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.

More About Edna

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.

More About Alfonso

Outreach Program Manager

Nathan Larson serves on the Planning and Landscape Architecture Teaching Faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His focus areas include co-design, community food systems, school gardens, and well-being in nature, and he works collaboratively with students, colleagues, and community partners around the state, country, and world to grow and sustain impactful community-university partnership programs.

More About Nathan

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.

More About Phillip

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

Gabriel comes to Madison by way of Leonardtown, Maryland, and is currently a master's student in urban and regional planning at UW. While trying to stay informed about all that goes into urban planning, he has ended up focusing on the layout, design, and sustainability of neighborhoods and urban districts. He's joined the Farm2Facts team to learn more about how food and farms fit into those questions of sustainability and principally works on the research side with F2F's partners at the ICICLE Institute. He's also been helping with updating the lab's physical space and computer hardware.

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.

More About Marco

Marketing Manager

Yemi Iledare is an MBA Marketing Analytics and Insights student at the Wisconsin School of Business. He leads the Farm2Facts Marketing & Communications team, developing strategies to drive the adoption of innovative technology including the F2F Ecosystem Services (ESS) tool to advance climate-smart commodity production. He also develops and executes comprehensive marketing campaigns to help market managers tell their stories.

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.

Design and Visualization Lead

Vanessa is a Lebanese practicing architect since Spring 2021, working alongside a team of experimental architects in Lebanon. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Lebanese American University, and is currently in her second year at the MS Urban and Regional Planning Program at UW-Madison. She takes pride in receiving the competitive Fulbright Scholarship for 2022, with a goal to specialize in Sustainable Community Development at UW-Madison. She joined the Kaufman Lab in Spring 2024, with an interest to learn more about the intersection of sustainability, food systems, and market designs. She will be in charge of design and visualization with both the research and marketing teams.

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.

Lead Marketing Program Assistant

Elisa is a second year Law Student. Originally born in Caracas, Venezuela, she's lived throughout the east coast growing up. Elisa is serving as the Lead Marketing Program Assistant at Farm2Facts! She's super excited to learn more about innovative ways to leverage the various social systems to reduce and eliminate food insecurity.

Student Researcher

Liz is a senior undergraduate student at UW-Madison studying Conservation Biology, Environmental Studies, and Public Policy. She is excited to work on the research team, focusing on ecosystem services and soil health. In her free time, she loves to bike around the lakes, hike, draw, and cook.

Student Researcher

Abbi is a senior studying health promotion and health equity, global health, and environmental studies. She has joined Farm2Facts as a part of the research team. She chose to join because one of her passions is food equity and security for people. Abbi thinks that F2F is a great merger between environmental studies and public health. She hopes to gain practical experience in the field and learn more about partnerships, the importance of data collection, and how data collection can turn into practical solutions in public health and agriculture!

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.

Research Assistant and Marketing & Communications Intern

Marketing and Communications Intern

Josie is a second-year undergraduate student from Stevens Point, Wisconsin. She is a Genetics and Genomics major who has joined Farm2Facts as a part of the marketing team. Josie says that joining the Kaufman lab has been an opportunity to learn more about food equity programs both close and far to home. She hopes to be an active supporter of programs that not only make food more accessible, but healthy and locally nutritious.

Marketing and Communications Intern

Ben is a senior undergraduate student from Madison studying Human Geography, Cartography and Geographic Information Systems, and pursuing a certificate in Organic Agriculture. He joins the marketing team of Farm2Facts as a part of his semester-long independent study as a capstone for the Organic Agriculture program. Ben is passionate about sustainable and equitable food production, as well as the connection between farms and urban regions, and has joined the Kaufman Lab in hopes of gaining experience working with tools that improve these relations. He is excited about the opportunity and happy to be part of the group! In his free time, he volunteers by coaching football at a local high school and enjoys spending time with his family.

Marketing and Communications Intern

Jordyn, an undergraduate student from Milwaukee, is studying Landscape and Urban Studies, People-Environment Geography, and Environmental Studies. She is also pursuing a certificate in Integrative Design of Built and Natural Environments. Intrigued by the connections between humans and the environment, Jordyn aspires to explore how food and farm systems support communities, enhance sustainability, and improve access to food through her work with the Kaufman Lab. In her free time, Jordyn engages in sustainable fashion through ReWear It, volunteers at the Madison Children’s Museum, practices yoga, and loves spending time outdoors. .

Junior Software Developer and Research Assistant

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

Junior Software Developer

Kyle Sung is an undergraduate student pursuing a double major in Computer Science and Data Science. His passion lies at the intersection of software development and UX design, where he thrives on creating seamless digital experiences. When he's not immersed in code or design, Kyle finds joy on the soccer field, reveling in the thrill of the game. Additionally, he enjoys a cup of cold brew coffee, always on the lookout for the next unique brew to savor. Beyond his academic pursuits, Kyle likes to play piano covers of his favorite songs.

Junior Software Developer

Sangwon Lee is an undergraduate student from South Korea, double majoring in Computer Science and Mathematics. He has a keen interest in software development and Artificial Intelligence, which forms the core of his academic pursuits. When he's not immersed in his studies, Sangwon loves to watch a variety of movies. He also plays the cello in his free time, further highlighting his diverse interests and talents.

Junior Software Developer

Charlie Haight is an undergraduate student studying Computer Science and Data Science. As part of the development team, Charlie aims to bring a holistic approach to software development and make powerful computing tools accessible to farmers. In his free time, Charlie coaches tennis and loves to play volleyball.

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

Lucas is a Junior from Kenosha, Wisconsin who studies Computer Science and Data Science. He joins Farm2Facts as a part of the software development team, bringing his skills over from his studies. Lucas resonates with the lab's idea to create social good with a focus on sustainability. He hopes this experience can give him a real-world experience with data and software development.

Junior Software Developer

Erica is an undergraduate student studying Data Science and Economics. She is passionate about integrating her multifaceted data organization and interpretation skills to solve complex societal problems. In her free time Erica enjoys running, reading, sewing, and road trips with friends.

Software Developer Intern

Michael is a senior undergraduate student from Bloomington, Minnesota. He studies Economics along with a pursuit of a certificate in Computer Science. Michael joins the Farm2Facts as a part of the development team working on cyber security. He says that he met Professor Morales and heard about F2F through him. Michael could see the excitement Professor Morales had for the project, and he thought it was a great mission that Morales was helping to lead. He hopes to learn a ton more about cyber security and how it relates to agriculture while helping out anywhere he can on the technical side of things.

Junior Software Developer

Alan Zhong is an undergraduate student majoring in Computer Science and pursuing a certificate in Mathematics. He is grateful for the opportunity and excited about leveraging machine learning to advance the Farm2Facts mission. Beyond coding, Alan enjoys playing soccer and the viola in orchestra.

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.

More About TRAD

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.

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.

More About Lauren

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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 & 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.

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 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.

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.