Board of Directors

Karen Schauwecker is a Carbondale native, with a Master’s degree in Geography and Environmental Resources from SIU. While at SIU, Karen co-managed the LOGIC organic garden and completed the Master Gardener’s program. She spent a year teaching K-8 standard curriculum, nutrition, and agriculture in a garden setting in Birmingham, AL, with the Jones Valley Teaching Farm. After that, she worked as the assistant manager of the University Farm in Sewanee, TN. She is currently employed at SIU and has served as the Program Coordinator in the Office of Sustainability since 2017.

"Food works has supported the local food economy for many years, although much of their work is behind the scenes. The organization has been instrumental in expanding access to local, fresh produce for SNAP benefit users at farmers markets across southern Illinois. They've supported and taught new aspiring local farmers though their Farm Beginnings program. Food Works is also the organization that initiated and manages the Carbondale Community Farmers Market each winter, serving over 300 consumers each week on a typical winter. They do so much in the way of supporting this community, filling in wherever they are needed to support a vibrant local food economy- one that increases access to nutritious, healthy local food and supports the livelihoods of the farmers that grow this food for us." - K.S.

Marika Josephson is the co-founder and head brewer at Scratch Brewing Company, a farmhouse brewery that makes beer and food with ingredients sourced in Southern Illinois, most of which are from the brewery's working farm. Marika is also the author (along with Scratch's co-founders) of The Homebrewer's Alamanac, a book on brewing with farmed and foraged ingredients, released fall 2016 from Countryman Press.

Kathryn is a Southern Illinois native and her upbringing on the family’s homestead rooted her interest in provisional farming. Her BSN from University of Evansville was steeped in holistic nursing. Over time, Kathryn has become an advocate of Functional Medicine, which treats the underlying root cause of “dis-ease”, food being foundational. Synchronicity manifested in Kathryn’s life when her food/farm co-housing was realized upon her move to a (nearly) “tiny house” on Countrysprout Organics Farm south of Carbondale. Not only does she enjoy a thriving neighbor relationship, she also makes a point to support the planting, picking, weeding and bouquet making aspects of the farm. Kathryn currently holds a position within the SIH Employee Wellness Program as a certified Nurse Coach and Health and Wellness Coach. She views the gap between education and action is best filled with coaching support empowering clients to transform from unconscious consumers to owning their own health.