Food Systems Plans National Community of Practice (NCoP) Learning Session - Setting the Table for All Iowans: Evaluating for Funders, Policymakers, and Internal Partners
April 23, 2026 3:00PM - 4:30PM
Contact: Colleen Matts and Lindsey Scalera
In 2024, the Iowa Food System Coalition launched Setting the Table for All Iowans, a ten-year statewide food systems plan organized around nine priority areas that bring partners together to set shared goals, strategies, and actions. From the beginning, IFSC embedded evaluation into the process by working with an evaluator from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to establish common metrics and data collection practices across the priority teams.
This approach allows the coalition to:
- track progress,
- demonstrate impact to funders and policymakers,
- and support partners in their work.
It also gives IFSC’s communications team credible data to translate coalition activities into clear stories, policy insights, and public-facing communications that illustrate how collaborative food systems work is strengthening Iowa’s food system.
In this Learning Session, we will explore how Iowa designed its collaborative planning structure, integrated evaluation from the start, and uses shared data to support cross-team collaboration, policy and advocacy efforts, and storytelling about Iowa’s food system.
Guest speakers:
- Tommy Hexter, Executive Director, Iowa Food System Coalition
- Arlene Enderton, Evaluator, Iowa State University Extension & Outreach
- Mallory DeVries, Communications Director, Iowa Food System Coalition
Coordinated by the Michigan State University Center for Regional Food Systems, the Food Systems Planning National Community of Practice (NCoP) is a national, multi-state space that convenes leaders from current and emerging food system plan efforts across the country to increase our collective knowledge and capacity to collaborate and strengthen local and regional food systems using an equity approach.
Find more resources and tools on the NCoP website.
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