Expert Resource Directory

specializing in food, nutrition, and health. Manning, former associate administrator of the Food and Consumer Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, managed the largest school food service training and technical assistance effort ever undertaken by the USDA. The $24 million program was designed to support USDA School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children. She was also a member of the 2003-2005 class of Food and Society Policy Fellows.

of Appalachian Virginia. He has been working on community environmental and economic development in central Appalachia for the past 25 years. In 1995, he founded Appalachian Sustainable Development, which became a regional and national leader in sustainable economic development. Anthony left ASD in December, 2009 to found SCALE, Inc, a private consulting business dedicated to catalyzing and supporting ecologically healthy regional economies and food systems.He has written and spoken about sustainable development, ecology and economics, food systems, and Appalachian issues extensively and continues to do so today. Anthony has received a number of awards and honors for his work in recent years, including the Ford Foundation Leadership for a Changing World Award, the Arthur Smith Environmental Stewardship award, and selection by Blue Ridge magazine in 2009 as one of central Appalachia's most important agents for positive change. Anthony has a BS degree in Agriculture and Environmental Science from the University of Kentucky and a Masters degree in Economic and Social Development from the University of Pittsburgh. He is married with three children. He was also a member of the 2007-2008 class of Food and Society Policy Fellows.

throughout the South to champion the rights of small farmers and ensure their livelihoods through a movement known as food sovereignty. Even after his own farm was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, Ben worked with local farmers to develop a rebuilding plan and minimize the disruption. On a broader level, by influencing federal, state, and local policy, Ben is building the framework to sustain a new generation of small farmers, especially farmers of color. Ben, currently the director of the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives, has been a farmer since 1973. He is a board member of the Crescent City Farmer’s Market in New Orleans; secretary/manager of Indian Springs Cooperative located in Petal, Mississippi; vice president of the National Family Farmers Coalition; Vice President of Community Food Security Coalition; and a board member of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. He has traveled extensively to Africa, South America, and Europe to learn more about sustainable agricultural practices.

which aims to achieve healthy equity in Mississippi by advocating for changes within the community institutions that influence people’s everyday lives. She is the former president of the Jackson Urban League, a former governor's liaison to the Department of Labor, and former deputy director of the Department of Human and Cultural Services in Mississippi.

Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project. He is a frequent speaker and consultant on local food system development.

County, NC. After being wooed into the agrarian life while serving as a peaceworker among Mayan coffee farmers in Chiapas, Mexico, he returned to the U.S. and in 2005 co-founded Anathoth Community Garden, a church-supported agriculture ministry in Cedar Grove, NC which he then directed until 2009. He now speaks and writes full time about the intesection of food, faith, and agriculture. He holds a masters in theological studies from Duke Divinity School (’00) and a BA in English from Montana State University (’96). He was a member of the 2009-2010 class of IATP Food and Society Fellows.

Clemson University, located at Coastal Research and Education Center. Her research focuses on crop production using environmentally sound practices that are potentially profitable. She has made significant contributions to the scientific literature in the area of integrated pest management and biological control of insect pests in soybean, cotton, vegetables and medicinal plants. She was a member of the 2001-2003 class of Food and Society Policy Fellows.

worker-based human rights organization. He works with farmworkers and their student, labor, and religious allies to organize the national Campaign for Fair Food, a breakthrough worker-based approach to corporate accountability in the agricultural industry known for its creativity and effectiveness. He writes and designs the CIW's main communication tool -- the website (www.ciw-online.org). He also coordinates the CIW's negotiating team in talks with food industry leaders, negotiating "Fair Food" agreements with nine multi-billion dollar retail food corporations to date, including McDonald's, Subway, Sodexo, and Whole Foods.

Project, which works to improve the quality of life in low-income communities of color by increasing access to fresh, healthy food; improving education opportunities; catalyzing economic development and celebrating arts and culture. She is currently working to implement a fresh food distribution system, through the Mobile Markets Program, to connect produce grown by small and disadvantaged farmers with low-income residents in New Orleans, Louisiana

gained exceptional organizational and communication skills and business acumen. After returning to New Orleans post Katrina with her husband David and daughter Elizabeth, she served as Interim CEO of Cafe Reconcile before founding Liberty's Kitchen. Ms. Davas serves on the Tulane University Changemakers Institute Advisory Board as well as the National Advisory Board for Catalyst Kitchens.