Rebecca Shively

A native of Portland, Oregon, Rebecca graduated with honors from the University of Oregon in 2007 with a degree in international studies and political science. After graduating, she served as a William J. Clinton Fellow through the American India Foundation, working with a rural women’s cooperative bank on financial literacy and community development projects in Maharashtra, India.  Rebecca also served as the Pantry Network Director for a Northern California food bank, conducting a community needs assessment and collaborating with 17 emergency food pantries on distribution, resource development and capacity building.

Field placement: Community Food Advocates

Nashville, Tennessee

Rebecca worked with local parents, teachers and advocates on the Growing Healthy Kids initiative, a campaign to improve the nutrition of school food available within the Metro Nashville Public Schools.  She created a comprehensive manual for the Healthy School Food Leadership Institute, a workshop that trains and empowers local stakeholders as they seek health-promoting reforms in their local schools. She also helped organize the King Day of Service, a city-wide community garden work-day commemorating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Policy placement: U.S. Department of Agriculture

Washington, D.C.

Rebecca helped to advance the goals of the First Lady’s initiative, Let’s Move! Faith and Communities with an emphasis on increasing the number of Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) feeding sites and encouraging the creation of new points of access for fresh produce through farmer’s markets, community supported agriculture (CSAs), and community gardens.  She worked closely with community organizations throughout the country to support their local projects and expand the initiative’s network of partners.  She also  shared partner success stories on various blogs and authored a bi-monthly Let’s Move! Faith and Communities e-newsletter.

Publications