John Fisk

John Fisk, PhD, is the Strategy and Partnerships Director of the Wallace Center at Winrock International. The Wallace Center works across the nation to foster a more regenerative and equitable food and farming system. The Center’s work focuses on developing innovative models, networks that connect people and building capacity through technical assistance that support the creation the good food value chain: Healthy Farms –  Empowered Communities – Vibrant Economies.  The Wallace Center is a part of Winrock International, a recognized leader in U.S. and international development, providing solutions to some of the world’s most complex social, agricultural and environmental challenges whose mission is to empower the disadvantaged, increase economic opportunity and sustain natural resources.

As Strategy Director, John has helped focus the Wallace Center on developing approaches and partnerships that build leadership for community based food systems that empower residents and provide greater access to healthy food, that develop market-driven solutions that underpin regional value chain development, and that assist farmers and other land managers transition to more environmentally sound production systems.  Prior to joining the Wallace Center, John was an independent consultant providing food systems consulting and leadership to several Michigan-based organizations including the Michigan Food and Farming Systems and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Selected Publications

John is a co-author on the 2017 National Food Hub Survey as well as the soon to be published 2019 National Food Hub Survey.  With colleagues at Changing Tastes and the Wallace Center at Winrock International, John and Donella Meadows Fellow Cynthia Pansing published three related resources on the North American Food Sector: Program Scan and Literature Review, Roadmap for City Food Sector Innovation and Investment, and Roadmap Investment Evaluation Tool in July 2013. The publications accompanied a webinar on the same topic.