Co-directors

Amy Christian is co-director of the Lyson Center and managing editor of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. As managing editor she takes papers from acceptance through publication, editing the majority of papers published in JAFSCD. She also takes the lead on managing our websites and sharing our work via social media. Amy draws her editing and production skills from many years of work in the private and public sectors. A native of New Hampshire, she attended Wellesley College and graduated from Cornell University with a major in human service planning.

Duncan Hilchey is co-director of the Lyson Center, and editor in chief of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. He has degrees in Agricultural Education (University of New Hampshire) and City and Regional Planning (Cornell University). He has worked on food systems issues since the early 1980s, first as a VISTA volunteer, followed by many years at Cornell, where he and Tom Lyson collaborated on research and publishing projects. They were honored together with a book plate endowment at Mann Library. He is also a consultant with New Leaf Associates, Inc.

Duncan has published on a wide range of food systems issues, spoken at national conferences, and received a number of awards for his work on farm and food-based community development. He was recently selected as a Fulbright specialist and is exploring applied research projects in Europe related to place-based specialty foods and geographic indications.

Cornell Student Program Assistant Alumni

Ryan Stasolla is Cornell University '21. He is passionate about issues related to food justice and the good food movement. While a Cornell student working for the Lyson Center, he dreamed of creating his own urban food hub one day. As Jobs Listing Manager, Ryan helped to generate a reliable, accessible source for occupations related to food systems work. 

Javier Ramirez is Cornell University class of 2022. His passions for food equality and minority studies were cultivated through his work at the Lyson Center. He also developed interests in small-scale urban agriculture and its role in creating food sovereignty from big agriculture. His role as Social Media Manager helped the Lyson Center become a more effective and accessible tool to all food systems workers.

Michelle Shin graduated from Cornell University in the class of 2019. She created her own major that explores the intersection of sustainability management and spatial planning. She worked for the Lyson Center for all four years of her undergraduate years, during which she developed a systems approach to the broad, interconnected field of “sustainability.” Studying abroad in Copenhagen ignited her new passion for bicycle urbanism. You can catch her biking around in sun or snow, sneakers or heels. During her free time, she loves to write letters, watch documentary films, and engage directly with her local landscape through her biking and hiking adventures. She is now living in Washington, D.C.