July 27, 2026 — After over nine years as a valued member of the Wallace Center team, our dear friend and colleague, Andrew Carberry, is beginning an exciting new chapter with a new opportunity. Andrew joined the Wallace Center to help launch the Food Systems Leadership Network, and built the mentorship program that has become one of the Network’s most impactful offerings.
We have been so fortunate to have Andrew’s thoughtful leadership shape our work. His many contributions have strengthened both the Center and the broader movement for just and equitable food systems. As he reflects on his time with the Wallace Center, Andrew shares what he’s most proud of, the people who inspire him, and how his understanding of success has evolved through the work. We wish him all the best in this next phase of his work!
When you think about your work at the Wallace Center, what are you proudest of?
I am the proudest of seeing the Wallace Center through so many adaptations over the past nine years. The Wallace Center is always adapting to the needs of the field and moves through different focus areas as things gain momentum and new needs come to the forefront. I came in at a transitional time when the National Good Food Network (NGFN) was very well established and supporting food hubs across the country, and staff were looking for the next area of need. I was part of the team that launched the Food Systems Leadership Network (FSLN) and developed new programs that met needs for capacity building, network weaving and leadership development in the field. We built so many relationships ourselves and saw many more take root through our work. I am proud of those relationships and their continuing impact on individuals and the field overall. I love hearing stories from two years, three years later when folks are still in contact and developing partnerships based on an introduction that was made through the Wallace Center.
As a MEAL (monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning) person I would be remiss not to include some data that I am proud of here! The FSLN Mentorship program that I developed and managed here served 223 mentees, partnered with 22 different mentors and offered a total of 1,784 hours mentorship over eight cohorts. Across those 8 cohorts, our outcome evaluation consistently showed that mentees made big changes to their work (89% of all respondents), felt increased confidence in their leadership capacity (95% of all respondents), and built relationships that are meaningful to their work (88% of all respondents). I think about the individual stories I have heard of personal and professional transformation from mentees, multiplied by 223 people, and that makes me very proud.
What are your hopes for the Wallace Center?
I hope that the Wallace Center will continue adapting. The Wallace Center has a unique role to fulfill in that they can adapt and move where the need is in a rapidly changing world. With the talented, connected and values-driven staff here I know they will continue to identify new areas that Wallace is uniquely suited to support and dive into. It is exciting to think of what the team will develop and accomplish in the next 10 years.
As its mission states,
“The Wallace Center at Winrock International brings together diverse people and ideas to co-create solutions that build healthy farms, fair economies, and resilient food systems. “
The need for creative solutions is as urgent now as ever. Under the leadership of the Wallace Center’s new Director, Mary Fales, I can see the team developing new partnerships and building out the creative ideas that are already brewing. Her leadership will bring new partnership ideas and energy for this next phase of the Wallace Center’s work in service of healthy farms, fair economies and resilient food systems. I hope the Wallace Center will continue to be a hub for folks working on complex problems to come together and develop ideas to test, learn from and then share out with the field.
Who has inspired you?
So many people have inspired me in my time here! My colleagues all come from different areas of interest to this work whether it was environmental, public health, or small farm advocacy, and the team finds shared purpose in the Wallace Center’s mission. I saw how hard everyone worked and that always motivated me to keep going and try to level up!
Among external partners, the group I consistently drew inspiration from was the FSLN mentors. I pushed us to create that program because it was the type of support I wanted for myself, and I knew others would find it valuable. We got to put together a dream team of mentors in food systems work! Getting to connect with the mentors several times per year to hear what their intentions were for supporting new leaders, and then hearing from them at the close of each season what they learned from mentees and the new energy mentees had going forward was amazing. When I felt stuck or bogged down, I would remember those lessons and that growing towards your purpose is a lifelong journey.
Anything else to add?
I am so thankful to the Wallace Center and Winrock for the opportunity to work and grow here. I came here from a state level position and was new to working at a national level. I loved meeting so many dedicated people and learning all about network stewardship, leadership development, systems thinking and value chain coordination. Being part of this team allowed me to grow in ways I hadn’t expected.
Over the years we have used a value creation stories framework to interview participants and collect stories of impact from the field. One of my favorite questions is the final one in the interview and I’ll close with that question.
Q: Sometimes, an experience changes your understanding of what success is. This is when an event or innovation changes the way that you define what matters, what consists of success, and therefore what “value creation” is. Did this happen for you? How would you describe the change?
Yes! Before joining the Wallace Center, I was focused on building food systems that offer healthy nutrition environments and support healthier diets. When I began here, I expected my work to center on capacity building for organizations working in community-based food systems. While that has been part of the work, my definition of success has shifted. I have come to see success less as what happens at an organizational level, and more as the increased capacity, confidence, and success of the people in this work. The greatest impact I can have is supporting people in their growth, connecting them to the relationships and resources they need, and helping create the conditions for their work to thrive. As I move into my next role, I am grateful for this expanded understanding of success and for the Wallace Center’s role in shaping it.