Amy Funk is the Director of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition Innovation Center. She has been working in the Greater East St. Louis area for over a decade. She previously provided leadership, project management, and policy guidance as part of the Illinois Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program- Education (SNAP-Ed) that included providing training and technical support to 29 counties.  She has worked with numerous partnerships and coalitions in the greater East St. Louis area, providing leadership, backbone support and policy development around social equity and working to make healthy living accessible to communities disproportionately affected by food insecurity and access to healthy foods. She served as the state lead for 40 professional staff focused on changing policy, systems and environments around nutrition and physical activity within SNAP-Ed. She has worked closely with diverse groups locally and is committed to expanding opportunities for youth within the expanding ag-tech sector while stimulating engagement in and removing barriers to entry in regional food systems among underrepresented populations.