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San Juan County WSU Extension San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit

Meet Our Keynote Speakers

Alison Conrad

 

 

Duke Sanford World Food Policy Center, Associate in Research

Keynote Address: White Supremacy Culture in Food Systems 

Alison Conrad will speak on how whiteness and white dominant culture influence food system work, focusing on the pitfalls of how wealthy, white-led institutions apply their ideals to food policy and programming often aimed at non-white and low-income communities. Her research shows that white dominant beliefs and behaviors–assumed to be the norm–can put the emphasis of food work in the wrong place. As a consequence, we miss the opportunity to address the root causes of food systems issues and create lasting change. She will also discuss how individuals and organizations can start the process of unlearning a whitened history and related biases, and learn about how to work IN community instead of ON BEHALF OF community.

A-dae Romero-Briones

 

 

First Nations Development Institute, Director of Programs – Native Agriculture and Food Systems

Capnote Speaker

A-dae (Kiowa/Cochiti) was born and raised in Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico and comes from the Toyekoyah/Komalty Family from Hog Creek, Oklahoma on the Kiowa side.  Mrs. Romero-Briones works as Director of Programs-Native food and Agricultural Program for First Nations Development Institute.  She is formerly the Director of Community Development for Pulama Lana’i.  She is also the co-founder and former Executive Director of non-profit for Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico.  Mrs. Romero-Briones worked for the University of Arkansas’ Indigenous Food and Agricultural Initiative while she was getting her LLM in Food and Agricultural Law. She wrote extensively about Food Safety, the Produce Safety rule and tribes, and the protection of tribal traditional foods.  A U.S. Fulbright Scholar, Ms. Romero-Briones received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from Princeton University, and received a Juris Doctorate from Arizona State University’s College of Law, and LLM in Food and Agricultural Law from the University of Arkansas. President Obama recognized Adae as a White House Champion of Change in Agriculture. She formerly sat on the National Organic Standards Board (2016-2021) and the Sustainable Ag and Food Systems Funders Policy Committee.  She is a member of the California Foodshed Funders and Funders for Regenerative Agriculture.