The evaluation team brings together knowledge and expertise from a diverse set of fields to evaluate the California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program’s capacity to support innovative local and regional farm to school projects as well as overall grant administration.
Bringing their unique perspectives to the project, the evaluation team will evaluate the grant program’s progress towards the goals articulated in the RFA and the Farm to School Roadmap for Success. Working together across a variety of impact areas, their research examines elements of grantee projects that have the greatest potential. They will identify enabling conditions for success, barriers to implementation, areas for additional and/or ongoing investment, and opportunities for coordination with related programs and agencies.
Tasked with providing an invaluable and rigorous evaluation of the return on the state’s investment in farm to school and providing recommendations for program improvements, the evaluation team also describes emerging best practices and lessons learned in CA farm to school interventions with a specific aim of informing policy.
California’s Farm to School Incubator Grant Program Evaluation Team
GIS and Web Programmer
Andy Lyons, PhD
“I’m excited to be part of the Farm to School Evaluation team. I’m excited to be part of an interdisciplinary...
Schools & ECE Team
Ashley Chaifetz, PhD
Ashley Chaifetz designs and leads interdisciplinary multi-year research as a Senior Analyst at the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, mostly...
Co-Principal Investigator
Beth Katz, PhD
“I am proud to be part of this strong, multidisciplinary team and am inspired by the holistic vision laid out...
Database Team
Chloe Faehndrich
Chloe is a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. Chloe’s research is...
Case Study Lead, Policy Team
Christy Getz, PhD
“I am incredibly excited to be a part of this F2S evaluation. F2S brings together so many aspects of my...
Project Co-Lead, Policy Co-Lead
Debbie Friedman, JD
“I am excited to understand whether we are progressing towards the vision in the Farm to School Roadmap, and where...
Schools & ECE Team Co-Lead
Eva Ringstrom, MPA, MUP
Eva Ringstrom (she/her) is the principal consultant at Raindrop Workshop, a strategic learning and evaluation consultancy. She joins the farm...
Economic Co-Lead, Policy Team
Federico Castillo, PhD
“I am excited about this project at several levels: To learn how farmers respond and adapt to program incentives and...
Economics Team
Fiona Ogunkoya
Fiona Ogunkoya is a Survey Researcher at the University of California Agricultural Issues Center. She supports research efforts by designing,...
Principal Investigator
Gail Feenstra, EdD
Gail Feenstra is the Director, Emerita of the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program. During her career, she worked...
Case Studies Team
Gwenaël Engelskirchen
As Sustainable Food & Farming Coordinator at UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program (SAREP), Gwenaël Engelskirchen collaborates with a...
Database Team
Jasper Andrews
Jasper is an undergraduate senior at UC Berkeley, studying Data Science and Ecosystem Management & Forestry. He has interests in...
Policy Team Co-Lead
Jeanne Merrill
Jeanne Merrill is the Executive Director of the Berkeley Food Institute. She has more than 25 years of experience in...
Economic Co-Lead
Karen Jetter, PhD
“There are many levels at which I am excited about this project. My main interest is in learning how this...
Communications Team
Kristen Farrar
As UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program (UC SAREP) Communications & Proposal Coordinator, Kristen is responsible for coordinating SAREP’s...
Schools & ECE Team
Lacy Stephens, MPH, RDN
Lacy Stephens, MS, MPH, RDN, is an Agricultural Marketing Specialist with USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Lacy has experience working across...
Director of UCANR IGIS
Maggi Kelly, PhD
“Maps and geospatial data can play a supporting and important role in understanding the economic, environmental, and social impacts of...
Environmental Team
María Villalpando
María is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) and part of the Critical Ruralities Lab. Her...
Schools & ECE, Process Evaluation Team
Meagan Shedd, PhD
Meagan is the director of evaluation with Food Insight Group, supporting data collection, management, analysis, and reporting. She brings an...
Case Studies Team
Meg Resler, PhD
Meg Resler works in the Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley as a Postdoctoral Researcher on...
Policy Team Co-Lead
Neha Sanghera
Neha Sanghera’s professional background spans water resources, local government, and food systems. Neha joins BFI after completing her Master’s in...
Project Management, Policy Team, Schools & ECE, Process Evaluation
Rebecca Harnik
Rebecca is the Senior Evaluation Specialist at Food Insight Group, focused on project management, policy work, process evaluation, and schools...
Economics Team
Sayantan ‘Sunny’ Mitra
Sunny is a fourth-year Ph.D student in the Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics at the University of California Berkeley....
GIS and Web Manager
Shane Feirer, MS
“I’m excited to be part of the Farm to School Evaluation team. I’m excited to see how the Farm to...
Environmental Lead
Timothy Bowles, PhD
“I am really excited about this project because markets are one of the most important influences on how farmers are...
Process Evaluation, Schools, & Policy Team
Yasmeen Lee, MPH
"I am excited to be a part of the Farm to School Evaluation team because we will be playing a...
Environmental Team
Yvonne Socolar, PhD
Yvonne Socolar works at UC Berkeley as a postdoc on the F2S Environmental Team. Her research interests lie at the...
Supply Chain Transparency Team
The Supply Chain Transparency Team is exploring California’s school food supply chain through in-depth interviews with school food service directors, food distributors, agricultural producers, policymakers, and labor unions. In particular, they are assessing the extent to which transparency exists across the supply chain and potential strategies for improving transparency to support the procurement of CA-grown, minimally processed ingredients from prioritized producers.
Supply Chain Transparency Team
Angela McKee-Brown
Angela McKee-Brown is the Founder and CEO of Project Reflect, a food systems design lab that develops and builds meaningful,...
Supply Chain Transparency Team
Heather “H” Nieto-Friga
Heather “H” Nieto-Friga is the founder of SupplyChange, a social impact firm operating in California and New York that empowers...
Supply Chain Transparency Team
Kaiwen Shi
Kaiwen Shi is a researcher and project manager working at the intersection of climate change, urban planning, and food systems....
Past Contributors
Environmental Team
Database and Web Team
GIS Team
Economics Team
Process Evaluation, Policy Team
Policy Co-Lead
