The steering committee is responsible for the development and evaluation of a strategic plan. The membership process shall strive to encourage racial, socioeconomic, ethnic, and geographic diversity. Members meet once a month for 1.5 hours, plus one hour of additional work outside the meetings. Interested in being involved, but can't commit to being on the steering committee? Become an affiliated organization!

Tom Cary is the co-chair of the CAFC.
He is a recent resident to the Lansing area, living now in Haslett. He is currently working as Market Manager for the Meridian Township Farmers Market and the Eastern Ingham Farmers Market (Williamston) and helping out a day a week at the MSU Student Organic Farm. His past work includes Program Coordinator for MSU Student Organic Farm's Farmer Field School, co-owning Groundswell Farm, a 7 acre organic vegetable farm in Zeeland, MI, and a small business raising meat birds and laying hens. From 2002 to 2010 he was staff person for the Greater Grand Rapids Food Systems Council, an initiative focused on local food education, advocacy and programming in Grand Rapids, MI.

Julia Kramer is the co-chair of CAFC and Farmers Market and Food Pantry Manager at Allen Neighborhood Center. She also serves on the board of the Michigan Farmers Market Association, the Lansing Urban Farm Project, and the Capital United Land Trust. She lives and works in the Eastside neighborhood of Lansing. Her previous experience includes staff and board positions at the East Lansing Food Co-op and various positions at farmers markets in South Lansing, East Lansing, and Bath Township. Through local, regional, and statewide efforts, she hopes to work towards an equitable food system by combating oppressive structures like racism and economic disparity with creative alternatives rooted in social justice.

Abigail Harper is the Mid Michigan Community Food Systems Educator with MSU Extension. Her areas of focus include farm to institution, urban agriculture initiatives, and racial equity in the food system. Abigail also has an urban garden on Lansing’s east side through the Ingham County Land Bank. Her previous experience includes serving as the Farm to School Specialist at the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems, Healthy Schools Coordinator with Peace Corps Guatemala, and Assistant Grower on a five-acre organically grown vegetable farm in Belmont, Massachusetts.. She served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala from 2010-2012, spent several years working in small scale vegetable production in the greater Boston area, and previously held the position of Farm to School Specialist at the MSU Center for Regional Food Systems.

Julie Lehman is the Garden Project Manager for Greater Lansing Food Bank. Julie Lehman began working for Greater Lansing Food Bank at the very end of 2012, after teaching in northern California for 8 years. Julie holds dual degrees in communication and education from MSU and was raised on her family’s apple orchard. “I’ve learned so much from the gardeners in our network and see the pride they take in growing and providing for themselves and those they love,” says Lehman. “I’m honored to be a part of Garden Project at the Greater Lansing Food Bank.”

Jane Kramer is an advocate for healthy retail, having worked with NorthWest Initiative and the Center for Science in the Public Interest on a Healthy Checkout Campaign, as a member of the Capital Area Food Council and Healthy Kids Healthy Michigan, and through coalition building with Michigan Advocates for Healthy Checkouts. Jane is currently working with NorthWest Initiative and the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) on Approaches to Reducing Sugar Consumption in the Greater Lansing Area.   

Maddy Knott is the Outreach Coordinator at NorthWest Initiative and the owner of Knott Mad Website Management. A recent MSU grad, they holds a degree in Social Relations and Policy, focused on education, racial equity, and the environment. They have been living in Lansing for 3 years and loves the community. Maddy is working towards equitable food and health justice. They live by the famous Les Misérables quote,"To love another person is to see the face of God". 

Julie Cotton has been an academic specialist at MSU for over 10 years. She teaches courses and manages student community engagement projects in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. She and the SAFS students help gather, analyze and share information on the food system to help create a more just, equitable, and healthy food system.

Janine works as the Health Analyst, Healthy Communities Coordinator at the Ingham County Health Department. She has always advocated for including minority groups and more minority engagements in Food Council assessment, planning, and implementation of interventions; Janine’s recent areas of interests and projects include Addressing Sugar consumption through local policies and raising awareness, Food waste assessment and reduction in local communities, and the potentials for Prescription for Health initiative in Ingham County.