As a Midwestern Native, I am interested in the political ecology of grain farming in the U.S. Corn Belt. I have a masters degree from the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Policy and Governance gained in concert with service in the U.S. Peace Corps Senegal. In addition to my role as a rural sustainable agriculture extension agent, I conducted my thesis research on documenting and increasing community knowledge of legal rights in the rapidly emerging gold and marble mining sectors. My work after graduate school allowed me the opportunity to assess the impact of plant breeding programs at the Center for International Tropical Agriculture, consult on participatory land reform with the Agencia de la Renovación del Territorio of the Colombian Government and measure and report on progress towards sustainable agriculture at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. My current research focuses on the barriers and opportunities for farmer-led, bottom-up initiatives combined with top-down policy support to creating diversified and regenerative farming systems in the Upper Midwest.