The Center for Regional Food Systems within the Department of Community Sustainability is seeking a full-time Specialist - Outreach to support capacity-building among and facilitate technical assistance to Michigan local food councils, Michigan food and health organizations, and countrywide grantees in the federal Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP).
The Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program, or GusNIP, supports programs that provide nutrition incentives – including produce prescription programs and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program incentives
– to help families bring home more nutritious fruits and vegetables. The Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition will lead a newly-established Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Technical Assistance, Evaluation and Information Center. Core partners in the
project include Fair Food Network, National Grocers Association, National Farmers Market Coalition, and the Michigan Farmers Market Association. CRFS will be a consultant to the project.
One half of this position will lead efforts with statewide food and health networks and associations and work with current Michigan Local Food Council Network coordinators to support councils, seeking to build organizations’ capacity to execute their individual and collective priorities. This includes assisting local food councils in building their capacity to serve as a critical piece of the Michigan Good Food infrastructure by communicating across communities statewide, setting and advancing policy priorities in the development of a post-2020 Michigan Good Food Charter, and playing an active role in a statewide food policy voice once developed.
The other half of this position will be devoted to coordinating the Center’s involvement in providing local food sourcing and food system equity technical assistance, network facilitation, and educational resources development to grantees of the federal GusNIP program. GusNIP grantee assistance will center on the topics of local food sourcing and food system equity, with the goal of maximizing the efficiency and impact of GusNIP projects. Types of assistance include one-on-one grantee assistance, webinars, best practice bulletins, and other resource materials. The candidate will provide a portion of this technical assistance and will coordinate technical assistance provision by other CRFS staff.
This position is an opportunity for a collaborative, network-oriented, resourceful candidate to join teams supporting local and statewide food and health groups in Michigan and GusNIP grantees across the U.S.
Qualifications
If you have questions about the position or search process, you may contact: Rich Pirog, [log in to unmask].
Please do not send application materials directly to Rich Pirog.
The mission of the Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University is to work to engage the people of Michigan, the United States and the world in applied research, education and outreach to develop regionally integrated, sustainable food systems.
Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
The MSU College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) at Michigan State University is committed to achieving excellence by creating and sustaining an accessible and inclusive culture that values cultural and academic diversity. We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. The CANR is particularly interested in candidates of all backgrounds who are committed to the principle that academic excellence is achieved through open access and proactive inclusion.
MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer and is committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity. The university actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans and persons with disabilities. Michigan State University employment opportunities are open to eligible/qualified persons without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. Michigan State University is a pioneer Land Grant institution based in East Lansing, Michigan that provides regional, national, and international leadership in basic and applied research, excellence in teaching, an emphasis on international engagement, and a strong extension program that partners with diverse stakeholders to bring science-based responses to social and environmental challenges.