College of Lake County (CLC) welcomes Eliza Fournier as the Urban Farm director at theLakeshore Campus. The student-run farm is expected to open fall 2023.
Fournier comes to CLC from the Chicago Botanic Garden where she served as the Health and Special Contracts Director of Windy City Harvest. She also worked at the Farm on Ogden, the inspiration for the Lakeshore farm.
“I am ecstatic to start work on CLC's Lakeshore Campus Urban Farm,” Fournier said. “I actually got my start in urban agriculture at the Green Youth Farm in the Greenbelt Forest Preserve, so it's great to come back to Waukegan and reconnect with old friends and partners. The new Urban Farm has the opportunity to demonstrate how food and plants can help solve so many 21st century challenges including climate change, social disconnection, chronic disease and more. It is an honor to be part of this exciting initiative."
Fournier worked in many other leadership positions, including Program Director of Windy City Harvest and Project Coordinator with the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development. She was also an adjunct professor at Lake Forest College where she helped design and implement an on-campus food production garden.
Fournier earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Lake Forest College and her master’s degree in urban management and community development from University of Indiana.
Executive Director of Community Programming Roneida Martin said, “We are very excited to have Eliza join our team as Director of the Urban Farm. Eliza brings more than 20 years of experience in horticulture, agriculture, community involvement, grants, fundraising and education to CLC. Most importantly, Eliza was a key leader in the development, launch and management of the Farm on Ogden, our model for urban farming.”
The Urban Farm will apply sustainable agriculture practices with nearly zero emissions, part of CLC’s role as a leader in sustainability. It will establish a community hub and marketplace in Lake County for locally produced food and promote wellness, healthy cooking, food as medicine and community health.
About College of Lake County
College of Lake County is a comprehensive community college committed to equitable high-quality education, cultural enrichment and partnerships to advance the diverse communities it serves in northeastern Illinois. Offered at three campuses in Grayslake, Vernon Hills and Waukegan or online, college classes are affordable and accessible to help each student achieve academic, career and personal goals. More than 70,000 students graduated with degrees and certificates since the college opened in 1969. College of Lake County is the only higher-education institution ranked among the top 15 best places to work in Illinois by Forbes and is a national leader in many areas, including sustainability and conservation.