Stewardship Council

Gwendolyn Flynn is Community Health and Education Policy Director with Community Health Councils, a non-profit community-based, health policy advocacy organization in Los Angeles, California. Her background includes more than ten years experience addressing social justice issues in various capacities. She joined the staff of Community Health Councils, Inc. in 2001 working with the REACH 2010 Project. One of her responsibilities was implementation of the resource environment/community development component of the Project’s comprehensive efforts to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes disparities in the African American communities of South Los Angeles County. As Policy Director, she oversees development of strategies that improve access to nutritious food and physical activity opportunities through polices that change institutional practices, promote local reinvestment, and improve existing resources for the REACH U.S. Project, successor to REACH 2010. Ms. Flynn represents Community Health Councils on various committees and is an American Public Health Association member.

Luawanna Hallstrom is a Principle with Collaborative Communications. Ms. Hallstrom promotes economic and social development through her efforts in representing agriculture both statewide and nationally. She continues to focus on Agriculture’s contribution to issues of education, environment, health, human rights, international goodwill and understanding. Ms. Hallstrom’s work includes supporting legislation that promotes sustaining agriculture, immigration reform, food safety and a secure domestic food supply for our nation. For two decades her long time commitment to immigration reform has been targeted to sustain our country’s agriculture industry so that it remains economically viable, works toward social reform and helps to create secure borders. Ms. Hallstrom is Western Vice President of the National Council of Agricultural Employers; co-chair of the Agricultural Coalition for Immigration Reform; co-chair of the American Farm Bureau Labor Committee; and an appointee through Governor Schwarzenegger to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture.

Edith Jessup is the Program Development Specialist for the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP), partnering with eight Central Valley counties with community based organizations, the Public Health Departments, and California State University Fresno. CCROPP works on chronic disease prevention through environmental and policy changes, and is invested in reviving regional food systems that can address health disparities. Edie is a returned native of the Valley. She has worked for ten years in hunger and nutrition issues. With a Community Food Project Grant from USDA, she helped form “Fresno Fresh Access,” a project to increase access to fresh local produce and culturally appropriate nutritious food availability in low income neighborhoods. In March 2006, Fresno Unified School District adopted a comprehensive Healthy Schools Environment Wellness Policy, the first comprehensive policy in the state. Edith co-chaired the community collaboration that developed the policy aimed at preventing obesity and chronic disease by diet. In March of 2006, she became Director of CCROPP for Fresno County, in partnership with the Fresno County Department of Community Health, and California State University, Fresno. She now works regionally for CCROPP on special regional projects including connecting corner stores to local farmers. Edie participates actively on a number of state and regional committees, including related to healthy, nutrition and social justice. She is a current Co-Chair of Roots of Change.

Mark Kramer is the Director of Federal External Affairs for the California Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, where he has worked since March of 2000. Prior to joining the Conservancy staff, Mark spent a decade in Washington DC, where he worked in turn as a water economist for the Department of Agriculture, a program analyst in the Natural Resources Division of the Office of Management and Budget, and legislative assistant for Rep. Cal Dooley of California, a founder of the then-emerging New Democrat Coalition. In the latter capacity, Mark focused on both addressing constituent interests in a largely agricultural district in the San Joaquin Valley, as well as developing and promoting innovative environmental and natural resource policies. Mark spent his early years in Santa Barbara, California, and received a B.A. in biology and history from UC San Diego, and an M.S. in agricultural economics from UC Davis. While pursuing higher education, he spent four summers as a farm hand on an irrigated vegetable farm in south central Washington State, growing carrots and pearl onions.