Erika Allen
Erika Allen is Projects Manager for Growing Power, supporting limited-resource producers to create healthy and diverse food options. Integrating creative techniques with food security and community development, she has established four urban agriculture and food system projects in Chicago, IL. Her recent work includes development of the Chicago Food Policy Council; serving as co-chair for Chicago Organic initiative’s Education, Training and Schools sub-committee; and serving on the Illinois Food, Farms and Jobs Act Task Force. As the daughter of urban farmer Will Allen, she spent her formative years involved in all aspects of agriculture. Erika’s awards include Chicago Tribune’s Good Eating Award (2006), Family Focus (2007) for her work in community food systems, and the Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI) Mother of the Environment for Minneapolis/St. Paul (2009). She holds a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and an MA in art therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
