A conversation on food justice, centered on culinary, agricultural, and community-driven approaches to pressing issues of inequality, insecurity, and injustice in the US food system. The panel will feature: Tommy Garcia-Prats, a founder of Small Places LLC and leader in Community Impact Agriculture; Indigenous chef and advocate Sean Sherman (the Sioux Chef); and artist/writer/cook Tunde Wey. who uses his practice to explore systems of material power and their personal and collective consequences.

Aaron Ambroso is a museum professional, educator, writer, activist, and artist. He received his Masters in Art History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has worked at the Nasher Museum of Art, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He is also the co-founder of the Houston Climate Justice Museum & Cultural Center. He has presented at the Texas Association of Museums, the Southeast College Art Conference, and Texas Historical Commission, and his writing has appeared in Artnet Magazine.

Tiffany Jin grew up in Houston and is the co-founder of the Houston Climate Justice Museum which exists at the intersection of environmental justice and decolonial museum practice. She works with artists, activists, and scholars who help us reimagine our worlds and lead the way in upholding values and traditions that are more representative of our collective lived experiences. Prior to the museum, she worked in Brooklyn, NY for a furniture and design company that reimagined waste; at an art gallery in New York City centered around gender and identity issues; and as a volunteer teaching artist at the International Rescue Committee with A.S.T.E.P. (Artists Striving to End Poverty). She received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Texas and studied at Cornell University in the Master of Architecture program.

Jaime González is an award-winning conservationist, educator, communicator, and network weaver who partners with community partners to co-create healthier, more climate ready, more equitable, and more wildlife-friendly places using nature-based solutions. Mr. González earned a M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction-Science Education and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Houston.

Leticia Gutierrez is the Director of Government Relations and Community Outreach for Air Alliance Houston (AAH). Leticia keeps abreast of policy developments and oversees engagement with elected officials and stakeholders to advance AAH’s goals. She was born in Mexico and came to Houston as a child, eventually graduating from Milby High School and the University of St. Thomas. Prior to joining AAH, she served as the Chief of Staff at the Houston City Council. Her passion for safe air for all started as she raised her children in the East End of Houston, where she noticed the poor air quality, and that one of her children experienced asthma when living there. When Leticia isn’t working, she is likely out volunteering in the community or spending time with her family.

Marleen Villanueva joined Bayou City Waterkeeper as the Communications and Narrative Change Manager in Summer 2023. She is an Indigenous Mother from Pame-Chichimeca lands in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, raised in Texas. Marleen is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Social Justice Education Department at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, and a former Elementary school teacher. By bringing together Indigenous studies, environmental education, and social justice education, her dissertation aims to add to discussions around water protection with a specific focus on the waters of Central Texas, Yana Wana.

As CEO and founder of Blackwood Educational Land Institute, Cath has created a 33-acre environmental oasis that attracts thousands of students each year who come to learn where food comes from and to enjoy a peaceful respite from city living. A certified permaculture designer and master gardener, she has created a land-based learning environment supporting schools, teachers, corporations, and other organizations.