The gender gap is pervasive across the food industry. Women make the majority of food-purchasing decisions & represent nearly half the entry-level workforce in the food industry, yet less than a fourth of executives are women & even fewer are women of color. Women are less likely to raise capital & start food companies than men. Beyond the lack of financial support is a widespread lack of recognition & respect, which at times can go so far as sexual harassment & abuse. What can be done to move forward & uplift the women who are transforming our food system?

Join us for a discussion on the unique ways women are transforming our food system with Elly Truesdell (Canopy Foods), Valerie Christy (Almanac Insights), Jessamyn Rodriguez (Hot Bread Kitchen) & Kimberly Chou (Equity at the Table & Food Book Fair).

Come network with the community & enjoy food & drinks from women-owned businesses, including: Zaam Root, White Moustache, Eat Offbeat, Mohawk Drumlin Creamery, Sun for Soul, Pilot Kombucha, NYrture, Aida, Ullis Oil Mill & Rise!

Are you a female or gender non-conforming innovator? Add your name to the list: http://bit.ly/womxninfood

SCHEDULE
6:30 - 7:30pm: Networking + Bites
7:30 - 9pm: Roundtable
9 - 9:30pm: Networking + Bites

PANELISTS
Elly Truesdell, Chief Strategy Officer, Canopy Foods
Elly Truesdell is Chief Strategy Officer of Canopy Foods, a Food Production Studio that offers manufacturing services & creative capital to craft unforgettable foods & build defensible brands. Truesdell built her career over 9 years at Whole Foods Market. Most recently as Global Director of Local Brands, Product Innovation & Development, Elly led strategic partnerships for local purchasing programs across the company. She sits on the Board of Canopy Foods, as a mentor to FOOD-X & the Chobani Food Incubator & acts as advisor to Agbotic, & Wellness in the Schools.

Valerie Christy, Senior Associate, Almanac Insights
Valerie Christy is a Senior Associate at Almanac. After initially enrolling in the Blue Hill at Stone Barns FARMS Program in 2014, she continued to manage special projects at Blue Hill, ranging from the launch of Blue Hills first nationally distributed CPG product to Blue Hills wastED pop-ups in both New York & London. Through managing Blue Hill Yogurt, Valerie experienced firsthand both the opportunities & the challenges facing early-stage food & beverage companies. Valerie launched Almanac in January 2018 with David Barber.

Jessamyn Rodriguez, Founder & CEO, Hot Bread Kitchen
Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez is an entrepreneur & leader in the social enterprise movement. Before launching Hot Bread Kitchen, Jessamyn focused on human rights, education & immigration issues in positions at NGOs, the government & the United Nations. After receiving her Master Baker Certificate from the New School & becoming the first female baker at Daniel Bouluds restaurant, she launched Hot Bread from her home kitchen in 2007. Jessamyn has been awarded the Global Citizen Award from the Clinton Global Initiative & Crains New Yorks 40 Under 40. She was named a 2016 Women of Influence by NY Business Journal & one of 2015s Most Innovative Women in Food by Food & Wine & Fortune magazines.

Kimberly Chou, Co-Director, Food Book Fair; Advisory Board Member, Equity at the Table
Kimberly Chou Tsun An is a writer, curator & event producer who lives in New York. Her writing from interviews with rapper Nicki Minaj & painter Ellsworth Kelly to literary criticism has appeared in publications including The Wall Street Journal, Refinery29, & Art in America. She co-directs Food Book Fair, a festival that explores contemporary issues in & around food, with an emphasis on amplifying the voices of women of color & queer folks in media.

MODERATOR
Danielle Gould, Founder & CEO, Food+Tech Connect; Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Alpha Food Labs

Thank you to our partners Kickstarter & Brooklyn Brewery