Project Description

Executive Director, LEAP

Maureen McNamara Best is the Executive Director with Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP), a 501c3 non-profit based in Roanoke, VA. Founded in 2009, LEAP strives to nurture equitable food and farming systems that prioritize health and abundance. LEAP programs include two farmers markets, a mobile market, a farm share, a food hub, a retail store, a commercial kitchen, a processing kitchen, three community gardens, and robust food access programs. LEAP is a fiscal sponsor for the Roanoke Foodshed Network, a community of partners from across the region working together on initiatives that promote farmers, food access, and local food systems. LEAP is also the fiscal sponsor for Virginia Fresh Match, a statewide network of farmers markets and retail stores that make fruits and vegetables more affordable for SNAP participants. Learn more about LEAP at leapforlocalfood.org, Roanoke Foodshed Network at roanokefoodshednetwork.org, and Virginia Fresh Match at VirginiaFreshMatch.org.

Maureen has over fifteen years of experience working with food, agriculture, and community. Her work and professional experience is wide-ranging and includes teaching high school agriculture in Raleigh, NC, working with migrant farmworkers in eastern NC and in the Colorado plains, doing food safety inspections in Boulder CO, and studying the economic viability of the local food system in Northern Colorado. Maureen has a Master of Arts in Anthropology from Colorado State University and undergraduate degrees in Agriculture Education, Spanish, and Anthropology from North Carolina State University. Maureen recently completed her Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University as a Bloomberg Fellow. You can contact Maureen.