Associate Professor
School of Human Ecology | Department of Civil Society and Community Studies
Jennifer Gaddis is an associate professor of Civil Society and Community Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of The Labor of Lunch: Why We Need Real Food and Real Jobs in American Public Schools(University of California Press, 2019), which won book awards from the National Women’s Studies Association and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She is the co-editor with Sarah A. Robert of Transforming School Food Politics Around the World. Gaddis is an advisory board member of the National Farm to School Network and has written op-eds on school food politics for popular media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, The Guardian, and Teen Vogue. She and her students regularly partner with school districts, labor unions, and social movement organizations on community-based research and advocacy projects related to food justice in K-12 schools. Dr. Gaddis is an active member of the Healthy School Meals for All Wisconsin coalition and a regular partner of the Madison Metropolitan School District.
Talks:
Farm-fresh school meals for all
How can school meals improve educational outcomes, public health, and rural economies in Wisconsin? What can we learn from other states and countries that provide universal free school meals to all students and prioritize sourcing ingredients from family farmers who use sustainable production methods? In this talk, Professor Jennifer Gaddis will lay out the case for transforming our existing school meal programs in Wisconsin and share ideas for how individuals and communities can join this growing movement.
Labor justice for K-12 workers and why it matters for farm to school
How are school food labor and farm-to-school connected? What can the farm-to-school movement do to support better wages, benefits, and working conditions for school food workers? What new potential for food education and local procurement could we unlock by shifting to “high road” employment in school kitchens and cafeterias across the country? Join Dr. Jennifer Gaddis, author of The Labor of Lunch, to discuss labor justice for K-12 school food workers and why the farm-to-school community should make this a priority.