Our Staff
DIA BARNO
Communications Specialist
Dia Barno is an organizer, educator, and creative based in Chicago. For the past three years Dia has been dedicated to community organizing and has been working with students at Hyde Park Academy as part of the #CopsoutCPS campaign. He, alongside of students and staff at Hyde Park are working to reimagine what safety looks like in the school and to and get funds divested from the remaining SRO (police officer) and invested back into the students for alternatives like: restorative justice conflict resolution programs, mental health programming, and more in and after school programs for students!
In their free time, Dia is a budding herbalist, who is part of the Urban Grower’s Collective Second Herbalism Apprenticeship Constellation, and a farmer who is focused on building community and is determined to help build out intentional and extensive local food systems for Black communities across Chicago.
RODGER COOLEY
Executive Director
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Rodger Cooley, Executive Director of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council, has worked for 20+ years in urban agriculture and sustainable urban food systems developing policy and projects. Rodger previously spent 9 years with Heifer International, supporting the development of urban farming projects in Chicago and the mid-western United States. He recently joined the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation.
Rodger has a Master's degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College and has served as adjunct faculty at DePaul University and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
BRITISH GRIFFIS
Equitable Supply Chain Development Manager
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British is a Chicago native with a wide range of skills and expertise within the sciences. She obtained her B.S in Agricultural Biotechnology from the University of Kentucky. Upon graduating she explored various career paths to further her interest in understanding the intersectionality between Food Systems & Healthcare. Her career path has not been linear as her expertise ranges from Community Outreach to Pharmacy to Scientific Research & Development. In 2019, after serving as a Peace Corps Food Security Specialist she became inspired to use her experience to create change within her former neighborhood by launching a community fridge and pantry in response to the pandemic. She furthered her engagement with Urban Agriculture and worked for a Biotech Startup as a Research Associate and spent 3 years working as Chemist. The culmination of these experiences has allowed her to view the Food System through various lenses at different levels. She hopes to bridge the food access gap for BIPOC communities in urban areas.
ALEXANDRIA JACKSON
Communication Manager
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ADAM PETERSON
Good Food Purchasing Program Manager
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Alexandria is a Graphic and Web designer from Southern Illinois with a Bachelors degree in Studio/Digital Art from DePauw University. Her passion for design started at a very young age and has continued to grow and flourish in a multitude of directions that reflect her interests in art, community and eduation. After graduating in 2020, she lead a freelance Graphic and Web design career working with small businesses across the U.S. Alongside this, she worked with a non profit organization as a community art instructor and violence-prevention educator for Chicago Public Schools.
In 2022 she began freelancing full time and is now a part of the CFPAC team as the Communications Manager while also pursuing a certificate in UI/UX Design from The Flatiron School. In her spare time, she enjoys being in community with friends and family, doing yoga, and trying new restaurants.
Adam Peterson brings a diverse background of fruit and vegetable production, native lands restoration, plant and ecology research, and community food system development. After finishing a degree in Cultural Anthropology from UIC, Adam joined a research team looking into food systems in Southwest Wisconsin where he joined his first production farm. From there, he worked on specialty crop farms ranging in size from 8 to 300 acres. After a placement as an AmeriCorps Vista in New Orleans developing a farm-to-school network, Adam began work on native lands restoration within the Chicago Park District. He spent the last several years working with plant researchers and community groups at the UIC Greenhouse.
Adam joins the CFPAC team as the Good Food Purchasing Program Coordinator. He works alongside Chicago’s Food Equity Council and Chicago Department of Public Health. In his spare time he enjoys cooking and baking, biking, and bird watching.
ELLEN PITSTICK
Farm Bill Specialist
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Ellen is passionate about the human right to food and ensuring that food policy is equitable, just, and reflective of the community it serves. Ellen is from DuPage County, but spent the last two years in Upstate New York earning their Food Studies M.S. from Syracuse University. During this time they worked as the Evaluation & Public Policy Intern at the Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance where they developed a yearly evaluation plan and supported the development of the alliance’s first policy platform. They also conducted research and helped plant wild edible perennials, shrubs, and trees as part of the Syracuse Urban Food Forest Project.Having returned to the Chicago area, Ellen joins CFPAC as the Farm Bill Organizing Intern. This summer you can find them biking, gardening, haunting the local library, and enjoying live blues music!
JUSTIN PREVOST-SCHULTZ
Director of Operations
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Justin Prevost-Schultz brings expertise and experience in operations management, team leadership, project management, and organizational strategy. Before joining CFPAC, Justin led internal operations for a Chicago health-tech startup and managed the vaccine operations of Chicago’s Mass Vaccination Site at the United Center.
He also served as a consultant and executive recruiter for nonprofit and public sector nationally and provides a strong foundation of fundraising experience after serving in the Advancement Office in various roles of increasing responsibility of his alma mater, North Park University, where he earned his bachelor's degree and MBA. During his free time, Justin enjoys cooking, golfing, and biking around the city to find new restaurants and neighborhood gems.
ALEXANDRA RODRIGUEZ
Good Food Purchasing Expansion Manager
LinkedIn
Born and raised in the northwest side of Chicago, Alex Rodriguez has always been dedicated to helping bring healthy food access to her communities. She graduated with a B.A in Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a primary focus on Community Health. Her past experiences have led her to work with several Chicago neighborhoods that contributed to the equity of food access and nutrition. From teaching health and nutrition workshops in Humboldt Park to then managing a food pantry during COVID-19, Alex was motivated to learn more about urban agriculture and food sources in Chicago. She then joined Windy City Harvest in the spring of 2021 as the VeggieRx program assistant and worked primarily with Spanish-speaking families. In the course of time she oversaw the market and sales channels for all farm sites and incubator farmers. Her work motivated her to keep working in food sovereignty and health equity, and since then has joined CFPAC as the Good Food Purchasing Expansion Coordinator. In her free time Alex loves running, spending time with her family and friends, and playing with her small dog.
MABEL SHIU
Good Food Purchasing Initiative Director
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As Director of the Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI), Mabel is working to advance the mission and values of GFPI including the convening an inaugural steering council, the implementation of the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) at the City and County-level, and development a more equitable supply chain aligned with GFPP values. In her previous role as the GFPI Community Fund Manager, she launched a new grant program to increase opportunities for local farms and food businesses to service public meal programs and other community food access sites. After earning an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, Mabel launched a micro grocery store and café called Southside Market to increase food access and collective ownership. She has gained practical knowledge through the years as an entrepreneur, impact investor, and former social enterprise consultant. She also brings to the team over 6 years of experience in Corporate Finance, Operations, and IT Implementation. In her spare time, she enjoys playing boardgames at local breweries, exploring neighborhood coffee shops, and paddleboarding when weather permits.
STEPHANIE ZARCO-JIMENEZ
Program Coordinator
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Stephanie Zarco-Jimenez is a native Chicagoan dedicated to elevating the welfare of her beloved Chicago communities and beyond. Her family’s background in farming has framed her perspective on what food, water, and land access mean to not only the rural farmer but the urban farmer as well. She has planted roots in many Chicago neighborhoods searching for opportunities to stay connected to local communities, while also striving to learn more about food equity issues across the city. Her education at Loyola University served as a platform to now explore the intersections of racial equity work and food systems work in her position as Program Coordinator with CFPAC.
Stephanie works on the Productive Landscapes Taskforce and also co-organizes the Chicago Food Justice Summit. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Chicago’s green spaces, practicing guitar, cooking with loved ones, and connecting with local growers.
Emerson Fellows
ADIN BURWELL
Adin brings a wide range of experiences, both domestic and international, in agriculture, food justice, environmentalism, and government. She earned a degree in Agricultural Science from Cornell University, with minors in Global Health and Crop Management. At CFPAC, Adin joined our Productive Landscapes Team as an Emerson Fellow. Adin helps facilitate access to land for Chicagoans interested in starting urban agriculture projects. She also works with the New Neighbor Nutrition Group which strategizes and organizes food access for new Chicago immigrants. Adin is passionate about advocacy and healthy food systems, and her work is rooted in a love for people and the environment. She originally hails from Atlanta, Georgia and is proud of her Southern roots. Outside of work, Adin enjoys trying new Chicago restaurants, gardening, and going for walks on the Lakefront.
AVYAN MEJDEEN
Having grown up in two different parts of the world, Kurdistan (Iraq) and Moorhead, Minnesota, Avyan Mejdeen was immersed in two different cultures. The experience has shaped her into an advocate fighting for the human rights of women, girls, and minorities; equal access to basic needs; and the Kurdish struggle for independence. Avyan graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead in 2022 with majors in Political Science and Global Studies, with a minor in Interfaith Studies. Avyan’s interest in anti-poverty and anti-hunger legislation stems from her personal experiences. She was raised in a low-income immigrant household with her parents and five siblings. She turned her challenges into opportunities by helping to raise awareness and advocating for others like her family through policies. Avyan was a political fellow at the Borgen Project where she helped mobilize Members of Congress in Minnesota to support policies on food insecurity and low-income housing. She has supported human rights through various outlets internationally and domestically, including as a Fulbright Scholar in Kosovo. She was also the first Muslim Interfaith Fellow selected at her undergrad institution serving as a coordinator that initiated and guided difficult discussions on religious divides between various religious groups on campus and in the community.
Each year, we bring on new folks to organize the summit! Click here to learn more about the individuals who make up the Summit Leadership Team