PRESIDENTS
Name: Samantha Goerger; sgoerger@jd25.law.harvard.edu
FLSN Position: President
Law School: Harvard Law School
Bio: Having grown up on a small, regenerative farm in North Dakota, I seek out every opportunity to explore nature and better local food systems. Most recently, I worked as a summer law clerk at Food & Water Watch, where I grew excited about a career in litigation. Specifically, I hope to create a more animal conscious and environmentally just food system by litigating against factory farms. Before law school, I worked as a Policy Fellow for ReFED, a nonprofit dedicated to ending food loss and waste. Additionally, I volunteered with a food rescue organization, Sharing Excess, saving nearly 16,000 pounds of food from the landfill. I intend to continue working on environmental food system issues and hope to harness my government and nonprofit experience, as well as continued mentorship from FLPC, to eventually progress the field through targeted local action and litigation. I graduated from Princeton in 2020 with a degree in quantitative political science and am currently a 2L at Harvard Law School.
Name: Fallon Ryan
FLSN Position: President
Law School: Vermont Law and Graduate School
Bio: Fallon Ryan is a food systems enthusiast and localized supply chain advocate from Minnesota. Fallon is pursuing a dual JD and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Fallon is interested in land use, specifically in regard to the nexus of agriculture, energy, and conservation. Fallon is a community connector with a pinball like energy. She has spent her career thus far working on farms, with farmers, and with consumers to build a more resilient food community. Before starting law school, Fallon was the Community Engagement Coordinator for Sprout MN, a nonprofit food hub, a coordinator for the Central Chapter Coordinator of Sustainable Farming Association, and one of four Founding Facilitators of MinneAg Network (a state policy network). You can find her bouncing around the community trying to pick up new skills and eating good food.
SECRETARY
Name: Courtney Bottge
FLSN Position: Secretary
Law School: Seton Hall School of Law
Bio: My name is Courtney Bottge and I am a 3L at Seton Hall School of Law in Newark, New Jersey, concentrating in Health Law and Compliance. I received my undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Cairn University. Currently, I work as a Compliance Analyst in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. I am excited to share my passion for food integrity and nutrition with others, and spread awareness of the various opportunities in food and drug law.
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
Name: Andrew Hockenberry
FLSN Position: Regional Representative
Law School: Vermont Law and Graduate School
Bio: The summer after my first year at the University of Louisville, while earning my Bachelor of Science in Applied Geography, I apprenticed on an organic farm and fell for agriculture. I worked on small organic farms throughout my undergraduate career and continued as a field manager after graduation. I spent three years after graduating growing produce for restaurants, institutions, and individuals all over Louisville, KY. In 2018, I took an opportunity to manage a farm on Maui (HI), where I grew and sold produce weekly at the local farmer’s market for two years. In 2020, I moved to Chicago and worked at a high school, teaching urban agriculture and managing the school’s multiple gardens that sprung from formerly vacant lots. I believe that lawyers, farmers, activists, advocates, and policymakers all have a pivotal role to play in positively reshaping our food system. Currently, I am a 2L at Vermont Law and Graduate School and in the dual degree program, earning a Master’s in Food and Agricultural Law and Policy in addition to a JD. It is an honor to serve as the Regional Representative for the National Food Law Student Network and help strengthen the connections and coalitions bringing meaningful change to our food system.
Name: Brodi Voight
FLSN Position: Regional Representative, Midwest
Law School: University of Dayton School of Law
Bio: Brodi is the FLSN Regional Representative of the Midwest. She is currently a 2L at the University of Dayton School of Law. Brodi grew up on a small crop farm in Ohio and competitively showed livestock. She went to Wilmington College, majoring in Agribusiness and Food Policy. During college, she worked on a number of hog farms, including Pig Improvement Company’s (PIC) genetic nucleus. After deciding her passion for agriculture extended beyond the barns, she decided to attend law school where she could use her passion for the industry to protect against those with little appreciation and knowledge of agriculture. Brodi’s summer internship at the Illinois Farm Bureau has consisted of legal research and writing on issues impacting the Farm Bureau and farmers, including land use, property rights, constitutional law, renewable energy, and governance issues. She is excited to connect her passion for the agricultural and legal community through her position at FLSN.
Name: Darwin Santiago Reyes
FLSN Position: Regional Representative
Law School: University of Puerto Rico School of Law
My name is Darwin Santiago Reyes, I am a 2L student at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law. Before law school, I studied a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor concentration in Food Science and Technology at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. I obtained my master’s degree in Manufacturing Quality Management at the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico. I have been working in the food and agriculture industry in quality and regulatory compliance for over 7 years, specifically in the areas of food service, R&D, RTE foods, frozen foods and beverages. As a FLSN representative I hope to help to close de gap between law students interested in food and working professionals in the food and agricultural industry.
Name: Hannah Kiely; hckiely@uark.edu
FLSN Position: Regional Representative
Law School: University of Arkansas School of Law
Bio: My name is Hannah Kiely, and I am a 3L at the University of Arkansas School of Law. I have lived in Fayetteville for six years now, as I also earned my undergraduate degrees at the University of Arkansas. I am currently the president of the Environmental Law Society and the treasurer of the Food Law Society on campus, and am excited to continue my passion for these areas of law within my role as a regional representative for FLSN! I’m looking forward to a great year!
Name: Rachael Totz
FLSN Position: Regional Representative
Law School: University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Bio: Before starting law school at Penn, I worked on the New York State Food as Medicine Project, planning to support the inclusion of ‘Food as Medicine’ interventions into New York’s Medicaid program. My personal experiences navigating the medical system as a teenager first drew me to food as a holistic way of addressing diet-related disease. However, after working on the Massachusetts Food is Medicine State Plan as a student at Tufts, I realized that food and nutrition were concepts capable of uniting diverse stakeholders around advancing the movements for food access and health justice. As a Regional Rep at FLSN, I’m excited to connect with other students, professors, and professionals and help strengthen the network that brings student voices into policy and practice.
Name: Hazel Spires, hazels@uoregon.edu
FLSN Position: Regional Representative
Law School: University of Oregon
Bio: Hazel Spires proudly represents the Western States as a regional representative. She is a 3L at the University of Oregon pursuing a J.D. with dual concentrations in Environmental & Natural Resources Law and Public Interest Law. She describes herself as a ‘food-motivated individual’ and has been actively involved in projects dedicated to dismantling the negative aspects of industrialized food systems.
In the summer of 2023, Hazel worked with Vermont Law School’s Center for Agriculture and Food Systems and Harvard’s Food Law and Policy Clinic. There she co-authored a report addressing employer compliance with regulations safeguarding agricultural workers from pesticide exposure.
Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, Hazel currently serves as a board member of Student Advocacy & Action for Environmental Justice (SAAEJ) at her law school and is an active member of the National Lawyers Guild. Her dedication to fostering a more equitable and sustainable food future drives her forward!
COMMUNICATIONS
Name: Shannon Gordon;sgordo8@gmu.edu
FLSN Position: Communications Chair
Law School: George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School
Bio: Shannon Gordon is a 2L student at GMU’s Scalia Law School. Shannon received a bachelor’s in Biochemistry at the University of South Florida with a minor in Nutrition. At USF, Shannon competed on the Track & Field team and ran a blog and the social media accounts for the Student Health & Wellness departments. Shannon went on to study and work as a research assistant at the University of Florida Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. Before starting law school, Shannon worked as a nutrition counselor for a non-profit that assisted at-risk pregnant woman and infants and then as a paralegal. Shannon has volunteered in sports nutrition programs, school gardening initiatives, animal rescue groups, and as a dietetic assistant at hospitals. Combining her love of science and nutrition, Shannon aims to work in intellectual property to support inventors innovating in the nutraceutical and agriculture fields. As the FLSN communications chair, Shannon hopes to educate, expand FLSN’s network, and promote food and agriculture law.
Name: Julia Wickham; juliawickham@vermontlaw.edu
FLSN Position: Communications Chair
Law School: Vermont Law and Graduate School
Bio: Julia Wickham is a proud Midwesterner growing up as an Iowan and spending the last several years as a Minnesotan. She was a farm worker in the Driftless Region near Wabasha, MN on an organic vegetable operation where she became interested in sustainable agriculture and rural development. Julia also worked on the government relations team for the Minnesota Farmers Union, a grassroots, membership-based organization advocating for family farms and their rural communities. Before attending law school, she was the Outreach Director for U.S. Senator Tina Smith covering agriculture, energy and the environmental policy in Minnesota. Julia is currently a 1L at Vermont Law School and is interested in antitrust law, the power of cooperatives, and the connection between farming and climate resiliency. She loves small towns, the Mississippi River, and sending birthday cards.
ENGAGEMENT CHAIRS
Name: Maria Beaucage
FLSN Position: Engagement Co-Chair
Law School: UCLA School of Law
Bio: I am a rising 2L at UCLA. Prior to law school, I received a B.S. in food science with a minor in public policy from Cornell, and went on to work on product development and regulatory affairs for the innovation department at Beyond Meat. At Cornell, I ran logistical operations for a food rescue organization in Ithaca, and I have continued to be involved in LA-based food rescue organizations as a volunteer post-college. My experience with regulations and policy in the food industry, along with the allure of law as a tool for addressing social justice issues, like food insecurity and environmental justice, drew me to law school. I am particularly interested in food law as an intersection between health law and environmental law. During my 1L summer, I worked at the USDA OGC. As a 2L, I will be working on UCLA’s Food Law Society pro-bono initiative to help community members navigate legal issues regarding the SNAP application, recertification, and appeals process. In my free time, I love hiking, trying new recipes, painting, and reading mysteries.
Name: Nicole Renna
FLSN Position: Engagement Co-Chair
Law School: Vermont Law and Graduate School
Bio: Nicole Renna is a dual 2L J.D./Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy candidate at Vermont Law and Graduate School. She is excited to work as Engagement Co-Chair to help law students interested in food law find connections in the field and flourish. The kitchen counter plays a central role in her life – a place for preparation, generosity, and connection – and guides her steady commitment to expanding access to good and secure food for all. Her legal interests span an array of topics related to food, such as conservation and soil health, ecosystem management and agriculture, access to IP and genetic material, food sovereignty, and international trade. Beyond farming and cooking, Nicole enjoys sewing, bicycling, and cuddling with her dog.
CAREER CHAIRS
Name: Kaitlyn Johnson
FLSN Position: Career Co-Chair
Law School: University of Maryland, Francis King Carey School of Law
Bio: Kaitlyn is serving as co-career chair for FLSN this year. Kaitlyn is a rising 3L pursuing a JD and a certificate of Environmental Law at the University of Maryland. Before law school, Kaitlyn earned her B.A. in International Relations at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI and her M.S. in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from the New School in NYC. At Maryland Carey Law, Kaitlyn is an Articles Editor on the Journal of Health Care Law & Policy, was the 1L Rep and President of Food Law Society and is a member of the Maryland Environmental Law Society. Kaitlyn has interned at the Federal Highway Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and was a summer associate at Keller and Heckman’s Food and Drug Law Practice where she specialized in food contact substances regulations. This upcoming year, Kaitlyn will be interning at the Center for Progressive Politics and working as a student attorney at Maryland’s eviction prevention clinic. Kaitlyn hopes to continue working in the FDA regulatory space after law school in the sustainability, plastics, chemicals, and food safety space. Kaitlyn is looking forward to building out the network and helping students find their career paths.
Name: Jillian Brown
FLSN Position: Career Co-Chair
Law School: Drake University Law School
Bio: My name is Jillian Brown, and I am a 3L at Drake University Law School where I am pursuing an Agricultural Law Certificate. I received my Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Food Systems from the University of Vermont. Prior to law school, I worked as a paralegal in a firm that specialized in Immigration Law. I am interested in addressing the divisive nature of food related concerns and believe that both the growers and producers livelihood concerns, as well as consumer health, socio-economic access barriers, animal welfare, labor, and environmental protection can, and should, be adequately accounted for in a healthy food system.