We’re so excited to announce our newest team member, who will be serving as our first-ever Advocacy & Policy DirectoR!
Guest Blog by Rachel Lord
My name is Rachel Lord, and I’m absolutely delighted to be joining AFPC as the Advocacy & Policy Director. I’ve been in Alaska for 18 years, and am based in Homer. A little about my background:
Growing up in coastal Maine, I had a rich working life as a teenager doing everything from waiting tables to cleaning hotel rooms and scooping ice cream. I attended college in Massachusetts, graduating from Mount Holyoke College in 2003 with a degree in Biology.
I came to Alaska in 2005 to pursue a Masters in Wildlife Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I fell in love with the Interior and with the community and landscape of Fairbanks. But the ocean was calling, and after finishing my MS in 2008 I moved to Homer - the community I still call home. After a season with the International Pacific Halibut Commission, I began working for Cook Inletkeeper where I led a wide variety of projects including Clean Harbors & Clean Boating, Safe Drinking Water, and volunteer water quality monitoring. While at Inletkeeper I helped to spearhead the formation of the Alaska Food Hub, and began integrating local food systems into the organization. Spinning off from Inletkeeper, I worked for the Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators for several years as their Executive Secretary, helping to plan their annual legislative fly-in and conference, and holistically supporting the Board of Directors and the membership to meet their mission.
On the farm-front, in 2011 I began a cut flower farm with support from the NRCS high tunnel program. Since then, Alaska Stems has grown into a vibrant small business, growing and selling diversified cut flowers in the Homer-area. You might see our tulips up in Anchorage in the spring, but otherwise we stick to the Lower Peninsula with our blooms! In addition to flowers, we grow a garden full of veg for our family.
Effective public policy is one of my absolute passions, and in 2017 I was elected to Homer’s City Council. Over the years on Council and with my various jobs, I have been deeply involved in developing and advocating for changes and improvements in local and state policy.
My husband Ben was born and raised in Homer, and continues to run his family’s sawmill, Small Potatoes. We have two daughters, Linnea (8) and Sadie (10). Our animal family includes two horses, somewhere around 12 chickens, and our teenage dog. When we can find someone to hang with all of the animals, we love traveling and exploring Alaska and beyond as a family. I also love running, skiing, cooking, reading, and playing in the mountains.
I’m SO excited to help improve Alaska’s food systems alongside AFPC’s inspiring Board, staff, and partners across the state and I hope to see you in November at the Alaska Food & Farm Festival in Anchorage!
