Susan is a lifelong resident of Cooper County where she raises beef cattle. She worked as an educator and principal for 30 years in Moniteau and Cooper County schools. Since retirement, Susan’s passion is to study water quality in the local streams, and is currently monitoring four headwater streams near her home. Susan’s goal is to provide data on streams that will help the community implement conservation practices on the land to improve soil health while protecting and improving stream water quality.
Tena is a retired teacher and principal, and a lifelong resident of Cooper County where she is a small farmer and beef producer. As an educator, Tena likes to teach the public about choosing healthy food, protecting natural resources, and forming partnerships that enhance wildlife. Tena promotes small farms and businesses as the economic backbone of our communities. She supports sustainable farming that embraces conservation practices to provide a healthy food product while protecting wildlife, soil, water, and air.
Lisa is a neuroaudiologist at Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital specializing in vertigo and central auditory processing dysfunction. Originally from south Louisiana, she learned from childhood to appreciate local food from both land and sea. Lisa moved to Columbia in 1975 where her interest in healthy food grew while working at a local food coop. She has been a lifelong vegetable gardener and hunter, and has an avid interest in food preservation. Lisa envisions a strong local food system, supported by sustainably grown produce, farmers markets, and opportunities for people to participate at any point in the local food chain.
Jeanne is a writer, researcher, and graphic artist dedicated to providing scientific information and education to the public. Her passion to empower the public to make well-informed decisions about public and environmental health can be seen in the MCNA website. Jeanne retired from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2009 after an eclectic forty year career starting with Springfield Community Foods in 1976, where she provided a marketplace for regional farmers. Through MCNA and its programs, she has come full circle, again supporting local food production, as well as natural resources protection and conservation.
In 2022, Jeanne received two awards reflecting her career:
