February 1, 2013 > Session II: The City > Roundtable 3
Panelists:
Eric Leshinsky and Zach Moser – Shrimp Boat Projects
Eric Leshinsky is a Houston-based designer, artist and educator whose practice includes a range of public projects at the intersections of architecture, planning, art and advocacy. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in political science-economics from Columbia University and a Master’s Degree in Architecture from Rice University, and is the founder of GRAPH, an environmental research and design office.
Zach Moser is an artist based in Houston, TX. Through his artistic practice, he attempts to facilitate collaborative and interactive investigations. His work focuses on pursuing knowledge, alleviating the critical effects of injustice and participating in creative communities. He received a BA in studio art from Oberlin College in 2002, attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and is a co-founder of the youth development organization Workshop Houston.
Joshua Long, PhD – Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Southwestern University
Joshua Long is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Southwestern University. He received his Ph.D. in Human Geography from the University of Kansas. He has taught previously at institutions such as Mount Holyoke College and Franklin College Switzerland. His primary research interests include sustainability discourse and rhetoric, farm direct markets, and urban political ecology.
Alexa Senter – HOPE Farmers Market: Market Manager
AOK Food is the product of a lifetime spent in the food industry and a desire to use food make a positive impact on the people who produce and consume it.
Born in Southern California I grew up in handling sharp knives and eating good food. I arrived in Austin, Texas via Latin America and New York City having worked most of the food chain from farm to market, culinary school to dish pit, marketing to catering and everything in between .
As Director of HOPE Farmers Market I get to use my experience in food production, distribution and sales to support farmers, artisans and non-profits as they nurture their businesses and community.
Julie Smith, PhD – Researcher, Centre for Food Policy; City University, London
Dr Julie Smith is a researcher at the Centre for Food Policy, City University London, where her work includes an evaluation of food co-ops in England and research on two European projects that look at sustainability issues in the food chain. She was awarded her PhD from the University of Gloucestershire (CCRI) on the cultural economy of traditional food markets in 2012, after completing her masters in Food Policy at City University London in 2007. Her research interests include the role of traditional markets in urban food provisioning and their current and potential role in urban food strategies. During 2013, she will be further developing these research interests as a visiting scholar at the University of Helsinki (Ruralia Institute). She also has a long-standing interest in workers’ rights and worked for more than 15 years on a range of projects to raise awareness and improve rights at work for low-paid workers in developing countries, including those working in the global food system.
Jake Stewart – Program Manager, Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Community Garden Program, City of Austin
Jake Stewart has over 10 years’ experience in localized sustainable systems, including renewable energy, climate adaptation, appropriate technology and sustainable food security, in the private, non-profit and public sectors. Prior to leading the City of Austin’s new Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Community Garden Program, Stewart led the Mayor’s Climate protection program and was deeply involved in smart grid development efforts. He has founded two non-profits and was formerly an international sustainability consultant and Vice President at Organic Fuels International. He is known for his dissertation project developing the world’s first renewably powered biofuel production facility. The localized project represented the first time a municipality had embarked on an effort to produce its own renewable fuel from waste and locally grown, sustainable oil-seed crops. It has garnered international attention as a model for decentralized renewable energy/sustainable systems, and Stewart was awarded the EPA Project of the Year for his work. International non-profit work helping to organize and empower 2nd and 3rd world small farmers in to co-ops led him to a professional focus on local food system sustainability.
Moderator:
The Honorable Eddie Rodriguez, JD – State of Texas, House of Representative
Eddie was first elected to the State Legislature in 2002. He was re-elected in November 2012 to his sixth term as the Representative from District 51, serving East Austin and Southeast Travis County.
Currently Eddie serves on the House Committees on Transportation, Calendars, and Criminal Jurisprudence. He is founder and Chair of the Farm to Table Caucus in the Texas House of Representatives, is Vice-Chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, and an active member of the House Democratic Caucus and the Legislative Study Group.
ONLINE REGISTRATION HERE
$75 per person, two-days, including lunch on both days.
Food, the City, and Innovation, a two-day roundtable conference at the E. A. Smith building, just west of the Blanton Museum in Austin, Texas. February 1 & 2, 2013
The Food Lab at UT and our co-host Boston University believe that the climate for innovation in the food industry could not be better. New food startups led by engineers, artists, scientists, and architects are responding to the challenge to re-invent our global food system. This conference will explore the opportunities for innovation and seek those that will benefit from the collaboration between universities, industry and our cities. Each session will include two round table discussions with a wide variety of speakers from academics, industry workers to local food entrepreneurs.
The Food Lab 
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