Our Members
Please check back soon for more information on our members!Our Staff & Consultants
The FEC is staffed by a Director, consultants, and interns and receives technical assistance from the Coordinating Committee. The Coordinating Committee includes Institute for Public Health Innovation staff members and consultants that provide ongoing technical assistance, logistical support, and guidance in collaboration with its internal leadership structure.
Sydney Daigle | Food Equity Council Director
Contact Sydney at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Sydney directs the work of the FEC and provides Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Training to state and local-level public health-focused coalitions through the Institute for Public Health Innovation. For the past eight years, Sydney has worked with the FEC, a local independent food policy council of twenty-two diverse members. FEC advances county and state-level food and agriculture policies to promote public health, environmental sustainability, and sound economic development in the local food system.
Sydney is passionate about strengthening local food systems and improving under-resourced communities’ access to healthy foods. She has over a decade of experience working on systems-level public health interventions and local food and farm advocacy. Prior to working with IPHI, she served as the South Carolina Department of Education’s Farm to School & Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Coordinator and as the Sustainability Coordinator at St. Francis Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina. She has worked successfully with diverse audiences ranging from school cafeteria staff to policymakers to affect change at the institutional, municipal, county, and state levels. Sydney serves on and chairs multiple advisory and steering committees in Prince George's County including the Healthy and Safe Food Truck Committee, the Health Department Health Action Coalition’s HEAL Workgroup, Prince George's County Healthy Corner Store Steering Committee, and the Greater Riverdale Cares Coalition.
Julia Groenfeldt | Program Manager
Contact Julia at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Julia is a Program Manager with the Institute for Public Health Innovation where she helps coordinate the FEC. Julia administers many of the FEC’s operations, including coordinating the FEC’s food assistance resources and networks and overseeing communications and outreach among FEC members and partners. Julia is committed to addressing food equity through policies and environmental changes that improve access to healthy and affordable foods.
Julia has worked with the Institute for Public Health Innovation since 2017. Julia has experience working on food systems and policy initiatives throughout Maryland and Virginia, including the Healthy Eating & Active Living Cities & Towns Campaign and the Healthy Montgomery Transforming Communities Initiative. Julia has worked as a nutrition and food systems educator where she developed and implemented garden-based curriculum and programs for elementary and middle school students. Julia holds a B.A. in Global Environmental Studies & Food Systems and M.A. in Community Development and Planning from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Jasmine Guadalupe Morales, Prince George’s Fresh Health Navigator
Contact Jasmine at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Jasmine is the Health Navigator for the Prince George's Fresh program. Jasmine supports participants in meeting their wellness goals and needs throughout their time in the program. She is committed to uplifting the communities she works with and addressing health inequities through policy and community organizing.
Prior to joining FEC, Jasmine worked as an advocate for survivors of human trafficking. Jasmine led anti-human trafficking prevention efforts all over DC, Maryland, and Virginia and supported survivors in accessing basic needs and services. Jasmine also worked as a legal advocate for Latin American immigrants fleeing violence by supporting them through their legal process and helping them access basic needs. Jasmine is currently a Poderos Fellow with Poder Latinx, through which she advocates for the Latinx community through civic engagement and community education. Jasmine is passionate about uplifting and empowering communities in need through various hardships.
Blaine Mengistu-Gunn, Food Equity Intern
Contact Blaine at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Blaine is the Food Equity Intern for the FEC. Blaine was born and raised in D.C and is a graduating senior at American University, where she is majoring in International Studies with a concentration in Global Health and minoring in Public Health. Having grown up in D.C, Blaine has always been conscious of her city’s food and health disparities. As a result, Blaine has focused on studying food systems and public health to work with communities disproportionately affected by health inequities.
Before interning for the FEC, Blaine was an intern for Mary’s Center and a tutor for D.C Reads. Blaine is also a volunteer for One Tent Health and is working on her capstone project with the Agroecology Research-Action Collective. In Blaine’s free time, she enjoys discussing the intersections of race, gender, and health and reading fiction.
