Deputy Director | Toronto, Canada | EST timezone | Full time

A systems thinker, skilled facilitator, and practical problem-solver, Lauren has worked for over 20 years in non-profit, government, academic, business, and philanthropic contexts. With Global Alliance members and partners, Lauren leads the program strategy and supports diverse organizations and initiatives including the True Cost Accounting Accelerator, Transformational Investing in Food Systems, and the Agroecology Coalition, to address global challenges related to climate, biodiversity, food security, and equity.

Previously, Lauren led the Toronto Food Policy Council, a citizen advisory group embedded within the City of Toronto’s Public Health Division and was Founding Director of Sustain Ontario — the Alliance for Healthy Food and Farming. She has started two businesses, Annex Organics and Urban Harvest. With a PhD in Environmental Studies focused on biodiversity/biotechnology debates and food policy in Mexico, Lauren taught at the University of Toronto and Toronto Metropolitan University.

Lauren’s awards include Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowships for both her Master’s and PhD research, an IDRC EcoHealth award, a SSHRC Doctoral Award and Ontario Graduate Scholarship. She is a Sylff Fellow. Lauren is the author of numerous articles and publications, including Corn meets Maize: Food Movements and Markets in Mexico (2013), co-editor of True Cost Accounting for Food: Balancing the Scale (2021), and most recently Earth to Tables Legacies, Multimedia Food Conversations Across Generations and Cultures (2023). She lives in Toronto, Canada, where she enjoys gardening and cooking as well as wilderness canoeing and kayaking with her husband and two sons.

Email: lauren[at]futureoffood.org