{"id":125909,"date":"2025-01-21T12:01:39","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T17:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/?p=125909"},"modified":"2025-10-23T06:33:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:33:45","slug":"northeast-indiana-local-food-network-hires-first-executive-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2025\/01\/21\/northeast-indiana-local-food-network-hires-first-executive-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Northeast Indiana Local Food Network hires first Executive Director"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_125912\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-125912\" style=\"width: 481px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tKarenPetersen.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"481\" height=\"600\" class=\"size-full wp-image-125912\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tKarenPetersen.jpg 481w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tKarenPetersen-241x300.jpg 241w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tKarenPetersen-150x187.jpg 150w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tKarenPetersen-300x374.jpg 300w, https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/tKarenPetersen-337x420.jpg 337w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 481px) 100vw, 481px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-125912\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Karen Petersen, Executive Director of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network. Courtesy photo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network has hired Karen Petersen to serve as the nonprofit\u2019s first Executive Director.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Northeast Indiana Local Food Network news release:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Northeast Indiana Local Food Network hires first Executive Director<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fort Wayne, Indiana (January 21, 2025) \u2013 The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network has hired Karen Petersen to serve as the nonprofit\u2019s first Executive Director, as part of the organization\u2019s three-year Capacity-Building Initiative.<\/p>\n<p>Karen Petersen has 20 years of experience in leadership roles in human resources and business\/financial operations as well as a BS in Business Administration from Long Island University. Karen moved to Fort Wayne in 2018 and purchased 20 acres just outside the city limits. Together with her husband Dustin, they started Pequash Farms, a market garden farm that values sustainability, environmental stewardship, and responsibility.<\/p>\n<p>Karen has a passion for helping others and a strong community service mindset. She has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for the last 9 years, where she looks out for the best interests of children who have been victims of child abuse and\/or neglect in our community. Karen also serves as the Eel River Township Trustee in northwest Allen County, where she administers Township Assistance and other important programs.<\/p>\n<p>Karen joined the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network board in early 2024, taking on roles within the strategic planning and finance committees. Karen is currently participating in the Indiana Regional Food Systems Learning Collaborative as well as the Farm to School Fellowship initiative, sponsored by the USDA and Indiana Department of Health. In collaboration with St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, Karen will manage the Double Up Indiana program in Allen County. These opportunities will further inform and guide her when advancing and supporting nutrition incentive programs and expanding local food access to our community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the new Executive Director, I am thrilled to collaborate with our dedicated founder and board, valued partners, engaged community members, and steadfast supporters to cultivate a thriving and resilient local food system in Northeast Indiana\u201d, Karen Petersen shares. \u201cBy working together, we can strengthen our local food economy, expand access to nutritious food, and create a healthier, more equitable future for everyone in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Karen is excited to work with the Board of Directors and Founding Director, Janet Katz, to develop and implement the nonprofit\u2019s new strategic plan. This plan will be based on the recently completed Northeast Indiana Local Food Needs Assessment conducted by Kristi Sturtz of Sturtz Public Management Group.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are very grateful for the very generous grant award from the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation to support our Capacity-Building Initiative and Karen\u2019s leadership of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network at this pivotal time.\u201d Founding Director, Janet Katz, explains. \u201cThis grant partially supported our needs assessment of the local food system with a focus on vulnerable families and individuals. and will support the development of our strategic plan to address the needs of this population, and operational support to implement the strategic plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.neifood.org\/news\/karen-petersen-to-lead-local-food-network\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more about Karen Petersen<\/a>, the first Executive Director of the Northeast Indiana Local Food Network.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Related Images:<\/h3><div class=\"ngg-related-gallery\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/isp\/t20251111-ISP.jpg\"\n\t\t\ttitle=\"From left to right: Troopers Chase Pfefferkorn, Eric Mitchel, Bryce Kukelhan, and Caleb Wooldridge. Photo courtesy of the Indiana State Police.\"\n\t\t\tclass='thickbox' rel='529f2f22deb69b8a669a7b2f572c64fe' data-image-id=\"12286\" data-src=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/isp\/t20251111-ISP.jpg\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/isp\/thumbs\/thumbs_t20251111-ISP.jpg\" data-title=\"Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post Troopers\" data-description=\"From left to right: Troopers Chase Pfefferkorn, Eric Mitchel, Bryce Kukelhan, and Caleb Wooldridge. Photo courtesy of the Indiana State Police.\">\n\t\t\t<img title=\"Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post Troopers\"\n\t\t\t\talt=\"Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post Troopers\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-image-id=\"12286\"\n\t\t\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/wp-content\/gallery\/isp\/thumbs\/thumbs_t20251111-ISP.jpg\"\/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network has hired Karen Petersen to serve as the nonprofit\u2019s first Executive Director.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":125912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1716],"tags":[36544,8975,39076,39070,39073,39072,39075,23,32321,39074,30215,36546,22025,39069,30211,39071,2208,22028,2057],"class_list":["post-125909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-releases","tag-2025-northeast-indiana-local-food-needs-assessment","tag-allen-county-indiana","tag-double-up-indiana-program","tag-dustin-petersen","tag-eel-river-township","tag-eel-river-township-trustee","tag-farm-to-school-fellowship-initiative","tag-fort-wayne-indiana","tag-idoh-indiana-department-of-health","tag-indiana-regional-food-systems-learning-collaborative","tag-janet-katz","tag-karen-petersen","tag-kristi-sturtz","tag-long-island-university","tag-northeast-indiana-local-food-network","tag-pequash-farms","tag-st-joseph-community-health-foundation","tag-sturtz-public-management-group-llc","tag-usda-united-states-department-of-agriculture"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.3 - 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