Four new women have joined the WFAN Advisory Board for 2009. New board member Stephanie Larsen joined the staff of the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, NE, as a rural policy organizer in the summer of 2008. Prior to that, she spent three years in Washington, DC, working in grassroots organizing for the Community Food Security Coalition. A native of Wisconsin, Steph holds a master of science degree in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is an active blogger; check out her insightful analysis of ag and food systems policy on our WFAN blog as well as the Blog for Rural America.

Hannah Lewis of Ames is a program coordinator at the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development at Iowa State University. She holds a dual master of science degree from ISU in sustainable agriculture and sociology. Originally from Minnesota, Hannah’s broad range of experience includes writing on rural diversification for Renewing the Countryside Minnesota, reporting for Pacifica radio network, and studying and working abroad in Costa Rica, Mexico, South Africa, Cuba and the UK. Hannah currently works with Latino and other new Iowans in central Iowa who are interested in farming and food systems. She is fluent in Spanish.

Sarah Long

Julie Wilber

Officers are also changing within the WFAN advisory board; Jana Linderman, an attorney at Plains Justice in Cedar Rapids who has served two years on the WFAN board, is taking on the role of chair.

Interested in serving on the WFAN advisory board? Click here to read information. Contact executive director Leigh Adcock at 515.460.2477 or chair Jana Linderman at 319.352.2120.