NEWS RELEASE
FOR RELEASE, November 12, 2020
Florida Food Policy Council Announces the Appointment of Erica Hall as New Board Chair
Florida, November 12, 2020 — The Florida Food Policy Council announced today the appointment of Erica Hall as Chair to the board of directors.
This brings the current number of board members to 9.
Erica Hall, M.S. CED, MBA, ARM is the incoming chair and will serve a three (3) year term. Erica brings to the Board an extensive background as a community organizer, advocate, non-profit executive and Board member, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant and Senior Legal Professional. Erica has worked in urban agriculture, community development, urban planning, environmental justice, public health, neighborhood preservation, food policy and advocacy and on all aspects of non-profit management, corporate and commercial real estate transactions. Three years ago, she relocated from the Washington DC/Northern VA area where she lived for over 14 years and worked with the US Green Building Council (USGBC), the American Planning Association, the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) and other environmental, neighborhood revitalization groups throughout the DC area focusing on youth development, urban agriculture, food insecurity, workforce training, affordable housing, historic and neighborhood preservation. Erica has collaborated and partnered on developing Food Policy Councils in NY, DC, VA, and MD while remaining active in the green building and environmental justice community, using her platform to combine leadership, advocacy and activism.
Since 2011, she has been a Grant Reviewer for the USDA National Institute of Food & Agriculture's Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program which funds projects designed to meet the needs of low-income individuals and increase community self-reliance concerning food and nutrition. She is still a Grant Reviewer for the USDA's Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LMPP). Erica previously chaired Healthy Solutions a DC non-profit and served on the Board of Directors of Groundwork Anacostia River DC, a local non-profit that utilizes environmental restoration goals as a vehicle for community development. In 2015, while a member of the DC chapter of the US Green Building Council, Erica was selected as co-chair of the Host Committee for Greenbuild, the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to Green Building. As co-chair, she worked to connect and introduce the U.S. Green Building Council and Greenbuild to International Real Estate Management (IREM) and other real estate groups. The 2015 Greenbuild Host Committee, on which she served, earned the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2016.
Erica is also a Senior Fellow of the Environmental Leadership Program, a dynamic network of over 1,000 of the country’s top emerging environmental and social change leaders. Erica is also experienced in lobbying and public policy, working with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Lobby and Leadership Corps, and the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) Public Policy Committee. Erica has also worked for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and NeighborWorks America on Community Reinvestment Act advocacy and initiatives across the country. Erica is currently a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the National Board of Directors for IREM as well as the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the American Society on Aging. Erica is also a member of the Executive Committee of the North American Food Systems Network (NAFSN), which was founded in 2015 to offer leadership and technical skills training, networking, and other professional development opportunities for the growing group of individuals supporting the development of equitable and sustainable local and regional food systems.
Currently living in St Petersburg Florida, Erica stays busy on a number of projects, including advising and working with the Sierra Club Florida Chapter, Suncoast Group, the League of Women Voters and the City of St. Petersburg on the development of a Food Policy Council for the City of St. Petersburg. Erica has also been elected as an incoming Executive Committee member of the Sierra Club Florida Chapter, Suncoast Group. Erica also serves as a workgroup member of the Grow Smarter Strategy, a comprehensive, integrated, data-driven community plan to enhance St. Petersburg’s competitive position and provide quality, diverse economic growth. Erica also worked on the Enoch Davis/St. Pete Youth Farm project as a member of the Ad Hoc Committee, which helped to define the mission statement for the project, helped guide project direction, while producing some broad actions needed to implement the project while empowering youth to lead urban agriculture projects under community guidance and resources as a successful strategy in youth development, entrepreneurship, workforce and neighborhood development. Erica has a master’s degree in Community Economic Development and a Global MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.
“We are thrilled to welcome Erica and her passion, knowledge, and experience to the Board. Erica's commitment to equity and inclusivity in the food system align with the Council values of integrity and collaboration and are ever more vital in our current times. With her experience on the national policy stage coupled with her love of building local food systems, we think she is the ideal candidate to lead the Council forward into the next phase of development,” said Rachel Shapiro, the Florida Food Policy Council’s outgoing Chair.
“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, food policy councils (FPCs) have emerged as a critical structure for organizing community-based responses to multiple food system issues. Food policy councils (FPCs) are being thrust into roles beyond anything their members could have imagined. The Florida Food Policy Council is poised to become an important voice to groups throughout the State of Florida, as well as providing a safe place to encourage and engage in sometimes uncomfortable dialogue and discussion,” said Erica.
About Florida Food Policy Council
The Florida Food Policy Council (FLFPC) works to address gaps and affect policy within the food system through integrity and collaboration for the benefit of all Floridians and the environment.
Media Contact:
Kyndra Love
Operations and Communications Manager
info@flfpc.org
www.flfpc.org