Touting community gardens
USDA Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Audrey Rowe visits the Como Community Garden in Ft. Worth, TX. USDA photo
NEW YORK -- The Honorable Audrey Rowe, Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculure, joins other members of the 50 Top Names in Black Food on Aug. 1 at the Schomburg Center in Harlem to discuss the business opportunities from improving nutrition in food deserts.
BlackRestaurant.NET hosts the first 50 Top Names in Black Food as the opening event of the 9th National Black Business Month. Earlier in the day, "the Queen of Soul Food", Sylvia Woods holds the second day of her Golden Anniversary.
National Black Business Month advocates visiting at least one black-owned business each day of August, with a suggested industry sector each day of the month. On Wednesday, Aug. 1, we encourage visits to African-American food service businesses ranging from farmers to restaurants to manufacturers around the nation.
Back to school
Part of FNS Administrator Audrey Rowe's responsibilities are the school lunch program. Here she leads Albany, GA elementary students through a Back to School breakfast last August. USDA photo.
She brings to the Federal government over 20 years of experience in human services policy development, fiscal management, program design, service delivery and marketing with a particular focus on vulnerable populations, low income women, children and youth.
Most recently, Rowe served as Deputy Administrator for Special Nutrition Programs at FNS, leading the effort to pass the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the legislative centerpiece of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to end childhood obesity in a generation.
Rowe has extensive experience working on issues related to FNS programs. Her leadership has included roles as Human Resources Administrator in New Haven, Connecticut, and Social Services Commissioner for the State of Connecticut and the District of Columbia. In addition, she served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the National Urban League.
In private industry, Audrey served as Senior Vice President and Managing Director for the Children and Family Services division for Affiliated Computer Service (ACS), formerly Lockheed Martin IMS. In this capacity, she spearheaded industry leadership in the realms of child support payment processing and enforcement and the electronic dissemination of public assistance benefits, including implementing Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) programs in over 20 states. Additionally, Audrey was appointed Senior Vice President for Public Affairs where she managed the corporation’s government relations, philanthropy, and community relation programs.
Audrey’s publications include:
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The Feminization of Poverty: An Issue for the 90’s, Yale University Journal of Law and Feminism, Fall 1991
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Editor, The State of Black America, 1991, “To Be Equal,” National Urban League.
Audrey is a graduate of Federal City College and was a fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government Institute of Politics at Harvard University.
