Ned Porter is the Director of National and Regional Policy for Wholesome Wave. In that role, he works at the local, state and federal levels to make it easier for partners to improve the access to and affordability of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. He also collaborates with other organizations at the intersection of food and farm policy, and seeks to educate state and federal officials about policy reforms that would improve the food system for underserved communities and family farmers. Previously, Ned served for 10 years as Deputy Commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, the State’s lead agency dealing with all aspects of the food system, from the field to the table. He also worked on Capitol Hill for six years, handling agriculture and natural resource issues for a member of Congress who served on the Committee on Agriculture, and has a background in journalism with the Bangor Daily News.