UNA-NYC Summer Series:
Sustainable Food Systems in New York and the World
Congressman Adriano Espaillat
U.S. Representative
New York's 13th congressional district
Florence French Fagan
Regional Organizer, Florida
Bread for the World
Zanita Tisdale
Senior Director
Member Engagement, Food Bank For New York City
Panel Moderated by
Kara Dean-Assael
Director
Clinical Education and Innovation Department, McSilver Institute
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Thursday | 8 July 2021 | 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. EST
Note: This event will last approximately 1 hour, and will include a brief Q+A session.
This event is the last in our four-part summer series, Sustainable Food Systems in New York and the World, in which we aim to prepare our membership and the general public to engage with the UN Food Systems Summit this September.
A Food-Secure Future for New York City
This event, which is co-ordinated by the UNA-USA Emerging Leaders Fellows, will address food insecurity here in New York City.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 1.6 million New Yorkers were impacted by food insecurity and had no access or limited access to healthy food.The pandemic exacerbated this crisis and now 2.1 million New Yorkers are reported to be food insecure.
With a diverse panel, the focus of this session will be on resources available, research, legislation and ways we can all take action as volunteers. We will have speakers from Food Bank NYC, Bread for the World, NYU McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research, as well as a United States Representative who will speak about their individual roles in food security. All our panelists are community leaders and have extensive experience with grassroots organizing.
Panel Moderator
KARA DEAN-ASSAEL
Kara Dean-Assael is Director of the McSilver Institute’s Clinical Education and Innovation Department and the Clinical Leader for the Community Technical Assistance Center of New York State (CTAC). She was the co-director of an NIMH-funded project that is now known as the 4 Rs and 2 Ss for Strengthening Families Program and has spent years training clinicians and supervisors on how to utilize the model in their settings.
As an innovator, Dr. Dean-Assael develops, coordinates, manages, produces, and facilitates various programs, projects, and trainings, both locally and nationally. In 2006, she was a collaborative member of a research team to develop the nationally known evidence-based treatment, the “4 Rs and 2 Ss for Strengthening Families Program.”
She also co-founded the 501c3 Fareground, Inc. in 2012, a project that focuses on food justice in Dutchess County, NY. She is passionate about helping to create and disseminate programs and practices to improve family mental health and outcomes for families, children, and adults. She was appointed as a member of the Commission on Human Rights in the City of Beacon. Dr. Dean-Assael is passionate about helping to create and disseminate programs and practices to improve equity and family mental health and outcomes for families, children, and adults.
Dr. Dean-Assael holds an MSW degree from Columbia University School of Social Work (2001) and a Doctorate in Clinical Social Work from New York University (2020) and has been working with children and families since 1997. As a West Virginian native, she’s attached to her roots of resilience and family.
Panel Speakers
CONGRESSMAN ADRIANO ESPAILLAT
U.S. Representative Adriano Espaillat proudly represents New York’s Thirteenth Congressional District.
Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill, and the north-west Bronx.
First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat was sworn into office on January 3, 2017, during the 115th Congress and is serving his third term in Congress.
Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities to keep the United States safe, strong, and moving forward. Representative Espaillat is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair. Representative Espaillat is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip, and he serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. Through his committee assignments and caucus leadership positions, Representative Espaillat helps advance and amplify legislative priorities and accomplishments that aim to improve the lives of families around the nation.
FLORENCE FRENCH FAGAN
Florence French Fagan is a native New Yorker who graduated from Saint John’s University with a degree in Business Management. Florence relocated to Florida in 2007 to care for her aging father.
In 2013, Florence moved away from the private sector and began her career in the non-profit world as an Organizer with Enroll America and the Get Covered America campaign for the south Florida region. In 2015 Florence became the Regional Director with Enroll America for south FL. Her time with Enroll America was a pivotal moment in her life both professionally and personally. Florence together with her co-workers, volunteers and partner organizations, changed millions of people’s lives by introducing and educating them to the Affordable Healthcare Act, affectionately known as Obamacare.
In 2017, Florence French joined Bread for the World as State Organizer for the state of Florida. Since joining Bread for the World, Florence has mobilized churches, university campuses, high schools, businesses, local and federal government personnel and other entities to join Bread for the World’s mission to end hunger by 2030 both domestically and internationally.
Florence is passionate about educating people on legislative policies that have created the systemic issues that have led to hunger and poverty all over our country and around the world.
ZANITA TISDALE
Zanita Tisdale is the Sr. Director of Member Engagement at Food Bank For New York City. In her current role she designs and leads the organization’s data driven strategy that funds, partners and creates high impact initiatives for 900+ nonprofits operating in over 90% of New York City’s zip codes. Her role collaborates with a diverse group of stakeholders so that public and private investments address hunger and poverty in a tangible way.
When creating strategic initiatives, her experience demonstrates success designing programs and establishing relationships. One of her most meaningful accomplishments is the design of Food Bank's new Masterclass series which strengthens organizational infrastructure for nonprofit leaders of color who are running high impact organizations across New York City. This five-month masterclass series leverages both public and corporate expertise to ensure organization’s operate with a strong business acumen.
She was recently named to the 40 under 40 Rising Stars in NYC Food Policy, Class of 2020 and completed a fellowship with the New York Community Trust Leadership Fellows, Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs and Bernard Baruch College/City University of New York. She currently is an Executive MPA candidate at Cornell University. Zanita is passionate about gender and racial equity, sustainable food systems, and ensuring upward economic mobility isn’t a pipe dream. These passions drive her commitment to ensure we level the playing field for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged among us.