Biography
Marcus A. Coleman is a Professor of Practice at Tulane University with a joint appointment in the Department of Economics and the Strategy, Leadership, and Analytics Minor. Growing up in Louisiana’s rural Mississippi River Delta region, Coleman was introduced early on to the disproportionate nature of the food system structure that often defines socially disadvantaged rural communities, which can lead to issues of accessibility, availability, and affordability related to food. These experiences led to Coleman’s interest in fostering equitable and sustainable food systems, via leadership development and community engagement, that are inclusively beneficial to all, economically, socially, environmentally, and politically. He received an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in Agriculture and Extension Education from Louisiana State University.
Research
Food System Leadership in the Greater New Orleans Region
The food culture in the greater New Orleans region has long sparked the interest of food consumers locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. Nestled within this dynamic food culture is growing interest in localized agriculture, which seeks to support the region's local flavor further. Driving this local agriculture movement is various individuals and organizations working throughout the region to foster distribution and resilience related to local agriculture. This project aims to understand the role that food system leadership and engagement have played in fostering distribution and resilience related to local agriculture and food systems in the Greater New Orleans region.
