Mapchats – Mapping Food Access

PolicyMap’s Mapchats series continues this Wednesday with Mapping Food Access. Sign up to discover how Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), government agencies and other entities use data to increase access to healthy fresh food in their target areas. Hear from experts in the field who will tell their stories about how and why data and mapping are indispensable to their work around healthy food access.

Panelists include:

Lance Loethen, The Reinvestment Fund – Lance Loethen is a Research Associate with TRF Policy Solutions, having more than 12 years of experience researching and developing geospatial methods for measuring the social and economic impacts of community investment. These research methods cover issues such as access to food retail, the economic impacts of food economies, food supply chains, retail market share concentration, geographic access to healthcare, and CDFI program outcomes and impacts. He co-developed TRF’s Limited Supermarket Access methodology, trained over 20 CDFIs as part of OFN’s Healthy Food Financing Capacity Building program, and helps CDFIs prioritize supermarket financing projects through TRF’s ReFresh initiative.
Robin Safley, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services – Robin Safley is the Director of Food, Nutrition and Wellness for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and was brought in by Commissioner Putnam to handle the transfer of the Child Nutrition Programs from the Florida Department of Education in September 2011. Prior to working for the Department she worked as a consultant with Capital Health Plan advocating wellness issues in Leon and surrounding counties. Robin has held previous positions as Chief of Staff at the Florida Department of Education, Chief of Staff to the President of the Florida Senate and General Counsel to the former Florida Department of Commerce.
Jim Walker, Florida Community Loan Fund – Jim Walker is a senior loan officer for Florida Community Loan Fund. He joined FCLF in 2010, bringing 25 years of community development finance and lending experience. Mr. Walker manages the Florida Preservation Fund, which supports the preservation of affordable multi-family housing in Florida. He also underwrites community and economic development loans, supports the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Program, and provides technical assistance to borrowers throughout South Florida. Mr. Walker previously worked at the National Cooperative Bank underwriting and managing a national portfolio of grocery store loans. He has served on Capitol Hill, and currently serves on the board of several non-profits.