About

As a researcher, educator and community organizer, I collaborate to make sense of problems in the food system and bring together imaginative solutions on the ground. I focus on decent work, dignified migration and vibrant farm ecosystems.

I’m a College Professor of Sociology at Okanagan College in British Columbia.

My PhD dissertation in sociology at the University of Toronto investigates the emerging craft cider industry in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. I'm interested in how 'craft' farm livelihoods serve to reimagine people's labour and ties to the land, along with dynamic tensions between cider production, farmland preservation and food security. My research is supported by SSHRC, the Culinaria Research Centre, and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. Through this project, I aim to illuminate the possibilities and pitfalls of artisanal livelihoods for resolving urgent issues in the food system.

My other current projects are focused on equity for migrant workers, along with the ecological and ethical implications of meat. Anti-racist, anti-colonial and feminist thinkers inform my work, and I often draw on community-engaged research approaches.

Through the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm, I got my feet wet in the world of ecological farming. I actively contribute to Justice for Migrant Workers, the BC Employment Standards Coalition and Food Secure Canada.

J'adore les occasions de m'embarrasser en français, y continúo mejorando mi español.

Currently, I live in Syilx Territory (B.C.’s Okanagan Valley), where my adopted elderly cat helps keep me on my toes.