Jan Joannides is the Executive Director and co-founder of Renewing the Countryside. She is a connector and advocate, working to advance systems change in farming, food, and rural development sectors. She works to empower people to build more vibrant rural places through innovative approaches which integrate economic, social, and environmental interests. Jan has served as an Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems at the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA). She holds a master's degree in Forestry from the University of Minnesota and has been the editor and co-author of several books. Jan lives with her family in the beautiful Zumbro River Valley in southeast Minnesota.