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 the 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 (BS, 1985).
Amy Christian
Duncan Hilchey
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 (BS, University of New Hampshire) and city and regional planning (MRP, 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, Gil Gillespie, and Tom Lyson collaborated on research and publishing projects. They were honored together with a book plate endowment at Mann Library.
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 Assistants
Daniela Vaynshtok is a member of the class of 2025 at Cornell University. They are passionate about cultivating equitable and sustainable food system practices across the world. Working as part of the JAFSCD Outreach & Engagement Circle, Daniela hopes to convey the importance of the Lyson Center's work to JAFSCD's current and prospective shareholders. In their free time, Daniela loves to cuddle with her cat, listen to music, and explore their identity through fashion.
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Daniela Vaynshtok
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Adin Choung, from Orange County, California, is a member of the class of 2026 at Cornell University, studying policy analysis and management. She has extensive experience working with nonprofits focused on community service and community-based organizations, which directed her interest in working in the public sector. On campus, she is also involved with the Community Partnership Funding Board and writes for the Cornell Daily Sun as an opinion columnist. In her free time, she enjoys baking and spending time outdoors.
Adin Choung
Cornell Student Program Assistant Alumni
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.
Ryan Stasolla is Cornell University class of 2021. 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.
Michelle Shin is Cornell University 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.