Speakers
Rev. Joseph P. Carver, SJ, will preside over the opening Mass on Monday, February 28.
Fr. Carver, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and member of Oregon Province and on the faculty of Seattle Prep. Growing up on a farm in upstate New York, began a life long passion in issues of Ecology and Spirituality. Fr. Carver, SJ has written on the topics of theology and ecology and in particular how the “greening” of our culture is actually a manifestation of spiritual needs. Additionally, he is an avid photographer and former professional sailor. Currently Fr. Carver, SJ is an ambassador for the USCCB to provide educational opportunities all over the country about issues of: water, climate change and sustainability.
For Fr. Carver’s full biography please click here.
Aaron Woolf is our first all school assembly speaker on Tuesday, March 1st.
Aaron Woolf is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has focused on the human dimension of government policy. He has spoken extensively on policy issues ranging from immigration to agriculture to rebuilding America’s infrastructure.
Woolf is the director and producer of the critically acclaimed film, King Corn, his sixth feature documentary, for which he was awarded a 2008 George Foster Peabody Award. His work has been released theatrically in the US, Europe and Japan and broadcast on PBS, the Sundance Channel, and numerous international networks including RAI, ARTE, and SBS.
For Mr. Woolf’s full biography please click here.
Chef Ann Cooper is our keynote speaker on Workshop Day, Wednesday, March 2.
Chef Ann Cooper is a celebrated author, chef, educator, and enduring advocate for better food for all children. In a nation where children are born with shorter estimated life expectancies than their parents because of diet-related illness, Ann is a relentless voice of reform by focusing on the links between food, family, farming and children’s health and wellness.
Ann’s research for and writing of A Bitter Harvest provided a true epiphany for this always curious and proactive chef. No longer could the environmental and health facts be ignored when it came to producing food in this country. Ms Cooper’s career shifted from primarily cooking to a path of cooking, writing, and public speaking – all advocacy work for a healthier food system. There is no doubt that Ann is an accomplished chef, however her focus is now on using her skills and background to create a sustainable model for schools nationwide to transition any processed food based K-12 school meal program to a whole foods environment where food is procured regionally and prepared from scratch. In 2009, Ann founded Food Family Farming Foundation (F3) as a nonprofit focusing on solutions to the school food crisis. F3′s pivotal project is The Lunch Box – a web portal that provides free and accessible tools, recipes and community connections to support school food reform.
For Ms. Cooper’s full biography please click here.
Sharon Pierson is our final all school assembly speaker on Monday, March 7th. She will be addressing food insecurity in Arizona.
Sharon Pierson is Director of the Desert Mission Food Bank, a community service program of the John C. Lincoln Health Network. In her role, she is responsible for the oversight of food bank programs including emergency food distribution, 4th Street Market operations, the weekend snack pack program, the senior gap program, and community volunteers that work at the food bank.
Through the Desert Mission Food Bank, Sharon and her team is focused on service delivery. The unique service delivery at the 4th Street Market allows clients to shop & make choices for their own family’s health and needs. This concept supports the idea of giving clients a “hand-up” as opposed to a “hand-out”.
Food insecurity is an issue that affects 1 out of 4 children in Arizona. Our state is one of the 3 worst states in child food insecurity. More than 25% of our state’s children don’t eat regular meals; what they do eat isn’t balanced or nutritionally adequate, which affects their long-term health, their ability to learn, and their ability to earn a living as an adult.
For Ms. Pierson’s full biography please click here.
