Program Associate
Ash (she/her) is a culinary associate and researcher for the NATIFS Culinary and Education Departments. She works both with the Indigenous Food Lab and as an employee at Owamni. Before the Covid-19 pandemic began, Ash volunteered for NATIFS by compiling resources and documenting recipes for the Indigenous Foodways database, and currently, she has been assisting with food production at the food lab and assisting NATIFS with various education and operational projects. At Owamni, she has been working as a prep and line cook.
Ash is a Ph.D candidate and instructor from the University of Connecticut. During her time there, she has been researching Indigenous food sovereignty, decolonial pedagogies, social movements, and human rights. She was drawn to Minneapolis to explore the larger Indigenous food sovereignty movement by volunteering and researching with local Native food businesses and non-profits.