Keynote Speakers
2022 JMG National Leader Training
Wednesday, February 23
Breakfast Keynote, Rebecca Seguin-Fowler
Rebecca A. Seguin-Fowler
Associate Director of the Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture
Texas A&M University System
Rebecca A. Seguin-Fowler, PhD, RDN, LD, CSCS is Associate Director for for the Institute for Advancing Health through Agriculture; Chief Scientific Officer for the Healthy Texas Institute; and a tenured faculty member in the Department of Nutrition. She also serves as Director of Healthy Living for the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas.
She is recognized internationally for her expertise in interventions development for rural and minority populations; food systems and food access interventions; civic engagement to catalyze policy, systems, and environment change; and dissemination and implementation research. Dr. Seguin-Fowler was recently honored with the Mead Johnson Award from the American Society for Nutrition; the Founder’s Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine; and the Henrik L. Blum Award for Excellence in Health Planning from the American Public Health Association.
Wednesday, February 23
Keynote Panelists
Sarah Pounders
Senior Education Specialist, Kids Gardening
Sarah is a Senior Education Specialist at Kidsgardening and has been active in the field of youth gardening for over 25 years with experience coordinating numerous children’s gardens, writing curricula and activities for youth of all ages, teaching formal and informal youth education programs, and conducting teacher training sessions. She also enjoys volunteering for a local school garden and gardening at home with her two children.
Rocio Hernandez
CNP Farm Assistant Manager, IDEA Public Schools
Rocio Hernandez serves as an assistant manager of the IDEA Public Schools CNP Farm Program, a non-profit within the greater public charter school. She oversees the menu aligned vegetable and fruit production for the Rio Grande Valley, and supports the production of El Paso, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth and soon to be Baton Rouge organic farms. In addition, Rocio has spearheaded the Farm Programs education initiative, consisting of the development of outdoor curricula, encompassing sustainable agricultural principles, food systems concepts and Junior Master Gardener certifications for students.
Renda Nelson
Director, Better Living for Texans
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
Renda oversees the Better Living for Texans (BLT)/SNAP-Ed program for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The BLT program identifies audiences receiving, or eligible to receive, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in order to provide educational programs that increase the likelihood that recipients will make healthy food choices.
She provides leadership for regional program specialists, BLT educators and county Extension agents to provide programs on nutrition and physical activity to low-income youth, adults, and families in more than 205 Texas counties.
Emilee Case
Coordinator for Special Projects, Texas Department of Agriculture
As the Coordinator for Special Projects at the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), Emilee Case oversees community engagement activities that support the summer meal programs, the Texas Farm Fresh Initiative, and other student and community engagement work.
Jordan Walker
Associate Director – Educational Outreach, Texas Farm Bureau
Jordan serves as the Associate Director Organization Division, Educational Outreach at Texas Farm Bureau. In her role, she oversees the educational outreach efforts that seek to increase agricultural literacy among K-12 teachers and students through in-school programming, curriculum, grant opportunities, and teacher professional development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Leadership & Development and Agricultural Communications & Journalism and a Master of Science in Education, both from Texas A&M University. Jordan is extremely passionate about increasing knowledge and understanding of agriculture among the next generation of leaders. When not working, Jordan lives on the family farm with her husband and lots of cattle!
