Applying Racial Equity to U.S. Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs - Flipbook - Page 2
Meet the Team
Lead Author and Researcher
Marlysa D. Gamblin is the Domestic Advisor for Policy and Programs at Bread for the World Institute.
Her expertise is providing research and analysis to end hunger and poverty among communities of color
and women, with the intention of narrowing the racial and gender hunger and income divides. At Bread,
Marlysa also staffed on the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships during the
Obama Administration, where she proposed key recommendations to the White House on race, justice,
and poverty. Marlysa is also designed the Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation, an interactive tool that
helps organizations understand the connection between race and hunger, and demonstrates the importance of applying a racial
equity lens. Marlysa holds her Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a B.A. with
honors from the University of California, Berkeley.
Support Writer and Researcher, WIC
Christian Brooks currently works as Associate for Domestic Issues with the Presbyterian Church USA.
She is a recent graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, where she co-founded a student advocacy
group called Seminarians United for Racial Justice (SURJ), an organization committed to giving voice to
the concerns of students of color across a broad coalition of allies. Most recently, Christian served as the
Racial Equity Policy Fellow for Bread for the World Institute, where she supported the writing and research
of the WIC section of this report. Christian holds her Master of Science in Public Policy and Management
from Carnegie Mellon University, Masters of Divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Science in
Accounting from the University of Pittsburgh.
Support Writer and Researcher, Child Nutrition
Nesreen Bassam Abu Khalaf is a fourth year student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill, working towards a B.S. in Information Science and a B.A. in Public Policy. Since 2016, Nesreen has
interned with TABLE North Carolina, a community based nonprofit dedicated to ending childhood
food insecurity. In addition to serving on the UNC Bonner Leaders Program, Nesreen was one of the
four Bonner students who took part in the Congressional Hunger Center’s pilot Zero Hunger Internship
cohort. Through this opportunity, Nesreen partnered with Bread for the World Institute to work on
applying a racial equity lens to federal child nutrition programs. Upon graduation, Nesreen hopes to continue her work in
addressing the social, structural, and psychological detriments to the growth and development of marginalized youth.
Editor
Michele Learner is Associate Editor with Bread for the World Institute, where she works to ensure that
anti-hunger advocates have access to clearly written, nuanced, and interesting information about policies
designed to end hunger and malnutrition by resolving their root causes. Michele has also worked as an
Africa specialist with the National Endowment for Democracy. She has a master’s degree in international
affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a bachelor’s degree
summa cum laude from DePauw University.
Graphic Designer
Doug Puller is the Senior Manager of Design & Art at Bread for the World and Bread for the World
Institute, where he uses visual methods to contribute to achieving their mission of ending hunger. He
is a multi-award-winning artist, illustrator, graphic designer, and art director with more than 20 years’
experience. Doug has been at Bread for the past eight years, designing projects ranging from the booklength annual Hunger Report to a variety of other publications to logos, memes, signage, and illustrations.
2
APPLYING RACIAL EQUITY TO U.S. FEDERAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS: SNAP, WIC AND CHILD NUTRITION
