Vanessa has worked for the Oneida Nation Environmental, Land, And Agriculture Division for 14 years, with 11 years experience in Environmental and Public Health as a Registered Sanitarian in the State of Wisconsin.  Acting in a regulatory role for the Nation under Oneida’s own Food Service Law, Vanessa has experience in tribal food code and policy development and advocating for self-regulation.  Vanessa’s current work in the Food and Agriculture Area focuses on implementation of a long-term food sovereignty strategic plan, recognizing the significance food plays in the overall health of indigenous communities.  As a critical portion of the Nation’s food sovereignty initiative, strengthening the local food economy and supporting local producers and processors is a key piece in a resilient food system. As a part of measuring success, the Nation is focusing on community wealth building with job creation, empowering local citizen buying power, keeping dollars local, health care cost prevention, and the benefits that come from improved community health as connection back to our food pathways is rebuilt.

Rafael F. Tapia, Jr., a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, is the Director of Tribal Community

Connections at Local First Arizona. Founded in 2003, Local First Arizona is a nonprofit organization committed to community and economic development throughout Arizona. Our work connects people, locally-owned businesses, and communities to build a diverse, inclusive and prosperous Arizona economy. Prior to joining Local First Arizona, he served as the Vice President of Programs at Partnership With Native Americans, a national non-profit organization serving 60 reservations in 12 states in the Southwest and Northern Plains region of the United States. Rafael has over 20 years of economic, workforce and community development experience. He has served as the senior advisor to the office of the chairman of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Arizona Department of Commerce Tribal Liaison to the 22 Arizona Indian Tribes, business development consultant and small business owner. Early in his career he dedicated over a decade to community organizing, treating addictions, serving formerly incarcerated, and providing outpatient and residential treatment services. Rafael is currently a board member of the Pascua Yaqui Development Corporation, Southern Arizona Sports, Tourism, and Film Authority, Sonoran Pueblo Holdings, Co-Owner of Find Your Voice, LLC, and a Mentor in Residence at Native FORGE at the University of Arizona. Rafael has an MBA from the University of Arizona and an Economic Development Certificate from the University of Oklahoma.

Ricardo T. Rocha is originally from Guanajuato Mexico and immigrated here with his family at the age of 4. Ricardo T. Rocha graduated from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Ricardo is a well-recognized leader experienced in motivating and developing productive relationships within corporate environments as well as with members of the community, professionals in the public and private sectors, and elected officials at all levels of governance. Ricardo spends most of his time ideating, building, and scaling solutions to difficult societal or organizational problems. Ricardo is the Founder and CEO of Bondadosa, a social impact, technology based food logistics and transportation company designed to create a more kind, just and sustainable food system. Ricardo loves to work with teams of system thinkers, engineers, and talented designers to bring impactful visions to life. Ricardo is invested in community efforts regarding food insecurity, healthcare, immigration, the environment, education, and economic development.

Noah Cohen-Cline is a Director with The Rockefeller Foundation’s Food Initiative. He oversees the Foundation’s Food is Medicine partnership and pilots with the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as its efforts to connect Food is Medicine programs to food production systems that support small- and mid-sized farms and drive local economic growth. Noah also leads the Foundation’s Good Food Purchasing strategy, aimed at leveraging the food purchasing power of schools and public institutions to promote a more nourishing, regenerative, and equitable food system. Before joining the Foundation, Noah led the Clinton Global Initiative’s food and agriculture program. He also worked for International Food Policy Research Institute and American Jewish World Service, managing rural development programs in Indonesia, India, Kyrgyzstan, and elsewhere in the Global South.

Nick Hernandez is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and a citizen of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (SD). Nick is the father of two boys, Alee Jax and Kai Tyndall Hernandez and significant partner to Liz Welch. Nick earned a master’s degree in Lakota Leadership and Organizational Management from Oglala Lakota College (2019).

In 2015 Nick started the Food Sovereignty Initiative with the Thunder Valley Community Development Cooperation and Directed its creation and development as a model community based educational food system model till the summer of 2019. Today, Nick has founded Makoce Agriculture Development a 501c3 non-profit, the next level of local indigenous agriculture and food systems development on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Nick is passionate and dedicated towards creating viable change for his community through a self-determined, indigenous led reconnective local food system, designed to regenerate healthy equitable communities, economies and our environment for many generations to come.

Nezahualcoyotl Xiuhtecutli is Senior Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) where he works on the Local and Regional Food systems and the Climate campaigns. He has 20 years of experience working in rural communities and farmworkers in Mexico and Central America and in the US South. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from Tulane University and his training in the discipline sparked his interest in a time-depth perspective of the diversity of agricultural practices and their social implications including social organization around land tenure and labor relations across cultural and geographic realms. Raised in an immigrant and working class family, he has been in community and solidarity with working people throughout his life.

Linda Jo Doctor is a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. In this role, she develops programming priorities, manages a portfolio of active grants, and designs and implements national programming.  She co- leads the Foundation’s efforts to promote equitable, sustainable, and resilient food systems.  Previously, Ms. Doctor was deputy director for a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Program Office housed at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. She also directed the Division of Prevention at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Ms. Doctor received her Master of Public Health degree from Boston University School of Public Health and a Masters of Philanthropic Studies from the Lily Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University.  She previously served as a board member of the Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders and is is a founding partner of the Convergence Partnership. 

Kendal Chavez is the Food and Hunger Advisor Chavez is also an alumna of the University of New Mexico School of Public Administration and George Washington University Food Policy Fellowship Institute. Chavez currently serves as a Board Member of FoodCorps. in the Office of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. Previously, Chavez was the Farm to School Specialist for the New Mexico Public Education Department.

Jose Oliva was born in Xelaju, Guatemala.  In 1985 he and his family were forced to flee the civil war and come to the US.  Once in Chicago he was called to be Executive Director of Casa Guatemala where he began to organize day-laborers in Chicago’s street corners. He founded the Chicago Interfaith Workers’ Center and then became the Coordinator of Interfaith Worker Justice’s National Workers’ Centers Network. Jose served in several leadership positions at the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, the national organization of restaurant workers. Jose was the Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Food Chain Workers Alliance, a national coalition of food-worker organizations that collectively represents over 350,000 workers. 

Jose is a 2017 James Beard Award recipient and a 2018 American Food Hero Awardee and a 2020 Castanea Fellow. Currently he is the Campaigns Director at HEAL (Health Environment Agriculture and Labor) Food Alliance, a national multi-sector coalition representing over two million people in the food system. He also co-chairs the Chicago Area Food System Fund and serves on the boards of the Growing Justice Fund and Woods Fund of Chicago.

Haile Johnston is a Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The Common Market, he has created strong local food distribution networks that link vulnerable producers with communities and institutions, emphasizing equitable access to fresh, healthy food. Founded in Philadelphia, the Common Market has expanded to the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Texas, and Great Lakes regions, generating over $250 million in direct regional economic impact.

Erika R Allen (she/her), BFA, MA, Hon. PhD Public Health CEO of Urban Growers Collective; President of Green ERA Educational NFP; Co-Owner of Green Era Sustainability Partners. Previously, Erika founded and was the Director of Growing Power’s Chicago and National Programs Officer for 16 years from 2002 to 2018. Erika has dedicated her professional career to public service, developing sustainable community food systems and addressing structural racism and its inherent barriers to justice.

Betti Wiggins is a nationally recognized authority on school nutrition and food service management. As Officer of Nutrition Services for Houston ISD—the largest school district in Texas—she oversees programs that provide nutritious meals to 197,000 students across 276 schools, including free breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her work centers on ensuring all students have access to “Good Food” that is wholesome, locally sourced, and made with care.

Prior to Houston, Wiggins served as Executive Director of School Nutrition for Detroit Public Schools Community District, where she launched the Detroit School Garden Collaborative and expanded it to over 80 school-based gardens and a two-acre farm. Her leadership has also shaped programs in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Atlanta, Paterson (NJ), and Ann Arbor.

In 1989, Wiggins became one of the first African Americans recruited into Marriott’s School Services division. She has consulted widely on food service strategy, compliance, and operations.

Her honors include the 2017 IFMA Silver Plate, School Nutrition Hero Award, FAME Award, and FoodService Director of the Year. She is Vice Chair of the Local Food Association and serves on the Executive Committee of the National Farm to School Network. Wiggins holds a bachelor’s in nutrition from Wayne State and a certificate in municipal management from George Washington University.

Angel Mendez is a seasoned executive with over 23 years of experience at Red Tomato, a leading food systems organization. As the Executive Director, Angel has been a driving force behind the company’s success and innovation in the food industry.

In addition to his role at Red Tomato, Angel is actively involved in various food-related organizations and initiatives. He serves as a mentor for the Food Systems Leadership Network & Advisory Council, Executive Committee of The Growing Justice Fund, a member of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council, and a board member for Farm Fresh Rhode Island and Equal Exchange banana company.

Angel’s dedication to promoting sustainable and equitable food systems has made him a respected figure in the Northeast and nationally. His leadership and expertise have been instrumental in shaping the future of the food industry and fostering positive change in communities across the country.