Ever since the beginning of this century, I’ve enjoyed the many and very different speaking opportunities that have come my way. Each one has allowed me to share my experience, learnings, and ideas gleaned from over 50 years in this thing I lovingly call the food movement. From hands-on work in food banks and community gardens to food policy councils and testifying before Congress, I count myself blessed to be a part of the diverse ways we have brought food justice to the people of our communities.
Mark Winne speaking at the New York State Food Summit. Albany, New York, June 16, 2026
With the hope of bringing my lessons learned to more people, as well as giving hope to those who are working through really tough times, I want to make potential audiences aware of my speaking services. I have been invited to give a couple of keynotes the first half of 2026 and based on the feedback I’ve received, I achieved my goals of informing, entertaining, and inspiring others. I would like to bring those messages to audiences that work in various sectors of the food system whether it’s health and nutrition, anti-hunger and food security, farming and sustainability, economic development, and anti-poverty.
Topics
My brief biography is at the bottom of the page (and more specific details are available upon request), but I will say that I structure my talks to address the vast range of food system challenges we face today. I have over the years acquired at least a working knowledge of most food and farm sectors, and after an extensive consultation with conference organizers who have a deep understanding of their respective constituencies, I look for cross-cutting themes, challenges that are specific to their audience, and ways to unite and inspire the participants. In sum, I’ve learned that every food system audience is utterly unique, but every food system audience shares common denominators with every other food system audience.
Like everyone else in this world, I have my values. I make no attempt to suppress them anymore than I attempt to foist them on others. But my talks will draw on a reservoir of beliefs that acknowledge food insecurity as both a grave injustice and deprivation of human liberties; that citizen democracy and participation are necessary for the healthy functioning of a food system; that diversity is as necessary in the communities and organizations where we work as it is in nature; that the public sector must be engaged not only to achieve food justice but to act as a countervailing force to those interests that are antithetical to food security, healthy food, and a clean environment. That’s not an exhaustive list, but it certainly provides the framework within which I write and speak.
What I Will Do
All the specific activities will be negotiated with the client and specified in a letter of agreement. A keynote-style speech of 30 to 40 minutes in length is the typical service I provide. Variations on that style requested by the client will be considered. Additionally, I am open to participating in other conference activities including as a panelist (moderator or participant) and leading/co-leading a workshop. I like to be present and interact with attendees throughout the day of my keynote.
What It Will Cost
Travel expenses and a speaker fee are the primary costs. Travel expenses may include economy, roundtrip airfare between New Mexico and the conference site, one or two nights of accommodation depending on conference schedule, and inclusion in any scheduled conference meals and receptions. The amount of the speaker fee will be negotiated with the client.
Please note, I am a solo act, but backup singers may be provided at the client’s expense!
My Mission
To share what I have learned over 50 years of food programming and activism with the widest possible audience with the intent of achieving a just food system for all.
References are available on request
Mark Winne’s Biography
From 1979 to 2003, Mark Winne was the Executive Director of the Hartford Food System, a Connecticut non-profit food organization. He is the co-founder of numerous organizations including the Community Food Security Coalition and the State of Connecticut Food Policy Council. He was a Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Fellow and a member of the U.S. Delegation to the 2000 Rome Conference on Food Security. As a writer on food issues, Mark’s work has appeared in the Washington Post, The Nation, Sierra, Orion, and Yes!, to name a few. He is the author of five books Closing the Food Gap; Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart Cookin’ Mamas; Stand Together or Starve Alone; Food Town USA, and most recently The Road to a Hunger-free America: Selected Writings of Mark Winne. Through his own firm, Mark Winne Associates, Mark speaks, trains, and writes on topics related to community food systems, food policy, and food security. Until recently, Mark served as a Senior Advisor to the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He lives and writes in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Mark Winne
Phone: (860) 558-8226
Email: win5m@aol.com
Website: www.markwinne.com