Food Works Staff

Dayna Conner - Executive Director

As Food Works’ lead administrator, Dayna serves as program developer, funding development specialist and overall community organizer. She has worked in the field of community food systems since 1998, and has experience as a Biointensive gardening teacher, a small business director, and child educator. She is a co-founder and former executive director of the Green Corn Project urban food garden initiative in Austin, Texas.

Dayna comes to Southern Illinois from the central San Joaquin Valley in California, via Austin. The grand-daughter of migrant farm workers, she believes that access to healthful food is the right of all people and that the fate of the landbase is inherently tied to the attitudes and actions of those who engage with it. As a founder of Food Works, Dayna is committed to ensuring that food grown in the region is produced and marketed in ways that respect and honor growers and the communities in which they live.

 

Devin Brown - Program Specialist

A native of the Midwest, Devin is co-owner of Roundabout Farm in Johnson County, Illinois, where he grows vegetables organically. His fresh produce can be found at markets in Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri. Devin is the former Conservation Policy Advocate for the Illinois Stewardship Alliance where he worked with growers throughout the state, conducting outreach for Farm Bill programs including the Conservation Stewardship Program. He brings to Food Works an invaluable farmers’ perspective on outreach and training initiatives and planning.

Devin earned a degree in Environmental Policy from Virginia Tech. He is experienced in the fields of water policy, aquatic ecology, and environmental education. When he's not facilitating farmer networking and education, farming out at Roundabout, or working on myriad local food issues in the region, you can find Devin hiking with his family in the beautiful Shawnee hills.

Adriane Koontz - Program Assistant

Though currently a farmer in Southern Illinois, Adriane has not always been involved in sustainable agriculture. While studying International Business at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, she took the opportunity to travel throughout Europe. After graduating, her love of travel took her to Japan, where she taught English for two years. Upon returning to the U.S. Adriane began to work on Henry's Farm, a vegetable farm in Central Illinois. Since then, she has worked on a number of different farms including Smoky House, a farm dedicated to education and outreach for at-risk youth and Prairie Fruits Farm, a goat dairy and cheeserie.

Adriane is now co-owner of River to River Farm in Tunnel Hill, IL, growing organic vegetables and selling them at a farmer's market in St. Louis. Her love of good healthy food, hard work, and care and attention for others has made farming a good fit. In combination with small farm management, her education in business and experience as an educator bring critical support to Food Works' programs and administration.