CROP Leadership Circle

Representative Sonya M. Harper represents Illinois’ 6th House District on Chicago’s South Side and is a longtime journalist, community organizer, and advocate for equitable economic development. As Chair of the Agriculture & Conservation Committee, she made history as the first Black woman in the U.S. to chair a state House agriculture committee, expanding agriculture policy to include urban farming, food access, and equity for socially disadvantaged farmers. Rep. Harper authored the Illinois Farmer Equity Act, helped establish the Agriculture Equity Commission, and played a leading role in shaping equity-focused cannabis legalization, ensuring reinvestment in communities harmed by the war on drugs. A leader in the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, she advanced a major legislative agenda addressing systemic racism and helped secure billions in investments for vulnerable communities, while also sponsoring the creation of the African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission. Her work spans public health, food access, and community development, informed by her background in journalism and her leadership in founding organizations like Grow Greater Englewood. Harper continues to hold national leadership roles and remains deeply rooted in community advocacy in Chicago, where she lives with her daughter.

Senator Hillman Terome Frazier represents District 27 in Hinds County. He is Chairman of the Senate Interstate and Federal Cooperation Committee. Before beginning his Senate Service in 1993, he was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives for 13 years. Senator Frazier is a graduate of Jackson State University and the George Washington University National Law Center. In 1999, he completed the “Program for Emerging Political Leaders” at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia. Senator Frazier’s legislative accomplishments are quite extensive. In 1995, he led the Mississippi Legislature in ratifying the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which abolished slavery in the United States of America. Senator Frazier authored the bill, which made Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday an official state holiday in Mississippi. He and his wife Jean Maria reside in Jackson and have two children, Julian and Gabrielle Jones, daughter-in-law Erica, grandson Kristopher Julian and granddaughter Kawaii Joi and son-in-law Jimmy Jones.

Senator Michelle Hinchey was elected to the New York State Senate in 2020 and has emerged as a leading advocate for the Hudson Valley and Catskills, passing 117 bills into law on issues ranging from agriculture and food access to housing, healthcare, and environmental protection. As Chair of the Senate Agriculture and Food Committee, she has helped secure major investments in farmland preservation, local food systems, and climate resilience, while sponsoring landmark policies like the Soil Health and Climate Resiliency Act and Universal School Meals Act. Senator Hinchey has focused her work on revitalizing rural and upstate communities, strengthening emergency services, and protecting natural resources, earning multiple statewide awards for her leadership. A Saugerties native and Cornell University graduate, she previously worked in technology and media and remains deeply rooted in community-based advocacy, inspired by her father, former Congressman Maurice Hinchey.

​Representative Vincent Miresse represents Wisconsin’s District 71. He is a member of the Democratic Party and serves on the Committee on Environment; the Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation; and the Committee on Sporting Heritage. His career experience includes working as a construction professional. Miresse has been affiliated with Midwest Renewable Energy Association, Central Rivers Farmshed, Wisconsin Farmers Union, CREATE Portage County, Wisconsin Counties Solid Waste Management Association, and Portage County Business Council. Rep. Miresse was born in Wisconsin. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point in 2001.

Senator Natalie Murdock is a native North Carolinian, UNC alum, and dedicated public servant representing District 20, which includes Durham and Chatham Counties. Elected in 2020 with over 100,000 votes, Senator Murdock made history as the first woman of color under 40 elected to the North Carolina General Assembly and has since served multiple terms advancing a progressive agenda focused on Black maternal health, economic development, expanded healthcare access, and voting rights, filing hundreds of bills to support working families. She serves as South Region Coordinator for the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL), sits on the Executive Board of the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus, and holds leadership roles with UNC-Chapel Hill, earning recognition from organizations including the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, March of Dimes, and the NC ERA Alliance, and being featured in Essence Magazine for her work on Black maternal health.

Representative Dr. Amy Perruso, former veteran civics teacher and state teacher union leader, was elected to represent House District 46 in 2018. She recently served as the Chair of Higher Education and currently serves as House Majority Whip, Vice Chair of Energy and Environmental Protection and as a member of the Finance Committee. Her legislative work focuses on regenerative agriculture & restorative aquaculture, economic justice, good government, and fully funded public education.

Representative Kristi Pursell has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023, representing District 58A. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, she serves on the Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy; Health Finance and Policy; and Rules and Legislative Administration committees. Her work experiences include being a children's food educator at Midwest Food Connection, community engagement coordinator at the Cannon River Watershed Partnership, and executive director at Clean River Partners. She also farmed for a decade. She has a bachelor's Degree in English Literature and Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College and a graduate certificate in Environmental Education from University of Minnesota Duluth.

Senator Sue Shink is a community advocate, public servant, and mother who has dedicated her adult life to building healthier, more resilient communities. She is serving her first term in the Michigan Senate where she is fighting for working families. Senator Shink believes that government’s role is to serve the people with skill, honesty and integrity. Hailing from a proud union family, she grew up in Southeastern Michigan and earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and law degrees from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Prior to being elected to the Senate, Senator Shink served as Chair of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners and as a Northfield Township Trustee. She was also chair of the Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Committee (ALPAC) and served as a member on the Huron River Watershed Council as well as the Washtenaw County Food Policy Council. Senator Shink lives in Northfield Township on a small farm with her husband, Tom, where they proudly raised their three daughters.

Representative Megan Srinivas has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2023, representing District 30. She is a member of the Democratic Party and serves on the Agriculture, Commerce, Judiciary, and State Government committees and on the Appropriations Subcommittee’s Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee as Ranking Member. Rep. Srinivas is a physician and public health researcher, focusing on infectious disease prevention and community health initiatives. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in evolutionary biology from Harvard University. Rep. Srinivas earned a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Iowa and a Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Senator Kim Jackson brings a deep understanding of state governance and a long history of participating in people-centered grassroots advocacy. Her years of experience in leadership positions, whether as Georgia State Senator, Senate Minority Whip, Episcopal priest for the unhoused, consultant, or member of the USA Team Handball Team, have sparked a passion for crafting relevant, impactful policy programming for legislators and leaders nationwide. During her time at the Georgia State Capitol, Kim’s work has centered around advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, refugee and immigrant rights, stalking/domestic protections, reproductive rights, maternal and mental health care safeguards, and decriminalizing homelessness. As Georgia’s first openly LGBTQ Senator, she aims to energize and motivate marginalized communities to harness their shared power at both the local and national levels. A descendant of farmers from the rural South, Kim also remains deeply committed to furthering progressive agricultural and environmental policy change, using rural and urban agriculture as a common ground to build and strengthen bipartisan relationships.

Mike Rice (He/Him) served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2023-2025, representing five rural towns across two counties in southwestern Vermont. As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency and Forestry, he helped craft legislation that made universal school meals permanent, helped small-scale farmers diversify and transition their operations, and restricted the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. He was also part of the leadership team for the Vermont Legislative Climate Solutions Caucus and was named a 2023-24 Environmental Rising Star Legislator by Vermont Conservation Voters. Prior to his time in the legislature, Mike worked for the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) and spent time working across the food system on farms and in restaurants, a creamery, and a winery. He holds a master’s degree in food and agriculture law and policy from Vermont Law School.

Geran Tarr (They/Them) is a human rights activist, a former state legislator, an educator, and a food justice advocate with decades of experience in advocacy, policy, education, and strategic planning. As a legislator they served on both the House Resources and House Fisheries Committees, serving as the Co-Chair of the Resources Committee and the Chair of the Fisheries Committee, where they spearheaded multiple initiatives related to rural resilience and sustainable economies. Geran led efforts on food security and food system planning, including founding Food Security Awareness Week (now in its 13th year) and the bipartisan, bicameral Food and Farm Caucus, adventure tourism and sustainable land use planning, fisheries management, by-catch, habitat, climate change adaptation, and rural economic development.