Meet affiliated faculty Jennifer Keahey

Read on for an interview with Jennifer Keahey Senior Sustainability Scholar, Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation; Assistant Professor of Sociology, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.

Our cohort spoke with Robert Bonnie, President Biden’s nominee to be Agriculture Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, on a sunny Friday, July 23, 2021. The conversation was remote, as things tend to be nowadays, and Robert Bonnie spoke to us from his office at USDA. 

On the afternoon of Wednesday, July 21, the Food Policy and Sustainability Leadership Cohort took a much-anticipated trip off of ASU’s DC campus. The entourage embarked on a refreshing stroll down K Street to the Washington DC office of Dentons Law Firm, one of 204 locations worldwide that serve to build agile, tailored solutions to meet the local, national, and global needs of private and public clients of any size.

During our D.C. immersive, we were fortunate enough to hear from staff of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry including Katie Naessens, Senior Professional Staff Member, Adam Tarr, Senior Professional Staff, Kyle Varner, Professional Staff, and Jacqlyn Schneider, Deputy Staff Director, who gave a nuts and bolts look at the inner workings of the Senate Ag Committee.

On the first day of a week-long immersion trip to Washington DC, our Food Policy & Sustainability cohort met via Zoom with Mae Wu, the Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP) at USDA. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to learn more about her role and the current priorities of MRP.

After an early morning of professional headshots on the fourth day of the immersive, everyone felt a little sluggish as we sat down to hear Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young speak. That changed rapidly as Dr. Jacob-Young’s high energy and enthusiasm for science lit up the room and grabbed everyone’s attention as soon as she began talking about her career. It was immediately easy to see that she loves her work and loves to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders.

Read on for an interview with Chase Farnsworth, Senior Sustainability Fellow, Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation and Senior Project Development Manager, Phoenix Office, Mortenson.

On July 8, I participated virtually in the German Sustainability Science Summit organized by the German Committee of Future Earth, a global network of scientists, researchers, and innovators collaborating for a more sustainable planet. During this meeting I participated in a session organized by a group that I belong to called EvolvES (Evolution for Earth Sustainability, also part of Future Earth) that aims at providing an evolutionary framework for biodiversity science.

On Friday, July 9th, the USDA announced that it would be allocating $500 million to increase competition and “level the playing field” for meat and poultry processing. These funds will come through the American Rescue Plan and are intended to increase capacity, giving farmers and ranchers more choices when it comes to meat and poultry processing.

The Swette Center team has had the privilege to work and learn from Deb Eschmeyer, known as ‘the human exclamation point’ for a reason. Her high energy and enthusiasm have propelled and inspired our work. We are sad to see her leave us, of course, but excited to see all she will accomplish at Original Strategies. I will miss our daily interactions my lifelong friend! - Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director

Eating sustainably can sometimes feel like a daunting task with so many factors to consider. This can be especially true when eating at a restaurant where you often have no idea where the food on your plate came from. You don’t have to feel this way, though. In the Phoenix metropolitan area, there are more and more restaurants making sustainability a priority.

These clubs and organizations at ASU are a great place to meet others with interests in sustainable food systems and get hands-on experience with projects. Check them out on SunDevilSync