Director, Principal Investigator

Edna Ledesma is an Assistant Professor of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She researches markets through an emphasis on place and inclusion. Edna is a native of Brownsville,Texas located on the U.S.-Mexico border.

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Founder, Research Associate

Alfonso Morales is a Professor of Planning and Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, who has pioneered policy-relevant research on street vendors. He is originally from rural New Mexico with roots in family farming.

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Founder, Program Director

Lauren was a PhD Candidate in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and is now a Inclusive Excellence Research Analyst at American Family Insurance. She has been the lead research assistant for Farm 2 Facts since the pilot project started in 2014.

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Staff Economist

Phillip Warsaw is an Assistant Professor of Ecological Economics and Environmental Justice at Michigan State University. Before joining MSU, Phil was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Research Associate

Catie is a PhD student in Urban and Regional Planning at UW-Madison. She has worked closely with farmers and the agricultural community to build more resilient, sustainable regional food systems over the last decade. Catie has an MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana and a BA from Lawrence University.

Research Associate

Dr. Zlata Vuksanović-Macura is a Senior Research Associate at the Geographical Institute "Jovan Cvijic", Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade. She is a trained architect and urban planner, earning a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Belgrade. Her research focuses on urban history, inclusive housing for socially disadvantaged groups, and participatory and resilient urban planning.

Research Associate

Dr. Stefan Denda is a Research Associate at the Geographical Institute "Jovan Cvijic", Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade. He holds a Ph.D. in Geosciences from the University of Belgrade - Faculty of Geography. His main research focus is on the areas of tourism geography and political geography, as well as research on the quality of life in the tourism areas.

Research Associate

Dr. Marko Petrović is a research associate at the Social Geography Department of the Geographical Institute ”Jovan Cvijić”, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade (Serbia) and a Visiting Scholar in the UW–Madison Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture. He is a human geographer and contributes as a visiting professor to the ISTiS Institute, South Ural State University in Chelyabinsk (Russia) and contributed as a visiting scholar to the DPLA, UW-Madison. His research is centered on rural development, agritourism, community wellbeing, and local economic planning.

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Project Assistant (PA)

Hanbing Liang is a PhD student in Urban and Regional Planning. Her background is rooted in the disciplines of urban planning and landscape architecture, where she earned both degrees during her undergraduate study at Michgian State University. Currently, her research is centered around exploring people’s sensory experience in the built environment, with a particular interest in the perceptual construct of soundscape.

Marketing and Communications Intern

Sofie is an undergraduate student at UW-Madison studying English and Digital Studies. Her favorite summer activities are having a picnic, hiking, and going on long car rides. She is especially passionate about reading and journalism, and her favorite foods are mini tomatoes and carrots!

Marketing and Communications Intern

Adrian Cruz-Perez is an undergraduate studying Psychology and Spanish while pursuing Medical school. Adrian will be contributing to the marketing team and blogs. On his free time, he enjoys running, working out, and grilling out with friends and family.

Student Researcher

Stephen Kwas is an undergraduate student studying anthropology and chemistry. Stephen is working with F2F to help pilot the Ecosystem Services Tool. In his free time, he enjoys biking, photography, and listening to music.

Marketing and Communications Intern

Isabella is an undergraduate student at UW-Madison, studying Global Health and Urban Studies. She is interested in sustainable development of communities and local and global food systems. Her favorite thing to do is create new recipes starring the fresh ingredients she finds at the farmers market each week.

Junior Software Developer

Kyle is an undergraduate student doubling in Computer Science and Data Science. He is interested in software development and UX design. During his free time, Kyle enjoys playing soccer and grabbing cold brew coffee.

Junior Software Developer

Michael Kuhn is an undergraduate studying mathematics and computer science. He is interested in AI and machine learning, and modern computational technology more broadly. In his free time Michael enjoys running and cooking.

Software Developer Intern

Nolan Hegge is an undergraduate student studying Computer Science and Data Science. He is interested in predictive analysis and data mining. In his free time, Nolan enjoys going to concerts and reading.

Software Development

The Teaching & Research Application Development (TRAD) software development team within DoIT Academic Technology creates custom applications and web-based solutions to meet teaching, learning, and research needs.

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Research Associate

Arden was a student of economics, math & data science, with an interest in using mixed-method research for social good. Arden contributed to the design of economic surveys and metrics, grant and report-writing, and evaluations of F2F partners.

Research Associate

Nick DeMarsh is a PhD candidate in Urban Planning at the University of Wisconsin. He is studying the interaction of urban food and transportation systems. For over a decade Nick has worked with advocacy groups in Milwaukee working toward community-led transformation of food and transportation systems.

Research Associate

Ramakrishna Raju is a Research Associate and GIS specialist for Farm2Facts. He is pursuing a Master's in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Cartography at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is an international student from India and has experience working with ArcGIS Pro, Adobe Illustrator, and QGIS. He desires to develop plausible solutions for real-time problems using the power of GIS. Furthermore, he is delighted and excited to develop web maps and perform map analysis related to the farmers' markets data. And as a foodie, he finds it intriguing to know how different food is agriculturally processed.

Project Manager

Nadia Alber holds an M.S. in Environment & Resources from the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. From December 2011 until present, Alber has been employed by UW-Madison as an Outreach Specialist/Academic Staff. Alber is the Director of the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy & Livestock Farmers (WSBDF), part of the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at UW-Madison. Additionally, Alber owns and manages a small, diversified organic farm in Iowa County, Wisconsin with her husband and two young children.

Project Assistant

Talyr is a graduate student pursuing her master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning. She recently received a B.A. in Intelligence Studies with a minor in mathematics from Mercyhurst University. Talyr became interested in urban planning while conducting research on food insecurity and access in her hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. Restrictive urban farming city ordinances and poor access to healthy sustainable food sparked a desire in Talyr to transform cities like her own into thriving agricultural communities. At the Kaufman Lab, Talyr works as a project assistant under director Dr. Edna Ledesma conducting research on increasing EBT use at farmers markets in Wisconsin. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, biking, trivia, and bird watching.

Graphic Design and Member Services Intern

Jessica Chavez is an undergraduate student studying Marketing and Chican@ and Latin@ Studies. Jessica contributes to F2F’s blogs, graphic design work, and social media. In her free time, she loves drawing, baking, and playing tennis.

Chief of Operations, General Manager

Megan Sankey was an undergraduate student studying Nutritional Sciences and Global Health. Previously, she worked for a large biotechnology company in sales and marketing and is excited to work on a smaller scale in an industry she is passionate about. In her free time, you can find Megan in, on or near a body of water with her dog, Berkeley.

Communications Intern

Anna Feldman was an undergraduate student studying Biology and Journalism. She is interested in using her skills to help with environmental, social justice, and global health issues. Anna has previously done research in various fields of biology and scientific writing, and now does communications such as writing blogs for the F2F website.

Junior Software Developer

Rachel Fu was an undergraduate student studying computer science in the College of Letters and Sciences. She also has interests in machine learning and Asian American studies. Outside of school, she enjoys playing violin in orchestra and traveling to new places.

Marketing Intern

Hello! My name is Lucas LoBreglio and I am excited to join the Farm2Facts marketing team. I am a senior at the University of Wisconsin, Madison studying Environmental Science and Community + Environmental Sociology; my hobbies include beekeeping, cooking, camping, and playing music. I look forward to sharing my passion for sustainable community development with the Farm2Facts team!

Marketing and Web Development Intern

Evelyn Mendoza Nunez was an undergraduate student studying Consumer Behavior and Marketplace Studies. Evelyn primarily contributed to F2F’s blogs and marketing efforts. She enjoys learning languages, going for walks, and watching films in her free time.

Marketing Intern & Farmers Market Coordinator Assistant

Abbey is an undergraduate student at UW-Madison pursuing a double major in Diabetics and Health Promotion and Health Equity. Throughout the summer, Abbey will be helping with the markets working within research and data collection, while continuing to work on the marketing team into the 2022-2023 school year. She is interested in food equity, sustainability, and other social issues pertaining to nutrition and disability rights. In her free time, she enjoys biking around the state while discovering new coffee shops to enjoy.

Senior Graphic Design and Member Services Intern

Maggie Tomashek was an undergraduate student studying fine arts with interests in printmaking and watercolor illustration. She also has experience with digital design. In her free time, she enjoys watching films, traveling, and eating delicious food.

Consumer Research and Food System Analyst Intern

Erika Sandoval was an undergraduate student studying Consumer Behavior and Marketplace Studies in conjunction with an Entrepreneurship certificate. She aspires to improve food systems by bettering communication and awareness in consumer and producer relations. She is also interested in culturally and environmentally appropriate agroecology practices. In her free time, she enjoys working on DIY projects, practicing embroidery, and mindfully keeping her body active. Erika primarily contributed to F2F's research and marketing efforts.