If you have any questions or are interested in joining the Planning Committee, please contact Tyler Offerman (tyler@kyequaljustice.org).
Heather Hyden (She/her) is a Portfolio Officer at the Humana Foundation. She has a 12 year career in Community Development with over a decade of experience organizing communities and developing new policies and systems towards a more equitable food system. She has worked in multiple sectors including local government, non-profits, academia, and most recently with the Kentucky Cooperative Extension system. She is a trained community organizer with lobbying and strategic planning experience in food policy at the local and state level. She is a member of the Racial Equity in the Food System Work Group and has an extensive track record of mobilizing institutions and non-profit organizations towards anti-racist practice. Her expertise is in systems networking, power mapping, and advocacy strategy.
She identifies as an educator with seven years of experience in both formal and community-level settings. She has taught community food systems assessment, participatory research, community development policy and has designed several professional development curricula for food systems professionals. Her evaluation skills include story-based methodologies including Ripple Effect Mapping and Story Circles.
Her formal credentials include a B.A. in Geography with a concentration in Urban Planning and an M.S. in Community and Leadership Development. Her research has focused on community-driven food hubs and the growth of cooperative economies in the U.S. South.
Leandra Forman has been at FoodChain since May of 2015. For the first two years she worked as the farm manager, however, she transitioned to overseeing the Processing Kitchen and Food Sector Job Training Program in 2017. Since the pandemic shut down began in March of 2020, she has coordinated with restaurant partners, farmers, food pantries, and meal recipients. As the daughter of a chef, she grew up speaking the language of food and is so excited to share that with others! She is a graduate of Berea College and a Kentucky native, who can usually be seen cycling every street of downtown Lexington. Valerie Frost (she/her/hers) is a Garden State native who currently resides in Central Kentucky with her boy/girl twins. She hopes to use her experience with utilizing food and nutrition assistance programs to advocate for the needs of other families trying to feed their children. Tyler Offerman joined KEJC in 2019 as the Food Justice Fellow. Tyler believes everyone, whether black, white, or brown, old or young, deserves access to nutritious and adequate food. Before joining KEJC, Tyler worked with Kentuckians For The Commonwealth as a community organizer around tax reform, public budgets, and public pension policy. Prior to KFTC, Tyler owned an outdoor adventure guiding company, where they took people backpacking, kayaking, and white water rafting across Eastern Kentucky. Tyler currently lives and works in Lexington, but is originally from South Florida where he received two undergraduate degrees from Florida Gulf Coast University.
Jessica Klein joined the staff of KyPolicy in September 2019 and focuses on policy issues related to health, food and nutrition. Jessica previously worked on policy and innovation initiatives related to food systems and built environment for the Center for Health Equity in the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness. She has a Master’s in Public Health from New York University and a BA in Psychology and Art from Bellarmine University. In her free time, Jessica enjoys biking around her neighborhood and visiting art galleries.Kelsey serves as the Organizing Director for Community Farm Alliance, mobilizing members to take action on food & agriculture policy issues. Kelsey owns and operates a small vegetable and flower farm in Louisville, and they volunteer with the Louisville Community Grocery. Kelsey holds a B.S. in Geography with a minor in Social Change from the University of Louisville. In their free time, Kelsey likes to ride their bike, make music, cook, and dance with friends.Tania is a diligently working mom taking care of her family and helping families in her Lexington community. Tania loves to read, journal, and pray for her family and friends. Cooking a delicious homemade meal for the people she loves is one of her greatest joys. Karena serves as the Advocacy Coordinator for Feeding Kentucky. She has a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and the Public from Xavier University, and she is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration at the University of Kentucky. Karena is passionate about empowering Kentucky kids and families through public policy, a passion she hopes to continue at Feeding Kentucky. She is a proud, life long Kentuckian currently residing in Louisville. Steve is in his third term as an At-Large member of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council and his second term as Vice Mayor. While serving on Council, Steve continues his work with Roberts & Kay, a research and organization development firm Steve co-founded in 1983.
Steve served as chair of the Mayor’s Commission on Homelessness and spearheaded the formation of Bluegrass Farm to Table.
Steve has served on the boards of the Lexington-Fayette Planning Commission, the Lexington Transit Authority (LexTran), the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association, and the Good Foods Co-op.
