Heather Bois Bruskin (Director, she/her/hers)
Heather Bois Bruskin (Director, she/her) leads the operational and strategic initiatives of the OFSR team in collaboration with agency and community partners toward our collective food system goals. Heather spent the first decade of her career in higher education as an educator and program director, before moving into the community-based nonprofit sector in Montgomery County. She first served as president of multiple volunteer-driven early childhood organizations and then spent almost nine years as the Executive Director of a food systems advocacy and collaboration building nonprofit. Heather serves as the elected Co-Chair of the Maryland Food System Resiliency Council and is a current and founding member of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments FARM Committee. Heather holds a Bachelor of Arts from Tufts University and a Master of Education from the University of Virginia. A Montgomery County resident and MCPS parent, Heather is an active leader and volunteer in her community and local schools and spends her free time exploring the numerous and diverse farms, historic sites, tasting opportunities, and hiking trails in our area with her family and two rescue dogs.
Juan Cruz (Performance Management Data Analyst II, he/him/his)
Juan Cruz (Performance Management Data Analyst II) is a data enthusiast and the new Performance Management and Data Analyst in the Office of Food Systems Resilience. His work is focused on the intersection of data governance, business intelligence, and data analysis--leading efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of government programs and policies and ensuring data-driven decision-making. His favorite projects involve collaborating with residents, practitioners, and researchers to make information accessible to all intended audiences. Before taking on this role in the OFSR, Juan spent four rewarding years at the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), leading a team providing data solutions and managing large-scale evaluations and strategic research initiatives. Prior to his tenure at MPD, Juan contributed his skills at CASA, leading the evaluation of programs and policy assessments at the local, state, and federal levels. His expertise spanned food assistance, workforce development, health access, education, and policies disproportionately impacting disenfranchised communities. No stranger to Montgomery County, Juan graduated from Montgomery College's Scholars Program (2008) and obtained a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in Geography from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Born in Lima, Peru, Juan has spent most of his life in the DMV area. Outside work, Juan enjoys traveling, cycling, and refining his culinary skills to delight his friends and family!
Catherine Nardi (Program Manager I, she/her/hers)
Catherine Nardi (Program Manager I) is a passionate, solutions-oriented leader with 6+ years of experience in the local food system. Catherine’s background includes leadership positions centered around community engagement, nutrition and food access program oversight, and health equity-focused policy work with the Montgomery County Food Council, DC Central Kitchen, and Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Her work is informed by her engagement with local, national, and international professional learning communities, including as a Global Health Corps Fellow and a US Delegate to the Slow Food Terra Madre Salone del Gusto. Catherine received a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a master's degree in Nutrition Education from American University.
How We Work
The Office of Food Systems Resilience will use a four-step work cycle to accomplish its mission and focus its limited resources:
Explore food system issues, leveraging collected data, research, and community insight
Analyze potential policies, investments, and projects to address identified issues, using the OFSR’s Mission and Core Values to select only the best, most impactful initiatives to execute
Implement selected strategies (investing, guiding policy, and completing work)
Assess the outcomes and use the data to guide future exploration of issues and analysis of future initiatives
