About Us
While conceptually it might be easy to understand the potential benefits of transitioning away from livestock based agriculture towards plant-based systems for mitigating climate change and environmental degradation, saving biodiversity, and improving global health standards, it is hard to imagine how this transition might play out in today’s world given economic and political constraints as well as current understandings of private land ownership. Before working towards large scale land use transitions necessary to save biodiversity alive today, it will be necessary to rethink fundamental relations to land and humanity's role in the larger biosphere.
To address this Global Roots promotes regenerative, equitable, and nutritious plant-based food systems around the world by modeling agricultural conservation projects, partnering with organizations around the world to implement whole systems change, and providing on the ground education programs.
Objectives
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Expand the practice of agriculture as a form of conservation, life-enhancement, and regeneration to areas around the world.
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Provide education opportunities on how to transition consolidated, top-down food systems to community-owned land trusts and regenerative land practices.
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Demonstrate through model programs how transitioning inefficiently used farmland from speculative markets to locally-owned land initiatives increases healthy food options, employment opportunities, and resilient communities of health.
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Increase peer-to-peer networking and coalition building through the Whole-Communities platform.
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Provide technical support to promote regenerative, equitable, and nutritious plant-based food systems.
Board of Directors
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LeAnne Campbell, PhD
Board Director
LeAnne Campbell, PhD, has been trained in designing, directing, and evaluating local, regional, and international programs. Her undergraduate (BS) and master's degree (MS), are from Cornell University, from the School of Human Ecology. Through an interdisciplinary curriculum plan, she focused on education...
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Gayle Goldsmith, JD
Board Secretary
Gayle Goldsmith, JD, is a general practice attorney with over 30 years of experience in litigation. She is trained in collaborative law, and she was a certified mediator from 1999–2020. In addition to a law degree, Gayle has a Master of Environmental Science from Miami University (OH) and a Master of Environmental...
Normand Travis, CPA
Treasurer
Normand Travis, CPA, has over 20+ years of experience working with small, medium, and large businesses and non–profits. He enjoys helping clients reach their financial objectives while overcoming the challenges of today’s complex marketplace. Located in Durham, NC, Normand is often referred to as the “founder”...
Gerard Bisshop
Lead Scientist
Gerard Wedderburn-Bisshop worked as a Principal Scientist with Queensland Government Natural Resources, using satellite data to monitor three decades of vegetation cover and broadscale deforestation. He left government in 2010 to co-author the Beyond Zero Emissions’ Land Use Plan , a plan to take Australia’s land...
Ana M. Negrón, MD
Lead Scientist
Board certified in family medicine, Ana M. Negrón, MD has made cooking with plants integral to her practice for almost two decades. By transitioning her patients to a whole foods plant-based lifestyle she helps reduce inflammation at the root of their illness. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, bilingual Negrón...
Staff
Altagracia Rodriguez
Health Facilitator
Altagracia Rodriguez (aka Tata) has lived in La Cumbre for nearly 65 years and during this time, she’s worked for 43 years with the Ministry of Public Health. First, as a village health worker where she was responsible for working directly in La Cumbre and two...
Pedrito Antonio Rodriguez Diaz
Assistant Director of Community/Land Regeneration Projects
Pedrito Rodriguez (aka, Tocayo) has worked with La Cumbre Education Center (recognized as RAICES Global) for over four years. Born and raised in La Cumbre, Dominican Republic, he has over 16 years of agricultural...
