Panel Discussion: Food Fight!

Brooke is an Urban Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator in Purdue Extension-Marion County.  She works with market and community growers to increase the sustainability of urban ag in Marion County.  She delivers programming around urban agriculture, natural resources and green infrastructure.

Brooke recently returned to the Midwest from the Pacific Northwest where she studied at the University of Washington.  There she earned a BA in Urban Forestry--a program rooted in urban horticulture--and a Master’s of Landscape Architecture with a Certificate in Ecological Restoration.  She practiced urban ecological design and restoration in the Seattle area before returning to the Indianapolis region and joining the Purdue Extension team.

Betty Feng, is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at Purdue University. She is striving to reduce foodborne illness cases and enhance food safety by effective risk assessment, messaging and communication. Feng’s research program explores cultural, social, and environmental factors that affect food safety behaviors using a socioecological approach. The goal of the research program is to identify barriers to understanding food safety issues and evaluate strategies that empower stakeholders to make science-based decisions. By using both qualitative and quantitative research methods and working with farmers, food workers, and consumers, Dr. Feng’s work can increase the knowledge of different sectors of the food supply chain, from consumers, food processors, retailers to the policymakers.

Dr. Thomas Hertel is Distinguished Professor of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. Prof. Hertel’s research and teaching focuses on international trade, food and environmental security. He is a 2022 recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize and is a Fellow, and a Past-President, of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as well as the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, and Honorary Life Member of the International Association of Agricultural Economists. He is also the founder and Executive Director of the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) which now encompasses more than 28,000 researchers in 179 countries.

Kier Crites Muller is the President and CEO of Food Finders Food Bank. She joined Food Finders in 2010 as its first program coordinator and now draws on her experience working across numerous roles at the food bank. Kier is actively engaged in our community, serving on several boards and committees throughout Food Finders’ service area. Food Finders collaborates with other organizations to educate, advocate, and address food insecurity across 16 counties in north central Indiana.

Suzanne Tryan has spent over 20 years working in the field of corrections before making a move to the Indiana Division of Family Resources (DFR) in 2010. She has worked as an eligibility caseworker, an eligibility manager and has held several positions in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) policy. Suzanne’s current position is that of SNAP and TANF Policy Manager. Her department is comprised of general SNAP and TANF policy, employment and training functions, benefit recovery and EBT services. Suzanne serves as a main point of contact between the DFR and USDA/Food and Nutrition Service, the federal agency that administers SNAP.