Michelle Markesteyn Ratcliffe will be leaving Ecotrust this week to join the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) as ODA’s new Farm to School Coordinator. One of her key responsibilities at the Oregon Department of Agriculture will be to help us make sure FoodHub is a fantastic resource for school food service directors and the regional vendors they work with.
Those of you active in getting great regional food into schools will understand what wonderful news this is. Michelle joined Ecotrust’s Farm to School program in June of 2007 and immediately made her mark.
During her tenure she led an ambitious local, state and national research agenda, supported farm to school activities in an eight-state region of the West as the Regional Lead Agency for the National Farm to School Network, was instrumental in creating the Oregon Farm to School and School Garden Network, successfully promoted farm to school legislation that changed policies and practices within the state of Oregon, personally answered 1,000s of parent, teacher, and concerned citizen inquiries about food in schools, mentored numerous graduate students and interns, brokered connections between schools and food producers that resulted in real change on the lunch line, launched a pre-K initiative, served as an eloquent and informed spokesperson, nurtured innumerable relationships and partnerships, acted as a beloved colleague and friend to many, and set an example for excellence that continually challenged us to do our very best all while having an extremely good time. (And this list really only scratches the surface.)
Please join me in congratulating Michelle on her new position and her many accomplishments.