We are excited and gratified to have the expertise of local, state, national and international experts participating in this summit.

Summit Experts…

Dr. Julian Agyeman, PhD, FRSA – Tufts University in the Department of Urban + Environmental Policy + Planning (“Just Sustainabilities” in Food Systems Research)

Dr. Agyeman is a professor at Tufts University in the Department of Urban + Environmental Policy + Planning. He is an environmental social scientist with degrees in botany, geography, conservation policy and environmental education. His works sit at the borders and intersections of a wide range of knowledges and methodologies and he utilizes these in creative and original ways. Dr. Agyeman’s current research interests critically explore complex and embedded relations between humans and the environment, whether mediated by institutions or social movement organizations, and the effects of this on public policy and planning processes and outcomes, particularly in relation to notions of justice and equity. Dr. Agyeman puts forward the powerful concept of Just sustainabilities which he describes as the integration of social/spatial justice and sustainability or “the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, whilst living within the limits of supporting ecosystems”.

In additional to many other accomplishments, Dr Agyeman was also the co-founder and chair of the Black Environment Network<http://www.ben-network.org.uk/> (BEN), the first environmental justice-based organization of its kind in Britain. He also co-founded and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability<http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/cloe20/current>. He was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of the Arts<http://www.rsa.org.uk/> (FRSA) in 1996.

His most recent books include: Cultivating Food Justice : Race, Class and Sustainability<https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/cultivating-food-justice> (MIT Press) and Introducing Just Sustainabilities: Policy, Planning and Practice <http://www.zedbooks.co.uk/paperback/introducing-just-sustainabilities>. (Zed Books).

Sue Baldwin, PhD, MCHES, BPS District Wellness Coordinator – Buffalo Public Schools (Just Lead! Kick-off Event)

Dr. Baldwin was recently appointed to be the BPS District Wellness Coordinator.  Dr. Baldwin has a Ph.D. in Health Education and Promotion (Kent State University), is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES), a M.S. degree in Exercise Science: Cardiac Rehabilitation Emphasis (Slippery Rock University), and a B.S. degree in Health and Physical Education with minors in General Science Education and Recreation Management (Gannon University).  Dr. Baldwin’s dissertation area of research, service and expertise over her career has been in the Coordinated Approach to School Health.

Dr. Baldwin is a School Health Index (SHI) and Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool Master Trainer representing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Dr. Baldwin was previously on faculty in the Department of Public Health and Health Education at Northern Illinois University and the Department of Health and Wellness at Buffalo State College.  She has published research and a number of articles and conducted over 80 trainings and presentations nationally and internationally.  Dr. Baldwin was also a public school health teacher for 12 years in the Pennsylvania public schools where she was primarily a health teacher with responsibilities in teaching physical education K-12. In addition, she served as the District Wellness Coordinator specializing in student and staff health promotion for 10 years. She was honored as the 2009 Health Professional of the Year by the New York State AHPERD Western Zone, the Pennsylvania AHPERD Health Teacher of the Year in 1997 and the faculty/staff wellness program that she created and directed was awarded the 1995 Best Worksite Wellness Program in the state of Pennsylvania awarded by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Society of Public Health Education (SOPHE).

Susannah Barton, MUP – Executive Director, Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo (Food Systems Planning and Policy Workshop)

Susannah Barton joined Grassroots Gardens of Buffalo, a non-profit organization that facilitates and supports community gardening in the City of Buffalo, as the organization’s Executive Director in January 2010.  Susannah has a BA in Business Administration from Austin College.  In 2010, Susannah received her Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University at Buffalo, where she focused her studies on food systems planning.  She is an active participant in the Western New York Environmental Alliance (WNYEA) through the Food, Agriculture and Gardens, Urban Regeneration and Advocacy working groups.  Susannah also serves on the One Region Forward Food Access working team and serves as Secretary of the Buffalo Green Fun

Jessica Bauer Walker, Executive Director – Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo (Just Lead! Kick-off Event)

Jessica is currently the Executive Director of the Community Health Worker Network of Buffalo, where she works as a Community Health Worker, trainer, and facilitator of collaborative projects.  Jessica has worked in community-building and civic engagement in local, national, and international contexts.  She has served in AmeriCorps and the U.S. Peace Corps, as an organizer in two Presidential campaigns and director of operations for Rock the Vote, and as a project manager for several community-based organizations and initiatives targeting issues such as youth development, environmental health, and HIV/AIDS.  Jessica is involved in many health and education initiatives in Buffalo, serving as the 2^nd Vice President and Health Committee Chairperson of the Buffalo Public Schools District Parent Coordinating Council and a leader on many other community projects.  Jessica works in her various roles to foster a more just, healthy, and sustainable world for our children and all future generations.

Stephanie Borden, MPH, Senior Associate – PolicyLink (Policymaker Summit)

Stephanie is a member of the health team where she works to promote social and economic equity through environmental and policy change, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color. Focusing on food systems, transportation, community development, and multi-field partnerships her work involves technical assistance, research, and writing. Prior to joining PolicyLink, Boarden worked at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene coordinating community based research and programmatic evaluation activities related to health inequities, food access, active transportation and obesity. She holds a masters degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley and a BS in Physiology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Gail Burstein, MD, Commissioner of Health, Erie County Department of Health

Dr.  Gale R. Burstein is a pediatrician at Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. She received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Buffalo and her Masters Degree in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health. Dr. Burstein is also an associate clinical professor at the University of Buffalo’s School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, an assignee for the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, medical director of the Erie County Department of Health’s STD Clinic and a research assistant professor at the University of Buffalo’s School of Public Health and Health Professions. Dr. Burstein has worked in various medical director capacities for the County’s Department of Health since 2005 and is a member of a number of professional organizations as well as widely published.

John M. Fell, AICP, Senior Planner – City of Buffalo (Policymaker Summit)

John has been with the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning since 2004. He has managed a number of city initiatives including neighborhood plans, heritage corridor programs, brownfield studies, and, most recently, the Buffalo Green Code, a citywide land use and zoning initiative.  Prior to his employment with the City of Buffalo, John worked as a consultant for AKRF, Inc. and Clark Patterson Associates where he specialized in land use planning and economic development. John earned his Master of Urban Planning (MUP) from the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) and also holds a B.A. in Economics from UB. He worked in the banking industry for a number of years before returning to UB to pursue his MUP. John resides in Buffalo with his wife, Heather, and their children, Kayley, Ayden and Thayer.

Patrick T. Gooch, JD, MUP – Law and Policy Analyst, Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, University at Buffalo (Food Systems Planning and Policy Workshop) 

Patrick’s current work focuses on a regional sustainability plan for food access and justice.  His focus area is law and policy that limits food access and justice in the region.

His focus area is law and policy that limits food access and justice in the region.  He is interested in the role agriculture—particularly urban agriculture—can play in revitalizing cities, strengthening people’s relationships with the land, and teaching people good stewardship of the land.

Pat’s other research interests include environmental remediation, land conservation planning, and active transportation. In his active transportation research Pat explores the barriers that new and seasoned cyclists experience on the road, and the role this plays in influencing them to continue or stop cycling for transportation.

Pat is a graduate of St. John Fisher College, where he studied political science and history.  Prior to coming to the Food Lab, he was interested in environmental degradation prosecution and studied Environmental Law at Vermont Law School. He transferred to the University at Buffalo to pursue concurrent J.D. and Master of Urban Planning programs, which he completed in 2013.  Each program was focused on different aspects of improving the environment.  His Master in Urban Planning studies focused on minimizing the negative effects of human settlements on the ecosystem and planning for the remediation and restoration of natural systems.  The main focus of his J.D. work was on environmental advocacy in many arenas including administrative, mass media, legislative, and litigation.

Jessica Hall – Project Manager, Growing Together – Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab at the University at Buffalo (Food Systems Planning and Policy Workshop)

Jessica Hall is the Project Manager of Growing Together at the University at Buffalo’s Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab.  Growing Together—part of Erie and Niagara Counties’ HUD-funded sustainable communities plan known as One Region Forward—is a regional sustainability plan that seeks to improve healthy food access and farm viability by bolstering the connections between growers and residents.  Jessica has also co-authored policy briefs about youth physical activity in Buffalo and the impact of the City’s built environment on active living.

Through research, Jessica extends her work on the nexus between the built environment and public health.  Her current research investigates the relationship between park design and adolescent girls’ physical activity.  She received the Department of Urban and Regional Planning’s award for the best thesis for her Master’s thesis, which examined the impact of the food and built environments on cardiovascular disease rates.

Jessica holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Haverford College and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University at Buffalo.

Amy Klein – Executive Director of Capital District Community Gardens (Policymaker Summit)

Amy has been the Executive Director of Capital District Community Gardens (CDCG) since 1996. CDCG is a 37-year-old regional non-profit organization. They are an innovative, solutions oriented organization that takes an urban agriculture and community empowerment approach to public health problems, and is dedicated to growing stronger communities through horticultural and fresh food projects in urban neighborhoods. Under Amy’s direction, the organization has grown to include 22 staff members and manage 48 community gardens in four counties, operating projects like urban tree plantings, The Healthy Convenience Store Initiative, two mobile produce markets including the nationally recognized Veggie Mobile™, youth nutrition education, and a youth powered farm. She oversees new program development, planning, project implementation, evaluation, fundraising, public relations, and financial affairs for the organization. Amy has more than 25 years of experience in the management of nonprofit organizations. She serves as a Board Member of Historic Troy 2020, as founder and co-chair of the Capital Region Healthy Communities Coalition and on many regional planning, wellness, and health coalitions.

Jeanne Leccese – Project Coordinator, Growing Food Connections – Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab at the University at Buffalo (Food Systems Planning and Policy Workshop)

Jeanne Leccese is the Project Coordinator of Growing Food Connections at the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab under Dr. Samina Raja, PhD. She earned her Master’s in Urban Planning from the University at Buffalo. While in the program, Jeanne was a team member and the editor of the AICP award winning studio project Food for Growth: A Community Food System Plan for Buffalo’s West Side. Jeanne’s undergraduate degree is from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY where she studied Sociology.

Jeanne brings with her significant experience in food systems planning, planning for public health, housing, and community development. Most recently, Jeanne served as the Project Coordinator for “Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work, and Play,” an initiative of the Human Service Coalition of Tomkins County, New York. In this position, Jeanne was responsible for coordinating the work of multiple public and private sector partners to execute strategies to promote healthy eating and active living in Ithaca and its surrounding county. Prior to this Jeanne served as a Senior Planner for Tomkins County, NY where she was steeped in the practice of local government planning.

Joanne Lee – Senior Project Office for Active Living By Design, a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Policymaker Summit)

As a Senior Project Officer for Active Living By Design, Joanne Lee provides technical assistance and support to partnerships and partners across the country in their efforts to develop and sustain healthy communities. Her work assisting and coaching community partnerships covers all phases of planning and implementation, and spans across several national and state portfolios. Joanne also engages directly with funders and leaders in the field to build capacity, and develop healthy community strategies that have impact and are sustainable. Joanne frequently participates in program development and proposal review processes, and represents ALBD on issues related to nutrition, public health, community-based policy and environmental strategies, children’s and women’s health and diverse populations. She has a special interest in community engagement, capacity building, equity and sustainability.

Joanne has worked in diverse settings in North Carolina, Hawai`i and Arizona. Prior to joining ALBD, Joanne served as Program Director for the Nutrition Division of the Pitt County Health Department in eastern North Carolina. Previously, she was Lead Research Dietitian for the Nutrition Support Shared Resource Unit of the Cancer Research Center of Hawai`i. She has also served in lead roles on national and international research studies, including NIH-funded investigations.

A Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist, Joanne completed her M.P.H. and B.S. degrees at the University of Hawai`i, and holds a Certificate of Advanced Clinical Education in Child and Adolescent Obesity from the University of California, San Francisco.

Joanne grew up in Hawai’i and currently resides in rural eastern North Carolina. She supports local parks and walkability initiatives, and is a regular patron of her local farmers’ market and community garden. Joanne is the proud owner of three dogs, all rescued from shelters. She and two of her certified therapy dogs visit local facilities, and Joanne has been involved as a volunteer trainer for the New Leash on Life program at a local correctional institution.

Bridget O’Brien Wood – Director of Food Service, Buffalo Board of Education, Buffalo, New York (Just Lead)

In her role as Director of Food Service, Bridget is responsible for the effective management of $21,000,000 budget and staff of 550 in a multi-union environment. She oversees the efficient and quality meal service of 30,000 lunches, 19,000 breakfasts and 1,000 snacks daily.  She also assists architectural planning and renovation of existing school food service units in addition to a Central commissary.

Accomplishments:

• Implemented a successful Team Nutrition Program in the school district.  The food service and instructional personnel work together for nutrition education for the students and community.
• Implemented a successful Team Nutrition Program in the school district.  The food service and instructional personnel work together for nutrition education for the students and community.
• Power Eaters and Healthier Options for Public School children (HOPS) programs were utilized to provide nutrition education to students which facilitated student acceptance of healthy menu changes, such as whole grain pizza, low fat milk and sweet potatoes.
• Received Multiple Best Practices Award for Nutrition Education from New York State Education Department
• Achieved greater funding for the school district by increasing awareness among administrators of the importance of retrieving the student lunch application
• 2006 Silver Award Recipient form the Council of Food Service Associations

Bridget holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Nutrition and Food Service from Colorado State University and is a certified member of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), and the NY School Nutrition Association (NYSNA).

Heather Orom, PhD – Assistant Professor, Department of Community Health and Health Behavior, SUNY University at Buffalo (“Just Sustainabilities” in Food Systems Research)

Dr. Orom’s broad research  interest is how social determinants influence health outcomes. For example, she has examined the influence poverty on perceived risk for illness, and is studying the influence of discrimination in the medical setting on prostate cancer treatment disparities.  She has lead service learning projects to promote food access in the Buffalo community. She worked with a team of graduate students to promote community participation in a community garden on the East Side. In a second project she worked with graduate students to conduct a neighborhood health assessment in the Delavan-Grider neighborhood as an initial step in supporting community initiatives to promote food access in that community.

Diane Picard, MSW – Executive Director, Massachusetts Avenue Project  (Info Fair and Public Forum, Policymaker Summit)

Diane has been with MAP since 1997. She was instrumental in opening the Neighborhood Outreach Center in 1998 and founded MAP’s Growing Green Program in 2003. She received a Masters of Social Work from Boston University, specializing in Program Planning and Community Organizing. Her undergraduate degree from Cornell University prepared her to teach agriculture and art at a rural secondary school in Botswana, where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1986-1988. Diane is devoted to grassroots community-building as a means of making positive change.

Dr. Samina Raja, PhD – Food Systems Planning Researcher, University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning  (“Just Sustainabilities” in Food Systems Research, Policymaker Summit, Food Systems Planning and Policy Workshop)

Samina is the Principal Investigator of the Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York.

Her research program, which focuses on the role of planning and policy in building sustainable food systems and healthy communities,  is funded by local and national sponsors including the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and others.

Her research is published in leading planning and health journals. She is the lead author of the Planners Guide to Community and Regional Food Planning: Transforming Food Environments, Building Healthy Communities, one of the earliest guidance reports on food systems planning published  by the national American Planning Association. Dr. Raja serves on the steering committee of the Food Interest Group (FIG) of the American Planning Association whose mission is to advance the practice of food systems planning within the profession.

Subhashni Raj, MUP – Kaufman Fellow, Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab, University at Buffalo

Subhashni is a Kaufman Fellow in Food Systems Research and PhD Candidate at the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning. Previously, a Fulbright scholar from Fiji, she completed her Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning at the University at Buffalo. Subhashni holds a Bachelor’s degree from Bangalore University in Microbiology, Chemistry and Zoology, and a Post Graduate Diploma Programme-Sustainable Development Practices in Public Policy.

Prior to beginning graduate studies at UB, Subhashni was a Project Technical Assistant at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). In this role, she worked on a wide variety of projects pertaining to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Subhashni is active in climate advocacy. She has represented the pacific at climate negotiations and works at grassroots level to push for change. She is also the co-coordinator of 350 Pacific.

In the Food Lab, Subhashni works on research pertaining to food systems, specifically, youth food security, food access, and urban agriculture within the context of Rust Belt cities. Her future research will explore the relationship between climate change and food security.

Bart Roberts, AICP, Policy Associate- University at Buffalo Regional Institute (Policymaker Summit)

Bart Roberts is an urban planner, researcher, and data analyst with deep experience developing data driven solutions for community organizations, local governments, and regional initiatives. As a research assistant professor at the UB Regional Institute/Urban Design Project, he specializes in bringing together research and practice to advance community development and regional affairs related to sustainability, governance, economic development, and land use policy.

Bart’s current work involves: serving as a manager for One Region Forward, a regional planning initiative funded by the Federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities; providing regular technical support to the Western New York Regional Council’s Smart Growth Coordinating Council; and directing research support for Buffalo Promise Neighborhood.

Prior to joining the UB Regional Institute/Urban Design Project, Bart spent two years as the lead analyst for the management accountability program CitiStat Buffalo, where he developed and analyzed performance metrics for services delivered by the City of Buffalo. Bart holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University at Buffalo and a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Vassar College.

Wayne Roberts, PhD – International Expert on Food Policy Councils (Info fair and Public Forum, Policymaker’s Summit)

Wayne Roberts is a Canadian food policy analyst and writer, widely respected for his role as the manager of the [Toronto Food Policy Council], a citizen body of 30 food activists and experts that is widely recognized for its innovative approach to food security, from 2000-2010.

As a leading member of the City of Toronto’s Environmental Task Force, he helped develop a number of official plans for the city, including the Environmental Plan and Food Charter, adopted by Toronto City Council in 2000 and 2001 respectively. Many ideas and projects of the TFPC are featured in Roberts’ book The No-Nonsense Guide to World Food (2008).

Since 1989, Roberts has written a weekly column for Toronto’s NOW Magazine, generally on themes that link social justice, public health and green economics.

In 2002, he received the Canadian Environment Award for his contributions to sustainable living. NOW Magazine named Roberts one of Toronto’s leading visionaries of the past 20 years. In 2008, he received the Canadian Eco-Hero Award presented by Planet in Focus. In 2011, he received the University of Toronto Arbor Award for his role in establishing food studies as a field of study at University of Toronto.

Roberts earned a Ph.D. in social and economic history from the University of Toronto in 1978, and has written seven books, including Get A Life! (1995), a manual on green economics, and Real Food For A Change (1999), which promotes a food system based on the four ingredients of health, joy, justice and nature.

Roberts chaired the influential and Toronto-based Coalition for a Green Economy for 15 years. He has also served on the Board of the U.S.-based Community Food Security Coalition and Food Secure Canada. He is on the board of Green Enterprise Toronto, an organization of local eco-businesses that’s associated with the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies across North America. He has been invited to speak around the world on strategies that combine food security, community empowerment, environmental improvement, social equity and job creation.

Ted P. Schmidt, PhD, Associate Professor of Economics & Finance – SUNY Buffalo State College (Research discussion)

Dr. Ted P. Schmidt is an associate professor of Economics & Finance at SUNY Buffalo State. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Riverside in 1991, and has been at Buffalo State since 1990. Recent research papers and presentations have focused on the decline in U.S. household savings, the role of the dollar as international reserve currency, and the financialization of commodity markets. Dr. Schmidt periodically publishes popular writings on economics in ArtVoice, and has provided economic commentary for local TV and radio stations.

Dr. Schmidt has served in various administrative roles at Buffalo State, including Director of Instructional Technologies, Department Chair, and Chair of the College Senate’s budget oversight committee. He is also a research associate with the Center for the Development of Human Services. Dr. Schmidt serves on the Boards of St. Mary’s School for the Deaf, the Foundation for Deaf Education, and Campus House, Buffalo State’s Faculty Club. He has been an annual participant in Crisis Services’ fundraiser “Men Who Cook.”