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Chairholder

Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer
Founding Director, Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Associate Professor, Geography and Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University

Directors

Dr. Andrew Spring
Executive Director of Research
Director, Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
Adjunct Professor and Research Associate, Wilfrid Laurier University

Jane Clause 
Director of Programs, Education and Communications
Project Coordinator, Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems

Erica Carmount
Director of Operations and Projects
Research and Administrative Support, Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems

Advisory Committee

Faris Ahmed, Food Systems Consultant

Sustainable food production, transitions to just food systems, sustainable food systems, agroecology, biodiversity, climate resilience, seeds, human rights, governance 

Molly Anderson, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Food Studies, Middlebury College

Transition to just food systems; food system transformation, food power, food justice, human rights, right to food, narratives

Lauren Baker, Food Systems Consultant

Patricia Ballamingie*, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Institute of Political Economy

Sustainable food production, support for Indigneous and traditional foodways, transitions to just food systems, food policy, food systems governance 

Jennifer Baltzer, Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada Research Chair in Forest and Global Change

Jane Battersby, African Centre for Cities, University of Cape Town 

Transitions to just food systems, urban, governance, policy, equity, Africa 

Mandy Bayha, Délı̨nę Got'ine Government, The Tsá Tué Biosphere Reserve 

Andrea Brown, Department of Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa

Rachel Carey, School of Agriculture and Food, University of Melbourne

Sustainable food production (including policy for sustainable food production), support for Indigneous and traditional foodways, transitions to just food systems, resilience, sustainability, governance, policy, cities, equity 

Debbie Chapman, Department of Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Councillor, City of Kitchener

Damien Conaré, Secretary General, UNESCO Chair in World Food Systems, Montpellier SupAgro

Transitions to just food systems, urban food systems, food justice, food solidarity, local vs. global, advocacy 

John Coveney, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University

Harriet Friedmann, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Toronto

Laura Gomez*, Department of Agroecology, CIIDRI, Chapingo Autonomous University

Sustainable food production, agroecology, local organic markets, participative certification, sustainability, citrus organic production 

Samuel Gudu*, Vice-Chancellor, Rongo University, UNESCO Chair on Community Radio for Agricultural Education and Extension

Eleanor Haine, Canadian Commission for UNESCO

Growing networks and facilitating meaningful connections, creating meaningful knowledge sharing opportunities, developing new partnerships across the UNESCO network, gender equity, UNDRIP 

Carla Johnston, PhD Candidate, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier University

Support for Indigenous and traditional foodways, transitions to just food systems, Indigenous peoples, Northwest Territories, global food governance, Indigenous governance, local-global connections

Irena Knezevic*, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University

Transitions to just food systems, food systems, food culture, health and communication, discourse, political economy

André Lacerda*, Research Scientist, Embrapa Forestry

Sustainable food production, support for traditional and Indigenous foodways, agroforestry, agroecology, forest management, traditional ecological knowledge, erva-mate, forest ecology

Nadia Lambek, Faculty of Law, Western University

Enock Mac’Ouma*, PhD Student, Wilfrid Laurier University, Coordinator, UNESCO Chair on Community Radio for Agricultural Education, Rongo University

Sustainable food production, support for Indigneous and traditional foodways, podcasting, geography of food, climate change, environment, communication 

Heather McLeod-Kilmurray, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa

Mariol Morejon Garcia*, University of Pinar del Rio

Kent Mullinix*, Director, Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Erin Nelson*, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph

Sustainable food production, transitions to just food systems, agroecology, farmer-led networks, participatory action research, interdisciplinary social science, South-North knowledge exchange 

Eve Nimmo*, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of History, Ponta Grossa State University

Sustainable food production, support for Indigenous and traditional foodways, transitions to just food systems, traditional ecological knowledge, oral environmental history, agroecology, agroforestry, historical ecology, erva-mate

Edward Shizha*, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Wilfrid Laurier University, Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa

Sustainable food production, support for Indigenous and traditional foodways, Indigenous community resilience, science and African Indigenous knowledge systems, indigeneity, knowledge, livelihoods, mainstreaming, resilience, sciences, sustainability  

George Simba, Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation, Kakisa

Kelly Skinner*, School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo

Andrew Spring*, Associate Director, Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, Wilfrid Laurier University

Lori Stahlbrand, Food Studies, George Brown College

Elodie Valette*, CIRAD, Project and Scientific Coordinator, Urbal

Johanna Wilkes, PhD Candidate, Balsillie School of International Affairs, Wilfrid Laurier University

Sustainable food production, transitions to just food systems (emphasis on public policy development processes), public policy, agroecology, global governance, food systems, climate change, place-based decision making, inclusive multilateralism 

*Research Leads

Contact Us:

Alison Blay-Palmer, Chairholder

E: ablaypalmer@wlu.ca

Andrew Spring, Executive Director of Research

E: aspring@wlu.ca

Jane Clause, Director of Programming, Education, and Communications

E: jclause@wlu.ca