Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council

Fluent in advanced research techniques & statistical methods. Skilled at performance management and measurement. Trained in group facilitation & inclusivity. Adept at managing databases & social media outlets. Comprehensive learner and patient teacher. Celebrated for written and oral communications. Trained to listen. Lover of artistic creative expression. Enthusiast of food & agriculture policy, environmental & social justice and social innovations & technology.

Lisa's passion for ecological conservation led to a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a co-major in Biology from Creighton University in 1997.  Since then she has served successfully in various positions including: seasonal park ranger for Colorado State Parks; chemist; NEPA implementation and environmental permitting specialist; and, air quality compliance specialist for a power production and transmission association. Lisa's growing passions for public health and nutrition, food system resiliency, and urban agriculture later led her to pursue a Master in Landscape Architecture from the University of Colorado Denver in 2010, and the appointment to be co-chair of the Food Production Working Group of the Denver Sustainable Food Policy Council in 2016. Her hobbies include snowboarding, sailing, walking my dog (or vice versa), and connecting with people.

Reuben is responsible for Sustainability and Strategic Partnerships at Metro Caring, a local hunger relief center. While spending a decade in social work, he began to understand the importance of access to affordable and healthful food for all. His passion for growing food at home led to starting community gardens which then led to farming for different entities, such as Denver Public Schools.  Here he learned of the complications of making urban agriculture succeed, assisting in private and public partnerships as well as for-profit and non-profit collaborations. While at Metro Caring, he has provided leadership in programming areas including food access, food waste reduction, and nutrition and gardening education.  Reuben is a former Rocky Mountain Farmers’ Union fellow, and currently sits on the board for a new agriculture-based faith community called The Land. He is also on the board of Future Pointe, consulting and developing integrated solutions for food waste statewide.

"If you have food on your table with friends joining around, you are truly rich." Patti's grandfather described this richness" that she would like for all Denver families--regardless of zip code, age, ethnicity or color. Patti brings a wealth of experience to the SFPC: 10+ years writing/speaking on community-based participatory research (CBPR), 10+ years university/graduate-level teaching (Social Work), 20+ years organizational development and community bridge-building. Patti lives/works in NE Denver. She is a board member/leader in Taking Neighborhood Health to Heart, Inc., a resident-led 501(c)3 non-profit engaged in CBPR.

In 1977 Joanne co-founded the Three Tomatoes Catering Companies, a full service catering organization. Passionately committed to providing “from scratch” beautiful food served at myriad events on the Front Range, she and her partner sold the business after 38 entrepreneurial years. She has served on the boards of Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver Film Society and the Woman’s Presidents Organization.

Currently she is volunteer, dilettante, activist and concerned citizen. Denver has been her home since 1964. The city has grown exponentially since then. Her dream for this City is that there would be a garden in every yard and vacant lot, and that we could get back to a time like the Victory Garden era when fresh food was cultivated by individual citizens and shared freely in their communities.

Along with her husband, they proudly grow organic vegetables from seed in their front yard which they share with neighbors and family. Her husband holds a board position for Denver Urban Gardens. Drawing, cooking and preserving the bounty of her garden fills her time, and sharing beautiful meals fulfills her passion. 

Lauren Duncan is the Abandoned Mine Restoration Project Manager for Trout Unlimited based in Denver, Colorado. She has received a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Denver and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.  Prior to coming to Trout Unlimited, Lauren worked for various public and private entities in sustainable operations, water quality and water resources.  Lauren’s interests in healthy cooking, food access and environmental sustainability led her to volunteering with Denver’s Sustainable Food Policy Council in 2015 and she joined as a full member in 2016. 

Turner Wyatt is the Executive Director of Denver Food Rescue, a nonprofit organization in Denver, Colorado, focused on improving health equity outcomes for low income families by increasing access to healthy food in areas with insufficient access to healthy food. In 2014 he graduated manga cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder with focuses in environmental studies, leadership studies, and sustainable energy studies. 

While Brittany has lived in in five different states and the District of Columbia, Denver is the place she calls home. With a background in public policy focused in public health, Brittany provides a unique perspective to add to the SFPC team. Much of Brittany’s public health work has been focused on how to address public health concerns using both a food systems and health equity lens. Occupying positions in Colorado including at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Denver Department of Environmental Health (DEH), and the Denver Office of Economic Development (OED), Brittany has been able to work on Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) initiatives aimed at revitalizing not only communities but also Coloradoans’ health. Today, Brittany is the Business Development Manager for Salud Family Health Centers, a nonprofit community health organization that provides integrative health care services to predominantly low-income, medically underserved, and migrant and seasonal farmworker populations in NE Colorado.While Brittany has lived in in five different states and the District of Columbia, Denver is the place she calls home. With a background in public policy focused in public health, Brittany provides a unique perspective to add to the SFPC team. Much of Brittany’s public health work has been focused on how to address public health concerns using both a food systems and health equity lens. Occupying positions in Colorado including at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Denver Department of Environmental Health (DEH), and the Denver Office of Economic Development (OED), Brittany has been able to work on Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) initiatives aimed at revitalizing not only communities but also Coloradoans’ health. Today, Brittany is the Business Development Manager for Salud Family Health Centers, a nonprofit community health organization that provides integrative health care services to predominantly low-income, medically underserved, and migrant and seasonal farmworker populations in NE Colorado.