WANDA CEO Named to National Food Museum Advisory Council

WASHINGTON, DC--As National Nutrition Month concludes, WANDA is proud to announce its appointment to a dynamic council of advisory members serving to bring the vision of the National Food Museum™ to fruition. The museum will be the first nationally significant museum that explores America and Americans through the lens of food: what we eat, what influences our food choices, food’s enormous effects on our health and the environment, and more.

"I am thrilled to contribute to the vision of creating a permanent museum dedicated to food that explores the depth and breadth of America's food system past, present and future," said Tambra Stevenson, WANDA's CEO. "The complex history and participation of Black women in the food system from producing, consuming and negotiating identities and power are critical to examine and highlight in this vision."

Conceived by MIT-trained Dr. Michael F. Jacobson, the museum would feature highly interactive and experiential exhibits helping visitors connect the food they eat and the impact of those choices on themselves and our planet. He co-founded and headed the Center for Science in the Public Interest for four decades and led campaigns for laws that banned trans fat, launched Nutrition Facts labels, and improved school foods and food safety.

"Given Tambra's expansive knowledge of food issues and involvement in museum exhibitions on food, she will provide invaluable insight into the development of the National Food Museum," said Dr. Jacobson.

As the museum looks for investors and a home, the advisory council will support it to make it a reality. Once realized, the museum will help visitors recognize that they have control over their food choices and encourage their participation in solving food-related problems locally and across the nation. The museum also will add to the vibrancy of the civic life of its host city.

The Museum's mission is to educate children and adults on how food and farming impact their culture, health, and environment and to inspire visitors to eat healthier diets and solve food-related problems.

The museum envisions a world where food and how it is grown contribute to healthy people, a sustainable planet, and a more vibrant culture.

The museum's advisory council is led by honorary co-chairs who are both former U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture, Ann Veneman and Dan Glickman, along with the following council members:

Sheryll Durrant Just Food, Board President

Ron Estrada CEO, Farmworker Justice

Jessica Fanzo Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Global Food Policy and Ethics, Johns Hopkins University

Daisy Freund Vice President, Farm Animal Welfare – ASPCA

Will Harris Owner, White Oak Pastures regenerative farm

JohnElla Holmes Executive Director, Kansas Black Farmers Association

Angela Huffman Co-founder and Vice President, Farm Action

Jennifer Jacquet Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, New York University

A.G. Kawamura Produce farmer, former California Secretary of Agriculture

Ellie Krieger Cookbook author, Washington Post cooking columnist

Art Molella Curator Emeritus and Founding Director, Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center

Bonnie Moore Executive Director, Real Food for Kids

Michael Moss Author of Hooked and Salt, Sugar, Fat and former New York Times writer

Mark Muller Executive Director, Regenerative Agriculture Foundation

Marion Nestle Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, New York University

Dean Ornish Founder & President, Preventive Medicine Research Institute

Fabio Parasecoli Professor of Food Studies, New York University

Nora Pouillon Chef, owner of America’s first certified-organic restaurant

Pamela Ronald Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis

Ricardo Salvador Director and Senior Scientist, Food & Environment Program, Union of Concerned Scientists

Sean Sherman Founder, Sioux Chef; co-founder, NATIFS (North American Indigenous Food Systems) and co-owner of the restaurant Owamni

Naomi Starkman Founder and editor-in-chief, Civil Eats

Tambra Stevenson Founder/CEO, Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture

Alice Waters Founder, Chez Panisse Restaurant and The Edible Schoolyard Project

Stephen Whisnant Philanthropic advisor

Walter Willett Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health

Paul Willis

Co-Founder, Niman Ranch