Metropolitan Woman Advocates for Rural Communities and Food Justice

I was raised on a fourth-generation family farm in Southwest Kansas with a deeply ingrained awareness of, and respect for, the environment, agriculture, and food systems. It is the framework for living that I was given by my parents and my community; it serves as the basis for how I experience and interact with others and the world around me.

I left Kansas in my late twenties and moved to New York City, where I attended law school at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University. Even across the country in the big city, my rural Kansas roots were deep and strong, and inspired me to concentrate my legal studies in the areas of food, agriculture, and environmental policy.

While it’s safe to say I was the only one of my classmates studying “farm law” in Greenwich Village, I was able to find a community of like-minded advocates from whom I learned so much. During law school, I worked with the National Farmers Union and the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, researching, drafting, and engaging with policy and policymakers in new and exciting ways. After I graduated, I worked at GrowNYC, a large environmental nonprofit in NYC that provides access to locally grown food, community and school gardens, and recycling and waste reduction tools to neighborhoods across the city.

In this position, I got to work with stakeholders and members of communities both urban and rural. Almost daily, I was struck by the core values shared amongst all communities, regardless of their setting. And when it came to food, everyone ultimately wanted to share. Farmers wanted to share their harvests, months of labor, and years of good stewardship; New Americans wanted to share their traditions, recipes, ingredients; Chefs wanted to share their creativity, Educators wanted to share their passions, Neighbors wanted to share their green space...the list could go on. This generosity of spirit was easily recognized by me – it was the same one that I had witnessed in my farm family and rural community.

After nearly a decade in NYC, I returned home to the heartland and got involved with the Kansas Rural Center shortly thereafter. I have been a Board Member since 2020. I love being involved with KRC because of its explicit focus on rural communities and their role in preserving, developing, and maintaining a food and farming future that provides healthy food, a healthy environment and social structure, and meaningful livelihoods. Vibrant, thriving rural communities benefit us all, regardless of where we live. KRC’s work in communities across the state speaks to a high level of understanding and commitment to this principle.

I love being back home; I’ve always been a proud Kansan regardless of where I have lived. And I love using my legal skills to help organizations like KRC, Kansas Farmers Union, and the Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition further their missions. But I’m most excited by the opportunity to use what I have learned to help farm families and businesses in rural communities navigate their unique legal needs. My strong rural Kansas roots are the ones that allowed me to grow up and away, learn from others, and gain new skills. It feels great to return to those same roots, now having the honor of also bringing something to share.

Thank you for sharing in the work and mission of the Kansas Rural Center. This holiday season, I invite you to invest in rural communities. If that means a donation, please visit kansasruralcenter.org/donate.

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