Lanae Hood (she/her) is a member of the Healthy Food Access Team and advocates for policies to improve food insecurity, ensure that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants have sufficient purchasing power for nutritious foods, reduce barriers in accessing SNAP benefits, and advance the priorities of the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP).

Prior experience

Lanae served as director of Virginia Fresh Match, a GusNIP-funded statewide nutrition incentive program. She has studied food insecurity for over a decade including as a tenured faculty member of Nutrition. Lanae is passionate about supporting local food systems through the promotion of farmers markets and food hubs. She is especially interested in novel approaches to address barriers and promote consumption of nutritious foods for participants in federal nutrition programs such as SNAP and the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Lanae holds a PhD in Nutrition Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a Master of Science in Nutrition from Meredith College, and a BA in Political Science from Wheaton College in Massachusetts.

Joined CSPI

Lanae joined CSPI in March 2024

What's the most inspiring part of your job?

"I am honored to do what I love while working alongside food policy experts and community advocates who shared my deep commitment to advancing food justice in our communities."