Fellows Profiles
Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows, 2003-2004

Alphabetical listing

Heather Axford

Field Placement: Florida Impact (Tallahassee, FL)
Heather is working with community leaders in Florida counties not yet providing adequate Summer Food Service Programs to help initiate new summer food programs. In order to increase participation in the Summer Food Service Program, she is coordinating community outreach and leading meetings of community leaders in northern Florida. Having been trained in current Food Stamp Program regulations and prescreening software, Heather and her field site partner are assisting in the expansion of the Florida Food Resource Helpline, a project designed to facilitate the Food Stamp Program application process for low-income adults and families across the state.

Education/Experience: Heather is a 2003 graduate from Vassar College with a major in History, and spent a semester studying at the Instituto Cultural in Oaxaca, Mexico. She served on the Executive Committee of the Vassar College Hunger Action for three years, and spent two summers working with the Poughkeepsie Farm Project and the Eleanor Roosevelt Center Community Programs through the Vassar Community Fellows Program. She also served as the Hunger and Homelessness Community Action Coordinator for Vassar.

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Corina Bullock

Field Placement: Florida Impact (Tallahassee, FL)
Corina is working with community leaders in Florida counties not yet providing adequate Summer Food Service Programs to help initiate new summer food programs. In order to increase participation in the Summer Food Service Program, she is coordinating community outreach and leading meetings of community leaders in northern Florida. Having been trained in current Food Stamp Program regulations and prescreening software, Corina and her field site partner are assisting in the expansion of the Florida Food Resource Helpline, a project designed to facilitate the Food Stamp Program application process for low-income adults and families across the state.

Education/Experience: Corina, originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Sustainable Systems from Berea College in Kentucky. She has tutored and mentored community school children, studied cultural anthropology in Kenya, and worked on organic farms in Ireland. Corina also spent a summer as an intern for Hartford Food Systems' Community Supported Agriculture project outside of Hartford, CT.

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Patience Butler

Field Placement: Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (Duquesne, PA)
Working with the Food Bank's CEO and Agency Relations Manager, Patience is identifying ways to engage emerging community leaders, and helping to develop and channel these leaders into a more active role in the anti-hunger community. Patience scheduling and coordinating visits by municipal leaders to bring them on-site to food pantry locations to allow them to see hunger first-hand. These visits will further educate community leaders on the issues of hunger faced by their constituents, the unmet food assistance need in their community, and the need for discussion to identify resources and strategies to eliminate hunger in Pittsburgh.

Education/Experience: Patience graduated with honors in 2003 from Hampton University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing. At Hampton, Patience was inducted into the Student Leadership Program where she served on the community service and public relations committees. She has worked on a variety of issues including homelessness, education, and financial security. In 2002, she developed a funding and grant writing program for Six House, a Christian-based non-profit organization.

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Roxanne Caines

Field Placement: Just Harvest: A Center for Action Against Hunger (Pittsburgh, PA)
Roxanne is working on Just Harvest's efforts to promote and implement the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). This program addresses both hunger and community food security by expanding WIC program benefits to include fresh, locally grown produce at farmers' markets during the marketing season. Roxanne is assessing the actual reach and impact of FMNP Pittsburgh, identifying barriers to participation in the program, developing recommendations to overcoming those barriers, and implementing advocacy and educational efforts in the community to win implementation of those recommendations.

Education/Experience: Roxanne received her Bachelor's degree from Howard University, with a speech communications major and psychology minor. Roxanne's interest in education led her to teach English in Japan for two years with the JET Programme. She has also worked with several youth-centered organizations in Washington, D.C. including Martha's Table, Brainfood and the CEED Youth Leadership Program.

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Allegra Cira

Field Placement: Center for Economic Progress (Chicago, IL)
Allegra is serving as the Local Community Liaison with the Center for Economic Progress. The Center works to increase economic opportunities for low-income families, children and individuals, and offers nationally recognized free tax-preparation services. Allegra is working to link anti-hunger services to the Center's free tax preparation services by working with neighborhood organizations to develop and implement successful methods, approaches, tools, and materials for linking free tax preparation services to a wide variety of public benefits, with a particular focus on food stamps and other food programs. She is also developing coalitions of local leaders to identify community needs and programs to complement services at free tax preparation sites.

Education/Experience: Allegra earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from the University of Miami, where she double-majored in Motion Pictures and English. After participating in alternative break trips focused on worker rights, Allegra co-founded and co-facilitated the campus Living Wage Coalition, which was instrumental in establishing health benefits for maintenance staff at UM. Allegra has also worked as a community organizer with public awareness and social justice campaigns in south Florida.

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Rachel Clay

Field Placement: Community Harvest (Washington, D.C.)
Rachel is conducting a Community Food Assessment in food insecure neighborhoods with Community Harvest's Youth Leadership Program. The goal of this project is to mobilize and train young people to research and report on community assets and food access issues. Rachel is working with participating young people to use their findings to design and implement a creative, community-based strategy that addresses their neighborhood's food needs, such as the creation of a food access policy council, the setting aside of land free of cost for urban agriculture and food production, the need for new bus routes and transportation solutions to connect residents to higher quality and more affordable food venues, the organization of food-buying cooperatives for small inner city convenient stores, and creating an increased understanding of local food systems and food access issues. Similar to these programs, this youth-led food assessment will be a community effort designed to foster dialogue and ultimately create more opportunities for D.C. residents to access affordable, high-quality and healthy foods.

Education/Experience: Rachel is a 2003 graduate of Syracuse University with a major in public relations and a minor in African American studies. She also went abroad to Paris, France where she studied the influence of Blacks on literature, culture and art in Paris. Her strong interest in social policy and love for children compelled her to participate in various tutoring and mentoring related activities, such as tutoring elementary age children with Catholic Charities, mentoring East African refugee children with the International Young Scholars Program at SU and mentoring high school girls through the Her-izons mentoring program. Rachel has served as an intern with Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, Clear Channel Radio, and Prudential Financial.

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Sean Coffey

Field Placement: Human Services Coalition (Miami, FL)
Sean is serving as coordinator of community outreach for the Human Service Coalition's "Greater Miami Prosperity Campaign." His work includes outreach for public benefits programs, case advocacy directed at reducing eligibility barriers, and system advocacy addressing respect and dignity issues inherent in the application process. Sean is also coordinating efforts to bring together business, nonprofit, faith, and grassroots community groups for the development of a common agenda for a Hunger Free Community.

Education/Experience: Sean is a graduate of Colorado College where he majored in Sociology. In college, he chaired a Head Start volunteer group as well as an Adaptive volunteer ski program that works with disabled skiers in Breckenridge, CO. He has received two community service awards: a Spirit award in 2002 and the Center for Community Service's Class of 1981 Award for Outstanding Service in 2003. Additionally, Sean has served as a class officer, student government representative, annual fund volunteer, and was an opinions writer for the student newspaper. He chaired two successful Thanksgiving food drives at CC that sent more than $800 each to Care and Share, a local food bank.

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Yesenia Garcia

Field Placement: Children's Alliance (Seattle, WA)
Yesenia is working to build the capacity of the Children's Action Network (CAN), which is the action arm of the Children's Alliance. CAN is made up of individuals who actively advocate on behalf of children in Washington. In addition to capacity building, Yesenia is creating a story bank of families that struggle to put food on the table. She is also working to identify and develop community leaders in each legislative district in Washington State.

Education/Experience: Yesenia is originally from Miami, Florida, and graduated from Boston College with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and a minor in History. She is particularly interested in Latin American issues, such as the School of the Americas, FTAA, and immigration. She served on the Undergraduate Government at Boston College as co-director of women's issues, and volunteered for three years at the Women's Lunch Place, a day shelter for women in Boston. While abroad in Quito, Ecuador, she volunteered at the Center for Working Children as a tutor in the special education department. She has also been active in the Global Justice Project at Boston College.

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Sarah Garrett

Field Placement: Oregon Food Bank (Portland, OR)
Sarah is working with three of Oregon Food Bank's Regional Food Banks selected from around the state to help develop a Community Advocacy and Action Report. She is advocating for solutions to the root causes of hunger by working with stakeholders at regional agencies to conduct a thorough assessment of local advocacy needs and capacity. The finished report will outline recommendations for increasing local advocacyefforts, and will address local advocacy needs, community resources, capacity building techniques, and local and state best practices as well as provide step-by-step instructions for developing an effective plan and putting it into action. Sarah is also developing a Hunger Advocacy Handbook to serve as a tool kit for partner organizations to strengthen statewide and local advocacy efforts.

Education/Experience: : In May 2003, Sarah graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in Urban Studies and a concentration in Education. She has been active in a variety of community issues, including work as a literacy tutor with under-performing elementary school students and with a Family Shelter in Cambridge, MA. During a semester at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, Sarah helped to establish and coordinate an after-school tutoring program at a shelter in Hartford and served as the Community Outreach/Public Relations Chair for the Hunger and Homelessness Campaign.

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Katherine Gigliotti

Field Placement: Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI)
Katherine is serving as a Field Assessor of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), which is offered at hundreds of sites in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. She is performing the first-ever assessment of local CACFP utilization, dialoguing with participants and administrators, and using the research to identify strengths and weaknesses of the program's administration.

Education/Experience: Originally from Southern California, Katherine is a graduate of Boston College where she majored in Political Science and minored in Faith, Peace, and Justice Studies. While at BC she participated in a variety of volunteer programs, including an immersion trip to the US-Mexico Border. She has interned with immigrants-rights organizations such as the Migrant Legal Action Project in Washington, D.C. and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition in Boston, MA. Katherine spent a semester in Washington, D.C. where she completed a research project about immigrants and food stamp eligibility. She expanded on this research in her senior thesis on immigrants and welfare.

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Kimberly Jones

Field Placement: Tucson Community Food Bank (Tucson, AZ)
Kim is working to increase access to locally grown fruits and vegetables by planning and developing a Tucson-area mobile market, designed to sell locally grown produce and Value Food Purchases (VFP) products to under-served neighborhoods. She is coordinating with the University of Arizona's School of Engineering on a project to develop a design for the Mobile Market, and research the availability of funding for appropriate materials and necessary staff. Kim is also working with the Food Bank's Market Coordinator to expand, research, market, and organize the Farmers' Market as well as local farmers, backyard gardeners, and other local fruit and vegetable growers to increase the volume of fruits and vegetables available at the Mobile Market.

Education/Experience: Kim is a graduate of University of Oregon with a degree in Planning, Public Policy and Management. A love of community building and service has guided Kim through her education and life. Committed to creating partnerships between people and organizations, she worked closely with the University of Oregon Community Outreach Partnership Center and an array of community agencies throughout her time at the university. Kim hopes to continue working to address the root causes of hunger and poverty throughout her time as an Emerson Hunger Fellow and through the rest of her life.

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Lori Leibowitz

Field Placement: Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI)
Lori is recruiting and organizing a diverse array of interested people to become members of Voices Against Hunger, a project of the Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee (HTFM). Voices Against Hunger is a grassroots group that will take action on hunger issues with the goal of creating positive social change. Lori is helping shepherd the group into action by identifying issues, encouraging activism and developing members' leadership skills.

Education/Experience: Lori graduated from Brown University in May 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. At Brown, Lori wrote an honors thesis on changing attitudes and stereotypes about the homeless community, ran the social justice branch of the Jewish student organization, and participated in the Student Hunger and Housing Action Coalition (SHHAC). She also did extensive volunteer work and ran Brown's first Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.

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Rachel Lopez

Field Placement: USDA Western Regional Office, California Food Policy Advocates, and Los Angeles Regional Food Bank (Los Angeles, CA)
Rachel is working to improve the rate of participation in the Food Stamp Program in Los Angeles County. Currently, only slightly more than one-half of low-income households eligible for the Food Stamp Program in California are actually receiving food stamps. Rachel is collecting data to determine the service areas within the County that have the lowest participation rates; developing strategies to best improve participation; and evaluating the project to determine what successful methodologies could be used in other large metropolitan areas to improve participation in the Food Stamp Program.

Education/Experience: Rachel is from St. Petersburg, Florida and graduated from Northwestern University with honors in 2003. She majored in Political Science, Sociology, and International Studies and studied European Union Studies abroad at Sciences-Po in Paris, France. During her time at Northwestern, she served as student body president, creating the Eva Jefferson Civil Rights Program, the first campus-wide Thanksgiving Dinner, the first annual Community Action Fair, and the Alumni Speaker Series. She has spent her summers interning at the Red Cross in the Disaster Services division, working at a Fortune 500 insurance company, and serving as a teacher and caretaker in an orphanage in Colon, Mexico.

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Rajiv Magge

Field Placement: Center for Economic Progress (Chicago, IL)
Rajiv is serving as the National Community Liaison with the Center for Economic Progress, working to link anti-hunger services to free tax preparation services on a national level. Rajiv is also analyzing the effectiveness of other programs linking free tax preparation with anti-hunger services nationwide, describing model programs for add-on services at free tax preparation sites, and developing and implementing a dissemination plan for promoting these models and providing resource materials to organizations nationwide.

Education/Experience: Rajiv grew up in Central NJ, and recently graduated from Dartmouth College in 2003 as a Biology modified with Psychology major. While at Dartmouth, he chaired the Students Fighting Hunger group, co-founded the Hindu Students Group, served as an America Reads tutor, and worked as Clinic Manager at a local free clinic. He was awarded a Tucker Fellowship for Summer 2002 to work as an AIDS Peer Educator in Bangalore, India with VISIONS Worldwide, a non-profit organization that he currently helps lead as a Board Member.

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Shana McDavis-Conway

Field Placement: Hartford Food System (Hartford, CT)
As the Strategic Planner for Urban Agriculture in Hartford, Shana is conducting a market analysis of the potential for urban agriculture in Hartford, which includes an assessment of current land use, a resource and skills inventory, and an evaluation of existing policy barriers. Her strategies for this process include holding interviews and focus groups to explore local perceptions of farming and generate ideas for feasible models of urban agriculture; researching city plans, zoning, and land-use to determine potential sites; and networking with city officials, local businesses, community leaders, and local organizations to find potential partners as well as funding sources. Shana plans to summarize her findings, draft policy recommendations, and present them to potential partners and civic leaders.

Education/Experience: Shana is a graduate of the University of Delaware where she majored in Anthropology and Women Studies and minored in Theater and History. While at Delaware, Shana became engaged in a variety of social and political issues and interned at the National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality in South Africa. After graduation she moved to Sacramento, CA and developed Medi-Cal outreach programs as an AmeriCorps*VISTA volunteer. Shana has been actively involved in the preservation and creation of local community gardens and most recently worked for the Sacramento Hunger Commission.

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Amaliya Morgan-Brown

Field Placement: End Hunger CT! (Hartford, CT)
As School Nutrition Work Group Coordinator, Amaliya is working with the Executive Director of End Hunger Connecticut! to staff the working group, which is designed to bring together advocates, educators, state government officials, nutritionists, public health specialists, and other stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan for school nutrition. Amaliya also plans to write the final report of the School Nutrition Work Group.

Education/Experience: Amaliya graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon with a degree in International Affairs and a senior thesis titled The Agreement on Agriculture: Food Security in Developing Countries. As a 2002-2003 AmeriCorps* VISTA volunteer working with Just Food of New York City she helped organize a Community Supported Agriculture program with the goal of creating linkages between rural and urban areas and increasing access to affordable, fresh vegetables in low-income urban communities. During her time in New York City, Amaliya also served on the Planning Committee of the Brooklyn Agriculture Entrepreneurship Group.

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Rebekah Park

Field Placement: WashingtonCitizen Action (Seattle, WA)
Rebekah is working to alleviate hunger by increasing access to the Food Stamp Program. The goals of Rebekah's project are: to increase outreach efforts informing and assisting eligible families with applications; to ensure that all eligible counties in Washington State take advantage of a statewide waiver allowing able bodied adults access to the Food Stamp Program benefits beyond the current three month time limit; and to provide program access to those convicted of a drug felony, a group currently barred from the program for life under Washington state rules.

Education/Experience: In June 2002, Rebekah graduated cum laude and with honors from Northwestern University. She majored in American Studies and co-published her senior thesis research on injection drug use, suburban youth, and needle exchange programs. She was given the Jane S. Mansbridge Scholar Activist Award by the NU Women Faculty for her leadership in several activist organizations and academic research grants. As a 2002-2003 Fulbright Scholar in Amsterdam, she conducted research on long term older heroin users. She received an advanced Master of Science degree in Medical Anthropology in August 2003. She is also an actor and avid kickboxer.

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Bridget Purdue

Field Placement: Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and California Food Policy Advocates (Los Angeles, CA)
Bridget is working to increase awareness of the prevalence of hunger in specific Los Angeles-area communities by conducting a Hunger Education Project Plan. She is collecting and analyzing data from the California Health Interview Survey and other sources, and creating a portfolio of communications materials, including fact sheets, resource guides, and public messages. She plans to use these materials to facilitate press conferences and organize events with food banks, community organizations, and local elected officials. These events will highlight the problem and propose a solution package.

Education/Experience: Bridget is from Lexington, KY, and is a 2003 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where she majored in Economics with a minor in Philosophy and Politics. At Notre Dame, Bridget worked as a court watch volunteer for a local YWCA Domestic Violence shelter, helped to research and develop a service-learning course for students, and organized a dialogue discussing civic engagement among Notre Dame students.

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M. Wick Ruehling

Field Placement: Worcester County Food Bank (Shrewsbury, MA)
Wick is serving as a Community Food Resource Specialist for Worcester County. He and his field site partner are responsible for developing and leading an in-depth research project with the goal of identifying all available food resources within the county, and creating a profile of food security assets and needs for each community within the county. His research will include Geographic Information Systems data, will lead to the establishment of area-specific hunger networks and advisory councils, and will provide a Worcester County profile of food security, community by community.

Education/Experience: Wick graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia where he majored in Public Policy. At W&L he served as vice president of the Student Activities Board and played varsity soccer. Wick interned with Total Action Against Poverty in Roanoke, Virginia where he worked with Head Start and the Southwest Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank.

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Byron Stewart

Field Placement: Worcester County Food Bank (Shrewsbury, MA)
Byron is serving as a Community Food Resource Specialist for Worcester County. He and his field site partner are responsible for developing and leading an in-depth research project with the goal of identifying all available food resources within the county, and creating a profile of food security assets and needs for each community within the county. His research will include Geographic Information Systems data, will lead to the establishment of area-specific hunger networks and advisory councils, and will provide a Worcester County profile of food security, community by community.

Education/Experience: Byron graduated from Northwestern University in Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He has worked overseas with the Friends of the Hanover Infirmary, an organization dedicated to serving Jamaica's community of indigent elderly, and with other organizations serving communities in Ghana and his own hometown of Washington, D.C. He has also worked for the University of the District of Columbia in its summer enrichment program for secondary students and as a teacher in the Washington, D.C. and Prince George's County (MD) Public Schools.

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Jeanine Valles

Field Placement: South Florida Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (Miami, FL)
Jeanine is serving as the Outreach Coordinator for existing faith-based feeding programs. She is working to increase their services to empower the working poor. Additionally, she is promoting linkages between worker rights counseling and religious institutions doing Kid Care, Food Stamp outreach, EITC assistance, and other social and advocacy programs.

Education/Experience: Jeanine graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 2003 with a joint degree in Political Science and Theology and a concentration in Public Service. She is originally from San Dimas, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. While on campus, she was elected to Student Senate and worked at the Center for Social Concerns for three years. Internships included serving full-time at a women's homeless shelter in Baltimore and working as a legislative intern for the Massachusetts State Senate. While studying abroad in London, she worked for the Westminster Parliament as a researcher for the Liberal Democrats.

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Bi Vuong

Field Placement: D.C. Hunger Solutions, Food Research and Action Center (Washington, D.C.)
Bi is creating a campaign to promote School Breakfast expansion for the District of Columbia. She is collaborating with D.C. Public Schools by interviewing administrative staff about the District's past experience with using school breakfast; investigating how applications for school meal programs are used in public and charter schools beyond program eligibility; surveying students, teachers, and principals about barriers to increased participation in breakfast programs; working with partner organizations to compile a list of families to participate in the D.C. Hunger Solutions story bank; preparing materials for the first D.C. School Breakfast report; devising outreach and advocacy strategies to get schools to adopt School Breakfast Programs; and conducting parent and community forums with schools, neighborhood advisory councils, and community groups for school breakfast outreach..

Education/Experience: Bi graduated from Kenyon College with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. During her collegiate career she was involved in programs for inner-city children and teenagers from large, low-income families in both D.C. and Scotland. She has also worked with children from broken and abusive households. Through her participation and the programs that she has coordinated, she hopes to have provided these children and teenagers with the educational and social tools they need for life-enhancing opportunities.

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Elizabeth Whelan

Field Placement: Community Food Bank (Tucson, AZ)
Elizabeth is developing garden microenterprise opportunities with the Tucson Backyard Garden Network. She is working with several groups of women gardeners, providing them with technical support and education on issues related to resource solicitation, storage and checkout systems and garden education. She is also facilitating their certification process for sales at the WIC certified Food Bank and Downtown Farmers' Markets. Elizabeth will develop the marketing strategy for these groups of Backyard Gardeners by using creative assessments of the market for locally grown food.

Education/Experience: Elizabeth studied Poetry Writing and Religion at the University of Virginia. The summer after her first year of college, she returned to Zambia (where her family had lived for five years) to volunteer at an orphanage while compiling a photo-essay. Upon her return, she created a website to raise funds and awareness for the orphanage. The following summer, she created a photo-essay focusing on the effects of Hurricane Mitch on a small community in rural Honduras. At UVA, she co-founded an organization to educate students about the prevalence and prevention of eating disorders.

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Robert Zager

Field Placement: Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force (Portland, OR)
Robert is assessing the use of several federal nutrition programs - including the Summer Food Service Program, After School Snack and Meal Program, and Child and Adult Care Food Program - in three communities in Oregon to help increase future program participation. He is collecting and analyzing data to identify any areas of high need and studying the potential for expansion by identifying local partners and leading outreach efforts. Outreach efforts include education of potential community partners about the programs, building community support, and helping to identify barriers to participation and opportunities for the streamlining and improvement of program operations at the local level. The project culminates in a report outlining the findings, recording the contacts, and making recommendations for program improvements.

Education/Experience: Bob graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2003 with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Political Economy. He led a student service trip to Guatemala, and also participated in service trips to Ghana and New Mexico. Bob spent a summer in Ghana as an intern for the Missouri Department of Economic Development, served as a student government senator and committee chair, and was active in spiritual retreat and social justice group leadership.

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