Tom Hallaq’s specialty is video production and documentary video. His professional background is in television producing and directing. He has been involved in several award-winning, independent productions and continues to stay involved as a working freelance professional in the video industry. Dr. Hallaq earned his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership/Instructional Methods and Design from Idaho State University

Jon Henry grew up on 5th generation farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains and went off to urban centers like New York City and Dubai to study. He now lives and works in Downtown New Market as the proprietor of the town's country store. When not working, he's usually wandering in the mountains.

Alice Hill is the author of GROW TOPLESS: A Modified High Tunnel Design for Headache Free Extended Season Gardening, as well as the co-owner of the STEP BACK IN TIME FOOD MARKET LLC. Previously, Hill was a restaurant owner/operator and organic wheat producer. Her past experience also includes direct marking and working with a CSA.

Cynthia Houlden, co-investigator, is a Cooperative Development Specialist with the Nebraska Cooperative Development Center in the Agricultural Economics Department at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Ms. Houlden uses her background in economic development and business ownership to empower rural communities to develop their communities through cooperative business efforts. Her focus area includes rural cooperative best practices; ensuring cooperative efforts enhance their communities’ economic development and quality life.

Monica Jarvi is a sociologist who researches inequalities in the food system. Her dissertation is on rural food access and the experiences of consumers living in low food access areas of Minnesota. She has the pleasure of collaborating with the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships on rural grocery research projects.

Shreepad Joglekar has completed residencies at Kronstadt, ST Peteresburg, Russia, Weir Farm (Connecticut), The Millay Colony (New York), and A.I.R. (Kentucky). His work has been shown in the US, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, Germany, India, and the UK. Exploring natural, cultural, and intellectual environments has been a dominant theme in his work.

Dr. Jolley has been with Wichita State University since 2002. She has worked with foundations, associations, coalitions, and nonprofits across Kansas and has worked on projects for local, statewide, and national funders. She has extensive experience in program evaluation, organizational capacity building, leadership development, and grant writing as well as experience with various research and evaluation methods, including surveys, needs assessments, interviews, and focus groups.

Shawn Kaskie, co-Investigator, has the rank of Associate Professor as Rural Prosperity Nebraska Extension Educator for the University of Nebraska based out Broken Bow serving the surrounding 8-county rural area. He works with communities and private entities to develop market research reports, business feasibility studies, and community economic, tourism and housing profiles/studies. His recent lead on applied community research projects with rural cooperative groceries in Stapleton, Ravenna and Callaway provide local knowledge of community development process from experience on five rural grocery applied research projects and coursework as a Ph.D. student in rural Leadership at UNL.

Nurfadila Khairunnisa is a current graduate student pursuing her MS degree in Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She a research assistant on this project and her research interests include food systems and poverty.

Michelle Klieger is an agricultural economist with 15 years of experience in the food and agriculture sector and a special interest in ways the value chain can benefit everyone from farmers to consumers. She works with the food, agriculture, and distribution industries, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropic foundations to increase capacity and expand financial opportunities for innovations in the food and agriculture sector that make sustainable, socially just, and regenerative practices viable. Michelle is a professional speaker, the author of The Demise of Free Trade, and host of a podcast. She is a professor of Economics at Bentley University and holds a master’s in agriculture economics from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Debra “Deb” Kolb is a 6th generation resident of Medicine Lodge in Barber County, Kansas, where she has worked more than 20-years as a leader of community events and programs, promoting historical preservation, economic development, and tourism. As Director of Barber County United and coordinator of Pathways to a Healthy Kansas (a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Initiative), she manages the collaborative project addressing social determinants of health across the rural county. She and Bill, her husband of 29-years, operate a contract well-pumping business, have three grown sons, one daughter still at home, four dogs, chickens, cats, and gardens in the scenic Gypsum Hills of Kansas.

Sara La Lone is the WIC Project Social Research Associate for the North Carolina Quick WIC Study. She has expertise in rural food access, project management, supply chain logistics, and customer service needs. She holds a Masters of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As a farmer/rancher in rural Allen county, Loren Lance and his wife Regena purchased the Mildred Store over seven years ago. They have kept not only the store, but the traditions of the community and continue to make Mildred Store a destination location.

Regena Lance is the co-owner of Mildred Store, a hundred-plus-year-old grocery store in an unincorporated town of less than 25 people. However, Mildred Store continues to thrive after over a hundred years, only changing ownership once in all the years. Mildred Store has become a destination for many and makes you feel that you have stepped back in time.

Alan Lewis navigates government affairs and food and agriculture policy for Natural Grocers, a Colorado based health food chain founded in 1955 with over 160 stores in 20 states. At the federal, state and local level, Alan engages on food, agriculture, nutrition, rural economic development, technology, biotech, cannabis, trade and health issues. He is active in several trade and advocacy organizations and is a fearless writer, speaker and panelist.

Marilyn Logan has managed The Marmaton Market Inc. since January 2020. She has a degree in Business Administration. Logan serves on the Board of Directors for SEKCAP in Girard, Kansas, the Housing Authority Board, and the Iola Public Library Board in Iola, Kansas. She also serves as Treasurer for the Allen County Grow Food and Farm Council.

Courtney Long is the food systems program manager with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm, Food and Enterprise Development and Community and Economic Development. Long seeks to understand the multiple components and facets of our food system ranging from production and value-added processing to distribution and food access. Much of her work connects to initial assessment and understanding of the underlying aspects of community in relation to food. Long is also a PhD candidate, studying resilient food systems and impacts from COVID and natural disasters within five different states, including: place-based community capacity for responding to disasters; population support for local farm and food businesses; and Land Grant Universities’ roles in supporting efforts for resilient food systems.

Joel Lovesee is the Superintendent of USD 205, Bluestem Schools in Leon, Kansas. Joel is the son of a restaurateur from the small western Kansas town of Kinsley. Understanding how local businesses impact rural communities, Joel set out to provide a quality service to the town of Leon, while positively impacting the education of his students’ by opening the Bluestem Mercantile, a student-run grocery store.

Two years later, the store is thriving and has become a model for other towns to open, grow, and preserve their current grocery stores by creating partnerships between their community and their school district.

Franseira Maldonado is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Wichita State University and a master's student for the same department. Her research focuses on measurement of food accessibility.

Serdar Mamedov is an Extension Educator for the St. Cloud area. He will be discussing a project that used a community-led approach to increase consumption of fresh produce among the Somali community in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Mamedov served as Principal Investigator for the project and provided a direct connection to the community through his long-standing community relationships.

Chelsea Matzen is a Project Director with the National Grocers Association Foundation. In this role, she manages the Technical Assistance Center which provides education and assistance to grantees, retailers, and POS companies on nutrition incentives. Matzen brings experience from her time at National Farmers Union (NFU) where she was project director for a produce safety grant. Prior to employment with NFU, Matzen was an Associate Consultant at Corner Alliance where she supported two grants at the Department of Commerce related to public safety broadband. She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from American University.

Andrea McAdow is the owner of Rosebird Farms located in Kingman, Arizona. Nestled in the Cerbat Mountains on 12 acres, Rosebird is a certified naturally grown farm growing over 20 varieties of produce and flowers any given season. They work with regional food producers to aggregate and deliver a full range of grocery items to their rural community. Andrea came into farming after starting her career in civil engineering and construction management. She holds a masters degree in Civil Engineering and an MBA from Northeastern University. Her skillset has allowed her to approach the challenges of rural food access and high desert farming with a unique perspective.

Makenzie Miller is a Local Food Systems Specialist with the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter. As part of the AgCenter’s CDC High Obesity Program (HOP), SNAP-Ed, and EFNEP teams, she works with extension agents and various players in the local food system to increase healthy food access in communities across Louisiana. Makenzie received her bachelor’s degree in Food Science and master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences from Texas Tech University.