Tell us about yourself:

"I hail from Montana, the leading pulse crop producing state in the USA. This recent achievement of my home state is exciting, considering how the agricultural output ranking was earned through Montana farmers increasing yellow pea cultivation to meet ingredient demand of plant-based protein companies. Pulse crops, the edible, dried seeds of the legume plant, offer a nutrient-rich, sustainable protein source to feed a growing population.

My life goal is to create opportunities for consumers to make food choices that benefit our planet and all its inhabitants. I have great passion for, and experience in, cultivating meaningful connections between innovative food producers in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, food service and retail operators, and the public. In my leisure time, I enjoy home-cooking with my fiancé, strength training, and dancing with the mountains as a snowboarder."

What stands out about your experience with New Roots Institute?

"I became involved in New Roots through an internship with Hannah Kinder, Director of Institutional Campaigns and Green Monday US Program Coordinator. A highlight from this experience was the confidence I gained to engage in policy change. Previously daunted by policy work, my relationship with Hannah unlocked this concept that the only substantial difference to my ongoing food advocacy projects is that I’m asking for agreements in writing. Introducing policy protects the practice of plant-based procurement. As new staff come and go, the importance of eating plant-based remains steadfast. 

The most impactful aspect of New Roots Institute is their dedication to holding community. I am beyond-words grateful for the Alumni Network. Post-graduation, out of necessity, not all of my jobs have been mission-aligned endeavors. The synchronicity in times where I decided to follow my calling for plant-based advocacy and receiving an invitation for community engagement from the Alumni Network impressed me. For instance, in 2023, I participated in a virtual meeting with New Roots. Immersing myself in this community for that hour revitalized my spirit. Renewed with tangible positive energy, it was a matter of days until I discovered and began employment with a local, organic, plant-based creamery! The supportive nature of this community is empowering, providing inspiration for us all to grow new roots, together."

What support are you seeking from this community? What support would you like to offer?

"I can offer members of our community guidance or mentorship in consulting with food service operators to provide plant-based versions of the entity’s most popular menu items. Whether you are planning your first contact, or have come to a stand-still with current food provider negotiations, I am available to help you with strategy, generating community support, and collecting data to quantify target-audience demand for successful project campaigns.

For those developing entrepreneurial concepts or creative outreach projects, I can offer think-tank style coaching in ideation and iterative design.

If you are preparing a speech, presentation, or other public communication, I extend myself as a practice audience for rehearsing your piece out loud. I invite anyone to reach out who is seeking advice in their activism journey, or in need of someone to just listen.

I am seeking support in securing a career within the animal protection movement."

Can you share a moment or story that has shaped your advocacy?

"It was a bustling spring day downtown Missoula in 2016. Crisp cords of a liberty bell captured my attention, then a voice rang out through the crowd. “Animal Cruelty is Wrong. Ban traps on public lands.”

Hearing my deepest beliefs outspoken in public, I realized I must use my voice to amplify this message. My feet carried me swiftly towards the source of this phenomenon. What happened next solidified a paradigm shift in my professional aspirations.

Learning of the advocacy of Footloose Montana, I signed their initiative, and asked if they needed any help. That day I began my first employment with an animal protection organization—a previously unimagined possibility. With this newfound clarity, I decided to amend my career path and dedicate myself professionally to animal protection."

What advice would you give to someone starting on their advocacy journey?

"Keep a detailed personal record. Create a spreadsheet to log your hours spent working on specific projects, and track other useful metrics such as number of volunteer participants engaging in project, organizations you collaborate with, job titles of points of contact, even mileage covered and expenses accrued. 

One important metric to track is the number of individuals reached by your campaign. If you are hosting a live event and posting recorded content online, you can pull these numbers from the attendee list and platform views. For in-person guerilla outreach, I recommend using a click-tally counter. Deploy this pocket-friendly piece of equipment to quickly count the number of novel interactions, without distracting from present conversation. Lastly, as you reach important milestones in your journey and bring initiatives to completion, consider summarizing your achievement, in a style that works for you.

This could take form as a short video or bulleted list meant for your eyes only. Or perhaps the information flows as an essay, and you’d like to share your success story with your student paper and other local news outlets. Whatever you choose to do, capture the energy of the moment!"

What gives you hope for the future?

"The community of New Roots; the youth leaders, supportive advisors, the network of non-profit organizations and innovative businesses, and the collaboration throughout that gives me hope about the future. With so many people working towards a more equitable food system, successes are happening all around us, everyday."

What initiatives are you currently working on? 

"To achieve my goal of granting plant-based proteins even market share, I would like to work with wholesale food producers in the CPG industry or relevant non-profit organizations. Working directly with innovative plant-based food companies as part of the sales or customer support team is an invigorating prospect. Companies such as Impossible Foods and Miyoko’s Creamery are top of my list. 

At some point, having a great product and price point is not enough; the rise of plant-based success has aroused backlash from conventional industry. Misinformation shaping public opinion and unfair business regulations are some of the hurdles to adoption addressed by NPOs.  I admire Greener by Default, the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), Good Food Institute (GFI), and Humane League Labs for their impactful contributions to policy, research, and stakeholder education. 

Health complications recently landed me in the ER, and my locality gave me a glimpse of what our diverse community is subjected to without the outreach from NPOs like Greener by Default. “If you don’t like what’s on the plate, don’t eat it.” Overhearing this statement through the open door of my hospital room, I was aghast. How many people are being denied access to healthful foods with this all-or-nothing approach to feeding programs? Hearing those words from the mouth of a hospital employee exemplified the critical need for more nutritious and inclusive meals in food service."

​​New Roots Institute is a nonprofit empowering the next generation with knowledge and training to end factory farming. Through our leadership development programs, fellows take what they learn about the food system and put it into practice by launching campaigns that challenge industrial animal agriculture. We are strengthening the movement—spreading change from individuals to their communities, and expanding outward into wider systems-level change.