News

At our January 21 meeting, we will be holding elections for 6 open seats on our board of directors.

Everyone who attends the meeting is welcome to participate in the vote.

Below are the profiles for candidates who have nominated themselves for election to the board, in alphabetical order, by last name.

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Jesse Blom

Milwaukee Director, Sweet Water Foundation

Master’s student, UWM School of Freshwater Sciences

Self-employed jack of many trades

I have been attending Milwaukee Food Council meetings since 2011, I have been serving on the MFC Steering Committee since January 2014, and I have been serving as convener of Food Council meetings and President of the MFC Steering Committee since June 2015.

I have consistently made almost all of the required meetings since joining the Steering Committee in 2014, and I intend to continue to make all of the meetings.

I was drawn to the Food Council initially based on my work with Sweet Water Foundation, in the field of urban agriculture education. I found that the Food Council was an excellent network of practitioners across many different fields of work, and I have made some enduring friendships and professional relationships through this network. I attended meetings regularly for two or three years, before being invited to serve on the Steering Committee. Since joining the Steering Committee, I now see the ability of the Food Council to create strong partnerships and coalitions between groups with the common goal of building a better food system in Milwaukee.

My professional experience in the world of urban agriculture and education, with a focus on aquaponics technology, puts me in the midst of food system work in Milwaukee. Also, I think it is good for the Food Council to have some continued leadership with my role as convener of MFC meetings.

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Antoine Carter – Toine (nickname)

Program Manager – Milwaukee Urban Gardens – A program of Groundwork Milwaukee

Liaison – MFC and IUAN Steering Committee

Community Collaborative Council Member

I would be able to attend most MFC meetings. Maybe meetings in August and October will be hard because of traveling for work, but those dates aren’t set yet.

I think I am a great candidate for the Board of Directors because I bring a different approach to urban ag. I think my current position as Program Manager for Milwaukee Urban Gardens, I have developed a good rapport with community gardeners all over the city. Also in my current position, I get to engage with other stakeholders – developers, politicians, business owners – so I have a good awareness of gaps in which the MFC could be helpful. I fancy myself a person with new and innovative ideas and I would give 100% in making the MFC the best collective around.

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Damian J. Coleman

Co-owner of ELYVE Organics

Growing Power Commercial Urban Agriculture (CUA) Program Graduate

Institute for Urban Agriculture and Nutrition (IUAN) Partnership at UW-Milwaukee

My friend and I started a company called ELYVE Compost, and the Milwaukee Food Council was one of the first organizations we were introduced to. We knew soil and good healthy food goes hand to hand, so it was a no-brainer that we network with Milwaukee Food Council (MFC).

Being a entrepreneur and having a great business partner with ELYVE Organics allows me the flexibility to attend the Milwaukee Food Council Full and Board Meetings for the next two years. If something was to come up where I couldn’t attend, I would let the Board members know ahead of time.

E.L.Y.V.E is an acronym for Eco Living Youthful Vibrant Educators in organic living. Our mission is Mind • Body • Soil; we educate the mind to feed the body healthy food made with organic soil. The Milwaukee Food Council exemplifies what ELYVE is all about, and I think we can educate different cultures on how to live a healthier lifestyle.

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Karin Conway

Karin Mary Conway, aka Organic Growth Coach, KMC Marketing LLC

Food Justice Advocate (Organic Farm Manager/Nutrition Education at Tippe JUST.GOOD.FOOD, Combating racism Growing Power Chicago, Bayview Community Center, etc.)

Volunteer/Mentor for Victory Garden Initiative (VGI)

Victory Garden Initiative (VGI) certifications in Permaculture Design and Food Leader

Volunteer at Grow It Forward Manitowoc Community Garden (mentored the founder of GIF)

Volunteer for WI Local Food Summit

Fruity Nutty Community orchard recipient 2015

Institute for Urban Agriculture and Nutrition (IUAN) Steering Committee

Active member and have attended almost every Milwaukee Food Council (MFC) meeting for last 2+ years

I will attend all meetings, no current conflicts

Servant Leader looking for opportunities to impact the food and lives of Milwaukee residents. Community Organizer who brings people together (RAW MKE Meetup, Health & Nutrition Enthusiasts, Milwaukee Business Professionals, etc.)

Organizer of Holistic Health Expo since 2011

Technology Wizard who uses skills to bring together technology-resistant folks for the good of all. (organizing events, teaching importance and how-to of networking)

12 years’ experience working in grocery

8 years’ experience as a small businesses marketing consultant helping small local business owners grow and network with potential partners

Very skilled in helping others make informed food choices, including Gluten and dairy free options (Pursuing certification in Nutrition)

Farmers Market Demonstrator, Kale Chip Queen, Worm-Keeper, Organic Gardener, Marketing Manager, Health & Nutrition Advocate, Business Builder, Efficiency Enthusiast, Experienced Race Director, Growth Coach, Servant Leader, Sustainability Enthusiast, Compost Queen, Systems Integrator, Permaculture Designer

I am a strong believer that everyone deserves access to wholesome local food.

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Martha Davis Kipcak

Founder, Milwaukee Food Council.

Participating Founder, Milwaukee County Winter Farmer’s Market.

Former Regional Governor of Slow Food in the Upper Midwest.

Former Leader of Slow Food WI Southeast.

Former Growing Power Board Member.

Former Wisconsin Local Food Network Board Member.

Current Sweet Water Foundation Board Member.

Leadership Council, FaB Wisconsin (Food and Beverage Industry network).

Entrepreneur/Artisan Food Producer, Mighty Fine Food LLC.

Community Curator, Milwaukee Public Museum’s 2017 Our Global Kitchen exhibit.

Martha founded the Milwaukee Food Council in 2007, while working for a local philanthropist, to create a common table for diverse stakeholders to connect and collectively promote a just, equitable, sustainable, vibrant, healthy and delicious food system for Milwaukee.

As far as I know, the schedule for the next two years of meetings are good to go.

I am extremely proud, and humbled, to witness and participate in the steady evolution of the Milwaukee Food Council and its role in Milwaukee’s food landscape. If chosen to continue, I hope to lend a shoulder as a BOD member to help solidify MFC’s participation at multiple levels of impact from city policy to academic research to economic growth to cultural awareness to social justice to personal/communal/ecological health. Although not a native to Wisconsin, or the Midwest, I hope my years of commitment to Milwaukee’s local food system will bring a helpful sense of context, at least for the last decade of sustainable food system work.

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Catherine Draeger-Pederson

Executive Director, Friedens Community Ministries, Inc.: a network of (3) food pantries in Milwaukee county.

2015 TOYA (Ten Outstanding Young Americans) Award- US Junior Chamber (Jaycees)

2015 Outstanding Young Wisconsinite- JCI Wisconsin

I was introduced to the Milwaukee Food Council in the summer of 2015.  I attended one full meeting and several “Collective Impact” committee meetings.

I commit to prioritizing Milwaukee Food Council Events and Board Meetings, as well as needed committee meetings for 2016-2017.  At this time I see no conflicts.

Nonprofits and related organizations can no longer operate in a silo.  With limited resources and a growing need, we not only strengthen our own piece of the pie but more importantly the integrated food structure in the Milwaukee area when we work cooperatively.  As the Executive Director of Friedens Community Ministries, I focus on building ladders of peace through our food pantry network.  Last year we served over 12,000 households and 36,000 individuals.  This year we are on track to serve over 44,000 individuals with 5 days of food.  We want to be a part of the long-term solution for food security.  As a MFC Board member, I would work in collaboration with others to build a food system that is healthy, ecologically sustainable, economically vibrant, culturally relevant and socially just.

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Kristen Fledderjohn

I, Kristen Fledderjohn, nominate myself as a candidate for the Board of Directors of the Milwaukee Food Council.

I have numerous affiliations with food oriented organizations throughout the greater Milwaukee area. The Healthy Choices Department of the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center has clocked the most volunteer hours, then CORE/El Centro and Victory Garden Initiative. As part of a master’s program, I researched urban agriculture and interned with a small organization making connections within the small town food system of Vermont. I have known my farmer since 2003 and across three states. In Wisconsin, I became that farmer.

In August 2014 I moved to Wisconsin, attending my first MFC meeting September 2014. During that meeting I signed up for the Hospitality Committee and have set up for every meeting since. I also joined the Collective Impact work group.

At this moment in time, I am beats away from new employment. I firmly believe that the pie is big enough to get all needs met and I can manage one meeting a month at minimum. There are no foreseeable obstacles to attending the required meetings.

One strength that I bring to the MFC is an outside perspective because I am not from Milwaukee, and because hunger, food waste, economic revitalization, and environmental degradation due to agriculture (etc) are global issues. I like to think systemically and work on a local level. This fall I completed a master’s program in Intercultural Service, Leadership, and Management where I studied social business and nonprofit management through a lens of global diversity and sustainable development. I actively seek out diverse environments for continued learning and growth.

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Bonnie Halvorsen

I grew up at my grandfather’s side both in the garden and the kitchen. He taught me about the therapeutic aspects of good food. Later, I studied and practiced Ayurvedic nutrition (certified at University of Puna, India). My work at Institute of Urban Agriculture & Nutrition continues to teach the therapeutic aspects of growing and sharing food. I have an MA in Communication focused on social marketing, and have executive administration experience at Zilber School of Public Health. I’ve been honored as a Women of Influence (Milwaukee Business Journal), Member of the Year (Wisconsin Public Health Association), Miller Master’s Service Award (UW-Milwaukee), and was nominated for Academic Staff Outstanding Service (UW System).

A MFC member since 2012, I served on the hospitality committee, and have collaborated with many MFC members on other projects.

I have no conflicts in 2016, and my schedule is flexible with advance notice.

My candidacy is strengthened with 14 years of volunteer leadership experience including Wisconsin Public Health Association, Lovell Johnson Quality of Life Center (St Mark AME), Milwaukee Farmers Market Connection, Diversity Matters Initiative, MPS Vincent High School, UW-Madison MPH Advisory Committee, UW-Milwaukee’s Staff Senate, Alumni Board of Trustees, and Bicycle Advisory Task Force. Plus, I’ve lead start ups (IUAN and schools of Public Health and Freshwater). I hold a deep belief that the wicked problems of our food system can only be improved by justice-focused collaborations across non-profits, for-profits, academic and government sectors. It takes a village.

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William (Will) Kort

This is an exciting time for the Milwaukee Food Council, and I seek to serve on the MFC inaugural Board of Directors. I hold graduate degrees in Urban Planning and Public Administration from UW-M; my education has given me the skills and perspective to further the goals of the MFC in a diverse, urban context. I am currently a doctoral candidate at the School of Freshwater Sciences (Policy and Economics). I study the environmental aspects of food waste recycling and urban food production, including policy implications. My research helps me understand food policy, and I am familiar with some of the most effective urban food councils globally. I love to cook, eat, and compost.

I served on the Outpost Natural Foods Cooperative Board of Directors from 2005 to 2015. As a director, VP, and president, I helped develop and implement board development programs and board process policies, as well as bylaws updates – things an inaugural MFC board will have to address in addition to its substantive work. Our board work was nationally recognized. I also served on the board of the Milwaukee Bicycle Collective, a 501(c)(3) organization. I have attended most of the 2015 MFC bi-monthly meetings – it would be an honor to serve the passionate people and organizations that are core to the MFC.

I cannot make the Jan. 21 member meeting, the Apr. 20 board meeting, and (possibly) the Nov. 16 board meeting. In all cases, I will be out of town attending food and agriculture related conferences.

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Works for The General Board of Global Ministries for The United Methodist Church helping Summerfield United Methodist Church as a Community Developer with a focus on Health & Welfare.

Graduated from Olivet College in Olivet Michigan with a degree in Sociology in 2005.

Member of the Interchange Food Pantry Board of Directors which is a food pantry that serves elderly and immigrants in the 53202 zip code.

I was interested in the Milwaukee Food Council to find out who and what organizations are actively concern about this issue. Since March of 2015, I have attended the bi-monthly meeting to learn and listen to what is actually happening from different entities of this city working to better its food system.

For the next two years I should be able to attend meetings to help with working this issue and be vocal if needed on things concerning the food system of this city.

One of the main reasons that I am wanting to be a part of the board of directors for this organization is because I work with the poor in a Faith Base organization. At Summerfield United Methodist Church, I coordinate its Saturday meal program that serves the homeless Downtown during a time most can’t be served. Also for me being multi-ethnic as a Liberian and Black American, I am very concern about the issues affecting people with international and ethnic backgrounds.

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End of Candidate Profiles