Biography
Michelle currently serves as an Associate Professor of Practice at Oregon State University as Extension's Farm to School Specialist. For over 25 years Michelle has gotten her hands dirty on farms 4-4,000 acres in size, taught in school gardens, researched ways to make it easier to get local foods on our tables, and then advocated for policies that do just that. Michelle helped craft the first farm to school and school garden legislation in Oregon, establish the Oregon Farm to School & School Garden Network, and shaped the farm to school program at the Oregon Department of Education. She served as the first Western Regional Lead to the National Farm to School Network while at Ecotrust and directed FoodCorps in Oregon while the Farm to School Program Manager for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Michelle also helped launch a national school food company and founded the country’s first farm to school edutainment production company to close the gap between education in the cafeteria, classroom, and community. She lives in the heart of the Willamette Valley with her two growing boys and her favorite vegetable to grow is eggplant.
