Ecotrust Expert Bios
Deborah Kane
Vice President, Food & Farms
Ecotrust, Portland, Oregon
503-467-0763
Ecotrust projects of special interest:
Farm to School, Farmer-Chef Connection, Edible Portland, Guide to Local and Seasonal Products, Vivid Picture, Renewing Salmon Nation's Food Traditions.
Areas of professional expertise:
Regional food initiatives, farm to school programs, food systems, sustainable farming, supply chain management, direct food marketing, food literacy.
Deborah Kane is Ecotrust's Vice President of Food & Farms. Working in this role since 2005, Kane strives to make an abundant, affordable and healthy Northwest food system a reality. Under Kane's guidance, ongoing Food & Farms projects include expanding market opportunities for regionally produced food, participating in policy advocacy regarding school food, providing technical assistance and coordination to regional farm to school initiatives and creation of consumer campaigns designed to encourage healthy eating.
Kane is publisher of Edible Portland, a quarterly magazine designed to feature the bounty of local products and foster increased understanding of regional food systems. The Ecotrust publication celebrates family farmers, fishermen, food artisans, chefs and other food-related businesses for their dedication to high quality and seasonally fresh foods.
For 2007 to 2008, Kane has been awarded a national Food and Society Policy Fellowship by the Thomas Jefferson Agricultural Institute. One goal of the fellowship is to better educate the public and policy makers about the expansion of locally owned and controlled food systems that promote good health, vibrant communities and environmental stewardship.
Prior to joining Ecotrust, Kane ran an independent consulting business specializing in sustainable food and farming contracts. From 1997 to 2004, Kane served as executive director of Food Alliance, a national certification organization for environmentally friendly and socially responsible agriculture practices.
Kane is a current board member of Live Wire! radio, a one hour radio show recorded in front of a live studio audience and broadcast bi-weekly on Oregon Public Broadcasting. From 2005–2007 Kane served as a board member of the Portland Public Market, a public-private partnership devoted to building a year-round public market in Portland, Ore. In 2005 she also served as an advisory board member to the Project for Public Spaces/North American Farm Direct Marketing Association's Diversifying Farmers Markets project and the Western Region Farm to School Network.
Appointed by Governor Kulongoski, Kane served on the Oregon Sustainability Board from 2003 to 2005. In 2004, she was named one of fifty leaders in the state by Oregon Business Magazine. From 1999 to 2001, she served as a founding board member of Friends of Zenger Farm, a working farm located on land owned by the City of Portland.
Kane received an MS in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development with an emphasis on sustainable agriculture from the University of Georgia. She also has a BA in International Relations from the University of Virginia. Kane completed Portland State University's Food Industry Leadership Seminar in 1998 and has participated in multiple post-graduate courses focused on management, marketing, communications and organizational development.
Related Web links:
Ecotrust's Food and Farms Program: www.ecotrust.org/foodfarms
Ecotrust's Farm to School projects: www.ecotrust.org/farmtoschool
The Food and Society Policy Fellows Program: www.foodandsocietyfellows.org
Edible Portland: www.edibleportland.com
Vivid Picture: www.vividpicture.net
Eat Local: www.eatlocal.net
