Our Staff
SARAH-JAYNE ASHENHURST
Director of Programs
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Sarah-Jayne is a systems thinker who is deeply invested in cultivating sustainable, restorative, regenerative economies that value people and planet over profit. She brings to CFPAC a history of community and professional leadership focused on shifting public consciousness away from individualism and toward a culture of solidarity, connection, and interdependence. Sarah-Jayne spends her time organizing with her neighbors, adventuring with her husband and son, cuddling with her cats, and generally doing whatever she can to help build the world we deserve. She wakes up every day to live into Angela Davis’s powerful invitation: “You have to act as if it were possible to radically change the world. And you have to do it all the time.” She is excited to be doing that at CFPAC.
Sarah-Jayne holds a BFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, an MBA from the University of Illinois, and a Certificate in Cooperative Management from Co-Op Cincy and Xavier University.
Jane Cajuste
IL Program Coordinator for Regional Food Business Center
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Jane brings over a decade of diverse experience in mental health and housing non-profit work, culinary arts education, and small business ownership to her role. Her most recent role was teaching culinary arts at Cook County Jail. With a strong focus on culturally relevant, people-centered approaches to food justice, Jane aims to promote equitable access to resources, diversify economic opportunities in underserved communities, and reduce barriers for overlooked food businesses, growers, and producers throughout Illinois and the region. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, hiking, and exploring new cuisines.
RODGER COOLEY
Executive Director
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Rodger Cooley, Executive Director of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (CFPAC), has worked for 24+ years in urban agriculture and sustainable equitable food systems helping facilitate policy, projects, and network development. Rodger previously spent 9 years with Heifer International, supporting the development of urban and rural farming projects in Chicago and the mid-western United States.
Rodger serves on the Cook County Commission on Social Innovation, the Chicago Food Equity Council, the IL Local Food Purchasing Agreement Advisory Committee, the IL Agriculture Equity Commission and IL Good Food Task Force. Rodger recently joined the Organizational Council of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. He has a Master's degree in Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College majoring in Studio Arts and has served as adjunct faculty at DePaul University and the Illinois Institute of Technology.
BRITISH GRIFFIS
Equitable Supply Chain Development Manager
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British is a Chicago native with a wide range of skills and expertise within the sciences. She obtained her B.S in Agricultural Biotechnology from the University of Kentucky. Upon graduating she explored various career paths to further her interest in understanding the intersectionality between Food Systems & Healthcare. Her career path has not been linear as her expertise ranges from Community Outreach to Pharmacy to Scientific Research & Development. In 2019, after serving as a Peace Corps Food Security Specialist she became inspired to use her experience to create change within her former neighborhood by launching a community fridge and pantry in response to the pandemic. She furthered her engagement with Urban Agriculture and worked for a Biotech Startup as a Research Associate and spent 3 years working as Chemist. The culmination of these experiences has allowed her to view the Food System through various lenses at different levels. She hopes to bridge the food access gap for BIPOC communities in urban areas.
JOEL LUCIANO
OPERATIONS COORDINATOR
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ADAM PETERSON
Metro Chicago Good Food Purchasing Manager
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Joel is originally from Puerto Rico. He moved to Chicago in 2016 and instantly fell in love with the city. During his time here he has tried to bring communities and neighborhoods together using environmental education and programming. He graduated with a Master's degree in Environmental Science from DePaul University in 2022. Joel has worked for the Chicago Park District's Outdoor Environmental Education (OEE) department for over 3 years. He focuses his time on finding ways to be more inclusive, as well as find ways to break down barriers and unify BIPOC communities, organizations, and overall individuals with nature. Currently, he works at the Field Museum, where he creates and facilitates bilingual environmental programing to communities within the West and South West sides.
In his free time he loves to cook, write, watch anime and play dodgeball. His favorite food is Piñon (a Puerto Rican dish made with Sweet plantains, and also his favorite dish his mom makes). He likes pineapples on his pizza, and absolutely loves nature.
Adam Peterson brings a diverse background of fruit and vegetable production, native lands restoration, plant and ecology research, and community food system development. After finishing a degree in Cultural Anthropology from UIC, Adam joined a research team looking into food systems in Southwest Wisconsin where he joined his first production farm. From there, he worked on specialty crop farms ranging in size from 8 to 300 acres. After a placement as an AmeriCorps Vista in New Orleans developing a farm-to-school network, Adam began work on native lands restoration within the Chicago Park District. He spent the last several years working with plant researchers and community groups at the UIC Greenhouse.
Adam joins the CFPAC team as the Good Food Purchasing Program Coordinator. He works alongside Chicago’s Food Equity Council and Chicago Department of Public Health. In his spare time he enjoys cooking and baking, biking, and bird watching.
KP (KAITLYN POINDEXTER)
GFPI Community Fund Manager
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KP has followed their passion for doing work at the intersection of food justice and sustainability — obtaining their Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Spanish as well as in Environmental Policy & Culture as well as has earned a M.S. in Energy and Sustainability with a Focus on Food Systems through Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering.
Upon graduation, they began working as the Procurement Manager for a Food Service Management Company focused on providing Healthy and Sustainable School meals for K-12 students primarily based in Chicago's South and West sides. Over the course of three years, they advanced to the Lead Purchasing & Sourcing Manager for the company, helping to transform their supply chain and establish increasing connections with local, sustainable, and healthy food purveyors before joining the team at CFPAC as the GFPI Community Fund Program Manager. In their free time they tend to their vast indoor and outdoor gardens, enjoy dressing their cat up in tiny outfits and biking around Chicago’s parks and neighborhoods.
JUSTIN PREVOST-SCHULTZ
Director of Operations
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Justin Prevost-Schultz brings expertise and experience in operations management, team leadership, project management, and organizational strategy. Before joining CFPAC, Justin led internal operations for a Chicago health-tech startup and managed the vaccine operations of Chicago’s Mass Vaccination Site at the United Center.
He also served as a consultant and executive recruiter for nonprofit and public sector nationally and provides a strong foundation of fundraising experience after serving in the Advancement Office in various roles of increasing responsibility of his alma mater, North Park University, where he earned his bachelor's degree and MBA. During his free time, Justin enjoys cooking, golfing, and biking around the city to find new restaurants and neighborhood gems.
ALEXANDRA RODRIGUEZ
Good Food Purchasing Expansion Manager
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Born and raised in the northwest side of Chicago, Alex Rodriguez has always been dedicated to helping bring healthy food access to her communities. She graduated with a B.A in Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, with a primary focus on Community Health. Her past experiences have led her to work with several Chicago neighborhoods that contributed to the equity of food access and nutrition. From teaching health and nutrition workshops in Humboldt Park to then managing a food pantry during COVID-19, Alex was motivated to learn more about urban agriculture and food sources in Chicago. She then joined Windy City Harvest in the spring of 2021 as the VeggieRx program assistant and worked primarily with Spanish-speaking families. In the course of time she oversaw the market and sales channels for all farm sites and incubator farmers. Her work motivated her to keep working in food sovereignty and health equity, and since then has joined CFPAC as the Good Food Purchasing Expansion Coordinator. In her free time Alex loves running, spending time with her family and friends, and playing with her small dog.
MABEL SHIU
Good Food Purchasing Initiative Director
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As Director of the Good Food Purchasing Initiative (GFPI), Mabel is working to advance the mission and values of GFPI including the convening an inaugural steering council, the implementation of the Good Food Purchasing Program (GFPP) at the City and County-level, and development a more equitable supply chain aligned with GFPP values. In her previous role as the GFPI Community Fund Manager, she launched a new grant program to increase opportunities for local farms and food businesses to service public meal programs and other community food access sites. After earning an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, Mabel launched a micro grocery store and café called Southside Market to increase food access and collective ownership. She has gained practical knowledge through the years as an entrepreneur, impact investor, and former social enterprise consultant. She also brings to the team over 6 years of experience in Corporate Finance, Operations, and IT Implementation. In her spare time, she enjoys playing boardgames at local breweries, exploring neighborhood coffee shops, and paddleboarding when weather permits.
STEPHANIE ZARCO-JIMENEZ
Program Coordinator
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Stephanie Zarco-Jimenez is a native Chicagoan dedicated to elevating the welfare of her beloved Chicago communities and beyond. Her family’s background in farming has framed her perspective on what food, water, and land access mean to not only the rural farmer but the urban farmer as well. She has planted roots in many Chicago neighborhoods searching for opportunities to stay connected to local communities, while also striving to learn more about food equity issues across the city. Her education at Loyola University served as a platform to now explore the intersections of racial equity work and food systems work in her position as Program Coordinator with CFPAC.
Stephanie works on the Productive Landscapes Taskforce and also co-organizes the Chicago Food Justice Summit. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Chicago’s green spaces, practicing guitar, cooking with loved ones, and connecting with local growers.
Each year, we bring on new folks to organize the summit! Click here to learn more about the individuals who make up the Summit Leadership Team