Lauren Johnson

Email: ocfsn.coordinator@gmail.com
Organization: Oregon Community Food Systems Network
Serves: Statewide

Meet Lauren Johnson:

Lauren received a BA in English Literature from Westminster College (Utah) and a MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. She served during RARE’s 21st year in Wallowa County with Northeast Oregon Economic Development as their Community Food Systems Specialist. Lauren is passionate about making food systems more resilient, diverse, and equitable, especially in the face of climate change. She is also particularly jazzed about swimming in large bodies of water, solving wicked problems through public policy, full-fat dairy products, energy democracy, ponderosa pines, coalition building, and cats.

Community and Organization:

Based in Corvallis, The Oregon Community Food Systems Network (OCFSN) is a collaboration of 53 statewide nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and allies dedicated to strengthening local and regional food systems to deliver better economic, social, health and environmental outcomes across the state. The City of Corvallis (pop. 57,961) is located at the confluence of Mary’s River and the Willamette River in the western foothills of the Coast Range. Home of Oregon State University, the City of Corvallis has a vibrant food and beverage scene, great access to outdoor recreation opportunities, and the feeling of tightly knit college town.

Project:

This position will support OCFSN by bringing people and organizations together to broaden understanding, build relationships and trust, develop common purpose, and create collective capacity. The RARE participant, Lauren Johnson, will be housed at and supervised by the OSU Center for Small Farms & Community Food Systems. She will implement a communications plan with a focus on within‐network communications, support working groups and the leadership team, design and deliver the annual statewide convening and other trainings, and engage with the OSU Extension Community Food Systems Working Group to facilitate connections with OCFSN.