About Us
Leadership Committee
William Schanbacher
William Schanbacher is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and co-founder of the Food Sovereignty Initiative (FSI). His work with the FSI developed out of his research and publications on poverty, human rights and the global food system. In addition to his publications on food sovereignty he is also interested in the intersection of urban agriculture and social justice, particularly in relation to food justice and race, gender inequities, and postcolonial forms of oppression. His publications on food sovereignty include: Food as a Human Right: Combating Global Hunger and Forging a Path to Food Sovereignty (Praeger, 2019), The Politics of Food: The Global Conflict between Food Security and Food Sovereignty (Praeger, 2010), an edited volume, The Global Food System: Issues and Solutions, Ed. (Praeger, 2014). He also has a forthcoming book, co-authored with Whitney Fung, titled: Food Insecurity: A Reference Handbook (ABC-CLIO, forthcoming, 2022), which addresses the history of food insecurity and food sovereignty in the United States.
Tangela Serls
Dr. Tangela Serls is the Special Advisor to the USF College of Arts and Sciences Dean. She is also an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies where she has taught courses such as Introduction to Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Black Feminisms: Past and Present, and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Disability Studies. Serls has been the faculty advisor for the USF section of the National Council of Negro Women for over a decade and is passionate about sisterhood, friendship, and building community. She also considers herself a mental health advocate. In fact, when she learned that gardens could yield a positive impact on one鈥檚 mental health, she became interested not just in gardening but in the entire food system. Ultimately, Serls is a professional dedicated to centering the voices and experiences of marginalized people in all aspects of her work鈥攚hich now includes service as the Community Engagement Chair of the Food Sovereignty Initiative. One of her favorite quotes is, 鈥淏loom where you are planted.鈥�
Nicole Brand
Nicole Brand holds the first Director of Conservation and Greenspaces position for the State University System of Florida. She oversees the environmental and botanical spaces within the College of Arts and Sciences as a part of the Environmental Conservation Outreach, Research, and Education (ECORE) System. Previously, she served as a founding member of the St. Pete Youth Farm - a partnership between the Pinellas County School Board and the City of St. Petersburg. She secured initial funding for the project, and funding is now sustained as a line item in the City of St. Petersburg's budget. Prior to joining USF, she spent seven years with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation working on large landscape conservation as their first Director of Communications and their first Director of Outreach Programs. She holds an MS in Food Systems and Society from Oregon Health and Science University鈥檚 School of Medicine.