Multnomah Food Summit Speaker Biographies & Presentations

Keynote Speaker: Judith Bell, President of PolicyLink

Judith Bell, President, has been with PolicyLink since it was founded in 1999 and continues to drive its mission of advancing economic and social equity. Her efforts have been central to making PolicyLink a leading voice in the movement to use public policy to improve access and opportunity for all low-income people and communities of color, particularly in the areas of health, transportation, education, and infrastructure.

At PolicyLink, Bell oversees strategic planning, policy development and policy campaign strategy at the local, state, and national levels. In particular, she has led PolicyLink efforts to increase access to healthy foods including advancing a national Healthy Food Financing Initiative which was included in President Obama’s proposed budget for $345 million. At the federal level, she has also played a leadership role in advancing the proposed Promise Neighborhoods initiative and expanding equity impacts in the Transportation authorization. She supervises PolicyLink projects at the local and state level focused on equitable development, including equity in public investment, fair distribution of affordable housing, and community strategies to improve health.

Bell is a regular writer for different news outlets and academic publications. She is also a frequent speaker, trainer, and consultant on advocacy strategy.

Previously, Bell directed the West Coast office of Consumers Union, where she engaged in efforts to improve the quality of life for all consumers, particularly in access to health care. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University.

Facilitator: Kirstin Greene, Consultant for Cogen Owens Cogen, LLC

Kirstin Greene, Managing Principal of Cogan Owens Cogan, LLC (COC), is an experienced planner and public process facilitator. For more than 18 years, Ms. Greene has served as project manager, planner, facilitator and public outreach and involvement specialist on land use, community and economic development, transportation and growth management projects for many local communities and state agencies. She is known for her sensitivity to local needs and conditions and ability to deliver consensus-based results. Ms. Greene has master’s degrees in Community and Regional Planning and Asian studies from the University of Oregon, and an undergraduate degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics. She is passionate about creating and sustaining livable communities and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and American Planning Association (APA). She is a board member of the Oregon Chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and has served on the boards of the City Club of Portland and APA’s Oregon Chapter. Ms. Greene’s work at COC has received recognition from APA, the National Association of Counties, the International Association of Public Participation, and the Ash Institute at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Jon Stubenvoll, Director of Advocacy for Oregon Food Bank (view Mr. Stubenvoll's presentation)

Jon Stubenvoll has served as the director of advocacy for Oregon Food Bank since November 2006. He heads statewide public policy efforts to address the root causes of hunger. Prior to joining Oregon Food Bank, Stubenvoll was the communications director for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission where he oversaw agency communications, media relations, community outreach, and government relations. During an 11-year stint in state government, he also was the communications manager for the Oregon Employment Department and a public information officer for the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services. Prior to state government service, Stubenvoll spent 12 years as a consumer advocate for an Oregon-based non-profit advocacy group. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in marketing from state universities in Wisconsin.

Latricia Tillman, M.P.H., Administrator for Oregon Office of Multicultural Health (view Ms. Tillman's presentation)

Latricia Tillman assumed the role of Administrator for the Oregon Office of Multicultural Health and Services in May 2009. Prior to this, she served as a program manager at the Multnomah County Health Department in Portland. She initiated and managed the county’s Health Equity Initiative and the African American Sexual Health Equity Program. She was also a co-chair for the department’s Diversity and Quality Team.

Ms. Tillman’s goals throughout her career have been to promote a highly qualified, diverse workforce, to engage communities experiencing disparities in health and human services, and to identify and reduce health disparities. She has worked in various capacities in maternal, child and community health over the last 16 years, coordinating efforts to improve the health of disadvantaged populations in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Oregon. Focusing on vulnerable communities of color, she has used strategies that include community organizing, participatory research, popular education and political advocacy.

Ms. Tillman earned a prestigious Martin Luther King Fellowship from Boston University as well as a public health fellowship through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. She received her master’s degree in public health from Boston University and her bachelor’s degree in political science from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Andy Fisher, Executive Director of Community Food Security Coalition (view Mr. Fisher's presentation)

Andy Fisher is co-founder and executive director of the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), a national association of 300 organizations working to create a just and sustainable food system. CFSC has spearheaded the development of a national food and farming movement centered on connecting farmers and consumers and improving access to healthy foods in low-income communities. He is a Food and Society Policy Fellow.

Rachael Banks, Program Supervisor for the Community Wellness and Prevention Program at Multnomah County Health Department 

Rachael Banks is a Program Supervisor for the Community Wellness and Prevention Program at Multnomah County Health Department. In her role, she advances policy, systems and environmental strategies to support tobacco prevention and control, physical activity and healthy eating. Recent accomplishments include the adoption, implementation, and enforcement of expanded indoor clean air requirements; advancement of voluntary smoke-free policies in health systems and multi-unity housing; and the adoption of workplace breastfeeding policies. She is currently leading the CDC’s Healthy Communities ACHIEVE Initiative by developing a coalition of African American, African, and Black community leaders and stakeholders. This coalition has identified assets, needs, and barriers to healthy eating and physical activity using the CDC CHANGE Tool, and has successfully developed a culturally-specific community action plan to reduce the burden of chronic disease and promote health equity.

Jennifer Hackett, Outreach Coordinator for Multnomah County Sustainability Program (view Ms. Hackett's presentation)