Elliott Smith- Kitchen Sync Strategies Elliott Smith co-founded Kitchen Sync Strategies (KSS) in 2019 to foster connections and build stronger, fairer regional food economies. KSS is focused on connecting small farms and food businesses to institutions like K-12 schools, hospitals, and universities as a key strategy in building resilient value chains, and KSS supports buyers seeking to make impacts with their procurement, suppliers like value chain developers and food hub networks scaling into the institutional food market channel, and supporters to use value chain coordination to build their local food economies. Since 2022, KSS has created over $4.5m in institutional sales for small and mid-sized farms and food businesses. Elliott is from Texas but has lived, worked, and eaten in places across the US, and he is driven by the belief that people and institutions should be in relationship with their food and farmers.

Brent Lackey- Kentucky Center for Agriculture & Rural Development (KCARD) Brent Lackey is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development. Brent has served in this role since November 2022, and he has over 16 years of experience as a Business Development Specialist for KCARD. Prior to joining KCARD, Brent served as the manager of Cumberland Farm Products and Kentucky Produce and Aquaculture Alliance. Brent has extensive experience in developing new cooperatives, assisting meat processing plants and value-added businesses, conducting feasibility studies, and analyzing business management and operations. Brent currently serves on the advisory board for both the Kentucky Small Business Development Center and The Food Connection. Brent has a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kentucky and bachelor’s degree inn Economics from Transylvania University.

Timothy Woods- University of Kentucky Ag Economics Dr. Woods is a Professor of Agricultural Economics and state extension specialist in the area of horticulture, agribusiness marketing, and management.  He has devoted his time and energy to help facilitate the development of small ag-related businesses and cooperatives that have promising innovative processes and/or products.  He served as the staff economist to the Kentucky Governor’s Office of Ag Policy and Ag Development Board.  His work has been presented at numerous international workshops, professional meetings, and state and regional extension programs.  He recently developed MarketReady, a nationally recognized best marketing practices education program for farmers selling to restaurants, grocery, and wholesale. This program is being used in 15 states.   Most recently, he has helped lead a national project around Covid impacts on local food systems with USDA and 17 national local food sector networks.  He is the faculty director for the UK Center for Crop Diversification, where he leads of team of very talented Extension professionals working on a host of projects supporting specialty crops.

Joseph Fischer- Fischer Farms Joseph Fischer graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree and MBA in 2016. Joseph worked for 3 years in healthcare merger and acquisition management consulting before returning to Fischer Farms in May of 2019. Joseph is responsible for sales at Fischer Farms across three customer groups: 1) Distributor relationships, 2) Wholesale outside sales, and 3) Direct-to-Consumer sales. In addition to beef from the Fischer Family farm, Fischer Farms supplies other local products from 15+ other producers to customers large and small, with the mission of making it as convenient as possible for customers to buy local.

Jodee Smith- FARMWISE Indiana Jodee Smith leads the FARMWISE Indiana project focused on values-based food procurement. With more than 12 years’ experience, Jodee works with agencies, nonprofits, and municipalities to re-regionalize food systems for Indiana, and to support the small and midsize businesses that are critical for a thriving food economy. As the resilient food systems manager for the Environmental Resilience Institute at Indiana University, Jodee supports communities working to inventory their food system using the CARAT tool, and co-leads efforts to create a statewide food charter, the Indiana Food Vision. Jodee earned her BA in Botany at the University of Montana and her MS in Plant Biology from the University of California, Davis.

Birch Bragg- Locals Food Hub and Pizza Pub Birch Bragg is Co-Owner and Operator of Locals Food Hub & Pizza Pub in Frankfort, Ky. Birch, his wife Michelle, and a close friend started LOCALS in 2021 to help showcase the amazing foods being produced in Kentucky and to help build a more robust local food economy while increasing food access for all members of the community. They have since opened a second LOCALS location in the Smoketown neighborhood of Louisville. Birch and Michelle live on a 75 acre homestead in northern Franklin County they call home, alongside their two children Iris and Cedar. Birch entered the local food space in 2013 by establishing a diversified market farm in Bowling Green, Kentucky which produced and marketed a broad range of products including year round produce, fruit, honey and pasture raised meats. He then joined West Sixth Brewing out of Lexington as the West Sixth Farm Manager in 2016 to help design and implement what is now West Sixth Farm in north Franklin County, Kentucky. He is deeply passionate about supporting a more resilient local food system and increasing nutrient rich food access for all.

Brooke Gentile- OAK Brooke Gentile is a Kentucky native with two decades of experience in sustainable agriculture, having worked on projects in New York City, Northern California, and Bloomington, Indiana. Since joining OAK in 2017 as Executive Director, Brooke has been dedicated to fostering a regional food system that supports farmers, enhances soil health, promotes biodiversity, and provides climate solutions, ensuring the success of small farms and the communities they serve. In her role, she collaborates with the Board of Directors, leads staff, manages grant writing and fundraising efforts, develops and evaluates programs, and engages farmers in organic transition and technical assistance initiatives. Additionally, Brooke represents OAK at various events, meetings, and working groups regionally and nationally. She currently serves on the Governing Council of the Organic Farmers Association and the Stewardship Council of the Organic Farming Research Foundation.

Myrisa Christy- Community Farm Alliance Myrisa Christy is the Executive Director of Community Farm Alliance. Raised in Clark County, KY, she comes from a farming heritage in Appalachian Kentucky. She holds a Bachelor of Art in Anthropology from the University of Kentucky and has over a decade of experience working with agricultural producers, non-profits, and agribusinesses. Working with small and mid-size farms operated predominantly by limited resource producers, Myrisa understands the need to support our region's family farms. Before joining Community Farm Alliance, Myrisa spent a decade providing technical assistance to farm and food businesses in business planning, market access, and USDA programs. She also led strategic planning to increase local food access and developed feasibility studies for shared-use commercial kitchens in rural Kentucky. Myrisa, her husband, and twin boys live in Berea, Ky and in her free time loves hiking, gardening, and cooking

Bill Keener- Sequatchie Cove Farm Following enthusiasm has been the path of Sequatchie Cove Farm.  The form of life or lifestyle for all living on, and associated with the farm is and has been the primary focus.  Starting in the second half of the 1990s: vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, heirloom, heritage; pick-your-own, csa, on farm store, farmers market, grocery stores, university, distributors, cheese, bread, corn (sweet, cornmeal/grits), organic, biodynamic, educational events, community gatherings, folk school, forest walks and swims and always food and meals.  Four generations living and working together along with all sorts of community.  The flux and the flow of enthusiasm is the key to the history of the present of Sequatchie Cove Farm.