates for policies that protect human health and the environment from the toxic chemicals that contaminate our food system and our bodies. Kathleen is also Co-Director of Healthy Legacy, a Minnesota-based campaign that advocates for public policies and business practices that focus on safer products and safer production methods. In addition to policy advocacy, Kathleen provides information for consumers, and has written a series of "smart" food guides about reducing chemical exposures from dietary sources. She has served as the project coordinator for the Reducing Pesticides in Minnesota Schools Pilot Project. Prior to entering the environment health field, Kathleen led numerous health policy initiatives within the Minnesota Department of Human Services. She has a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota. As a Bush Leadership Fellow in environmental health, she also studied at Boston University and worked with the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, where she wrote "Child Proofing Our Communities-Reducing Children's Environmental Risks."

Marie Kulick
Senior Policy Analyst
(612) 870-3422  marie@iatp.org
As a Senior Policy Analyst in the Food and Health Program at IATP, Marie Kulick assists hospitals, health systems and group purchasing organizations to implement their environmental values through their purchasing and contracting activities. Marie specializes in helping these health organizations to identify and source sustainably produced food and other environmentally preferable products and services. She speaks to health care audiences nationwide and has developed numerous fact sheets, case studies, and resources related to sustainable food and bio-based products in health care. In 2005, she authored Healthy Food, Healthy Hospitals, Healthy Communities, an IATP report that highlights the successful efforts of health care facilities to improve access to fresh, sustainably produced food and identifies strategies for overcoming potential hurdles such as tight budgets and restrictive vendor contracts. She has a B.A. in communications from McDaniel College and a Master of Studies in environmental law from Vermont Law School. Marie joined IATP's Food and Health team in 2004. Prior to IATP, Marie worked for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Environmental Fund for Maryland and Clean Water Action.

Lindsay Dahl
Project Coordinator, Healthy Legacy Campaign
(612) 870-3458  ldahl@iatp.org
Lindsay Dahl coordinates the Healthy Legacy (HL) coalition, focusing on strategic outreach and relationship building with its members. In addition, Lindsay leads the communications and media work for HL, and spends significant time working on state policy initiatives. Prior to joining IATP, Lindsay worked as the Public Policy Advocate for the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG), where she played an integral role in passing some of the nation's leading energy legislation in the 2007 legislature. In 2005, she participated in the United Nations Climate Change Conference, leading youth lobbying efforts of international delegates and training more than 200 people on effective messaging related to global warming. Lindsay has also worked with Fresh Energy, a clean energy policy organization, and the nation's leading environmental education program-the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE). She holds a bachelor's degree in political science and environmental science from St. Olaf College.

Local Foods

JoAnne Berkenkamp
Director
(612) 870-3410 jberkenkamp@iatp.org
JoAnne Berkenkamp joined IATP in October 2007 as Program Director for Local Foods. This new program reflects IATP's commitment to local, sustainable food systems and ranges in scope from local to national and international. JoAnne works with fellow IATP staff to connect local food efforts with IATP's activity in the health, rural development, trade and environmental arenas. For the past 11 years, JoAnne has led an independent consulting practice working with nonprofits, food businesses and foundations across the United States. Her consulting work focused on market development for locally and sustainably grown food and the creation of farmer-owned businesses. She has worked extensively in the program evaluation arena, leading efforts to improve the impact and shared learning of numerous food- and agriculture-related programs. Previously, she worked for the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C. and with Catholic Relief Services at various locations in Asia, Africa and Latin America. She started her career in the corporate finance world. JoAnne has a Master's in Public Policy degree from Harvard University and a bachelor's in finance from the University of Illinois.

JoAnne currently serves on the board of directors for the St. Paul natural foods grocery cooperative, Mississippi Market, as well as the Minnesota Grown program at the State Department of Agriculture. She is past president of the board at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture at the University of Minnesota.

Heather Schoonover
Senior Program Associate
(612) 870-3450  hschoonover@iatp.org
Heather Schoonover is a Senior Program Associate in both the Local Foods and the Environment & Agriculture programs at IATP. Since joining IATP in 2001, Heather's areas of focus have included farm policy and public health; agricultural transportation on the Mississippi River; food access in underserved communities; opportunities and challenges for sustainable biofuels production; and market opportunities for local farmers. Heather currently oversees IATP's mini farmers market project and is exploring ways to link sustainable agriculture and healthy eating through federal food assistance programs. Prior to joining IATP, Heather worked as a research associate and boat deckhand for Audubon's Upper Mississippi River Campaign and as a program coordinator for Hamline University's Center for Global Environmental and Education. Heather holds both an M.S. and a B.S. in earth systems from Stanford University and has undertaken additional coursework at the London School of Economics.

Katie Rojas-Jahn
Program Assistant: Food & Health, Forestry, Local Foods, Climate
(612) 870-3407  krojas-jahn@iatp.org
Katie Rojas-Jahn is responsible for assisting the Local Foods, Food and Health, Climate, and Forestry Programs at IATP, as well as the statewide coalition, Healthy Legacy, of which IATP is a founding member. She has a bachelor's degree in Chicano studies and Spanish with a minor in American studies from the University of Minnesota.

Dayna Burtness
Program Associate
(612) 870-3436  dburtness@iatp.org
Dayna Burtness joined IATP in August 2008 as a Local Foods Program Associate. Her work focuses on connecting institutions such as corner stores and public schools with locally grown produce, supporting the Sow the Seeds Fund, and researching new ways to make our food system more just and sustainable. Dayna also assists program staff with IATP's mini-market project, climate change and local foods research, urban agriculture and local food policy. Dayna's past work includes starting an organic farm, educating consumers about the 2008 Farm Bill and serving as the Midtown Farmers' Market assistant manager. She has B.A. from St. Olaf College in an independent major titled "The Politics and Practices of U.S. Agriculture."

Development

Kate Hoff
Vice President for Development
(612) 870-3404  khoff@iatp.org
Kate Hoff came to IATP in 1993 as a temp—and stayed. She is responsible for overseeing and coordinating all aspects of foundation, individual and government support, and special events. Her work includes grant writing, grassroots fundraising and income generating projects for IATP. Kate has a B.A. in sociology from Augsburg College in Minneapolis and an M.A. in public administration from Hamline University in St. Paul, emphasizing nonprofit management. Kate grew up on a hobby farm in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and reigned as the 1985 Town and Country Saddle Club Queen.

Anne Walters
Manager of Individual Philanthropy
(612) 870-3408  awalters@iatp.org
Anne Walters joined IATP's development team in 2008. She is responsible for managing individual donor relations and for raising awareness about IATP's work locally and throughout the country. Anne came to IATP from Central Minnesota Habitat for Humanity where she was the Director of Development. She currently serves on the Habitat Minnesota State Board of Directors. Anne has a B.A. in English from the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University and a Certificate in Fundraising Management from Indiana University's Center for Philanthropy. When not working, Anne enjoys hiking, camping, biking, cooking food from her novice garden, and riding horses in Montana.

Marin Byrne
Grant Writer
(612) 870-3411  mbyrne@iatp.org
Marin Byrnes' work includes researching and preparing grants. She holds a bachelor's degree in geology from Carleton College and is completing an M.S. in natural resources science and management at the University of Minnesota. Outside of work, she is a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and prefers to spend as much time as possible in a canoe.

Karen Quiroz
Grant Writer
(612) 870-3478  kquiroz@iatp.org
Karen Quiroz joined IATP in August 2008. She has worked previously as a grant writer for Ascension Place, the YWCA of Minneapolis and the Children's Theatre Company. She has a B.A. in U.S. history from Sarah Lawrence College. Outside of work, Karen plays Surdo with Batucada do Norte (samba percussion band) and serves on the Board of the Jazz Vocalist of Minnesota. When she is not writing, drumming or singing, she can be found rummaging through the bins at Ax-Man with her two boys.

Finance and Administration

Ricki McMillan
Vice President for Finance and Operations
(612) 870-3451  rmcmillan@iatp.org
Ricki McMillan is responsible for the finances of IATP. Ricki has been with IATP since 1992. She received a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Kansas.

Candace Falk
Finance Associate
(612) 870-3453  cfalk@iatp.org
Candace Falk has been the assistant to the Finance Director since 2000. Her responsibilities include accounts payable, accounts receivable, human resources, managing the telephone and voicemail systems and the postage meter. She also coordinates the IATP TravelBetter campaign annually.

Linda Vieira
Building Manager, Program Assistant for Trade, Rural Communities, Environment and Agriculture
(612) 870-3455 lvieira@iatp.org
Linda Vieira is responsible for the well-being of IATP's 100-year-old office building. She also assists several programs with their administrative tasks. She brings a diverse background to her job, which most recently include working in a small public library specializing in fire, EMS and safety issues and operating her own small business, making and selling wool oven mitts. Linda has a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota.

Patti Landres
Librarian
(612) 870-3473 plandres@iatp.org
All of the paper, books, research material and original new publications produced by IATP from all of the programs eventually end up on Patti Landres' desk. Patti sorts and organizes all of IATP's documents and archives. She has a degree in fine arts with an emphasis on painting.

Emily Barker
Administrative Assistant
(612) 870-3454 ebarker@iatp.org
Emily Barker is responsible for providing administrative support to IATP's President, VP of Programs, and the Development office. She also coordinates the intern program and greets visitors at the front desk. Emily has a B.S. in biology, with minors in environmental studies, chemistry and religion from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Emily enjoys spending her free time being involved with the Northland Bioneers Conference, learning new routes on MetroTransit buses and tending to her home vermicomposting project.

Communications and Information Technology

Dale Wiehoff
Vice President for Communications and IT
(612) 870-3401  dwiehoff@iatp.org
Dale Wiehoff grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He attended St. Cloud Technical High School and spent much of his youth fishing in the Mississippi River and seining minnows for his grandfather's bait shop. He moved to Minneapolis after high school and between a job on the railroad, protesting the war and working at co-op grocery stores, dreamed of owning a farm. In 1970 he bought his first farm with friends in Wisconsin and in 1977, bought his own farm not far away. He farmed until 1985, keeping cattle, dairy cows, bees and sheep. Farming provided his first insights into the worlds of economics, high finance and reckless gambling. In 1977 he joined the board of the U.S. Farmers Association and was introduced to the old populist traditions and values, as well as what made a good farm program. In 1985, Dale moved to New York and over the next decade worked for a number of national nonprofit organizations. In 1994 he had the opportunity to return to Minnesota to work for IATP in what became known as Information Technology. In 1999 he was promoted to Vice President of Communications and remains responsible for overseeing the internal and external communications systems, publications, Web sites and media relations for IATP.

Ben Lilliston
Communications Director
(612) 870-3416  blilliston@iatp.org
Ben Lilliston works on media outreach and the production of publications. He has a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from University of Miami (Ohio). He is the former Associate Editor for the Corporate Crime Reporter, a frequently published writer, co-author of the book Genetically Engineered Foods: A Guide for Consumers (Avalon), and former associate at the Chicago environmental public relations firm Sustain.

Kitwana Ford
Information Technology Director
(612) 870-3428  kford@iatp.org
With over 12 years of experience in the computer industry, Kitwana Ford contributes to IATP as the Director of Information Technology. Her primary responsibility is to provide strategic and operational direction for planning, designing and implementing IATP's information technology infrastructure. Her job includes developing strategies to meet the needs of the organization, and overseeing and setting guidance and standards for IT. Kitwana holds a B.A. in business management/computer information systems from Alverno College and a master's of computer information systems from the University of Phoenix.

Allison Page
Communications Associate
(612) 870-3456 apage@iatp.org
Allison Page assists with proofreading, copyediting, media outreach and day-to-day tasks in the Communications program. She holds a bachelor's degree in music (piano), French and a minor in women's studies from the University of Iowa. Outside the office, she interns with the YWCA's Racial Justice & Public Policy department, freelances as a musician and writes a lot of letters.

John Paquette
Designer
(612) 870-3426  jpaquette@iatp.org
John Paquette's work is focused on the visual characteristics of IATP's communication material. He has a B.A. from St. John's University and post-graduate training through the Miami Ad School's portfolio program for art directors. Before starting at IATP, John worked with several advertising agencies in Minneapolis and abroad.

Patrick Tsai
Programmer
(612) 870-3452  ptsai@iatp.org
Patrick Tsai is responsible for application development, and the upkeep of IATP's Web sites and servers. Patrick graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in biology and a minor in philosophy. In college, he spent summers working as a research assistant studying resource allocation and the effect of habitat fragmentation on genetic variation of Delphinium virescens, a native prairie angiosperm. Now he's learning what it's like to play computer.