Annette Nielsen, is the Executive Director of the Hunter College New York City Food Policy Center. Until recently, she led the New York City office for the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Her role representing the Department provided a touchpoint for the agricultural and food industries in the greater metropolitan area, while supporting efforts across the state to build food systems and resiliency. Beyond working to extend access to healthful, farm-sourced food for all New Yorkers, her portfolio included facilitating the Commissioner’s statewide Community Gardens Task Force and the Procurement Advisory Group.

After a career with leadership posts in Washington, DC serving on the staffs of US Senators Daniel Patrick Moynihan and Edward M. Kennedy, Ms. Nielsen put her skillset to work in the food world. Whether policy or programming, she has engaged in the full spectrum of the food system from production to consumption: launching an incubator kitchen, collaborating on an 8,000 square-foot community garden, facilitating farm to institution initiatives, serving on the inaugural health and wellness committee as an elected member of a NYS board of education, as well as significant work in agritourism, precepting nutrition students and teaching culinary nutrition and food systems to medical residents.

Annette earned her MA (Writing) from Johns Hopkins, a BA, Fine Arts from Colgate University, and completed her certification in Nutrition from Cornell University. She grew up in the Adirondacks and calls Harlem home.