Born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Deondre' graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in economics and a minor in nonprofit studies. During his time in college, Deondre' worked with several different nonprofits, including the anti-human trafficking organization Walk Free. Moreover, he served as the onsite coordinator for the LeaderShape program at NC State, where he helped to develop leaders who are driven by integrity and social change. Deondre' also had the privilege of working with low income communities in both Belize and Costa Rica through the Alternative Service Break program.
Field placement: Market Umbrella
New Orleans, Louisiana
Deondre' aggregated and analyzed data on various demographic indicators and levels of food access in all 64 of Louisiana's parishes to establish priority areas for Louisiana's statewide Healthy Food Retail Program. He developed maps to visualize the challenges of food access in Louisiana for state policymakers. This research resulted in a report that detailed the state of food access in Louisiana and gave recommendations for ways to address food insecurity.
Policy placement: Food Research & Action Center
Washington, D.C.
At the Food Research and Action Center, Deondre' conducted research on the barriers to Disaster SNAP and SNAP for vulnerable populations, such as people with disabilities, college students, and seniors. He also created best practice guides and blog posts on the aforementioned topics. In addition, Deondre' hosted a webinar on Disaster SNAP best practices.
Hunger Free Community Report
An Overview of Food Access in Louisiana and Healthy Food Retail as a Solution is a report that identifies the areas in Louisiana that have the greatest food access challenges and recommends different strategies for alleviating this issue. This report is centered on the healthy food retail model that was originally implemented in Pennsylvania.