Simone Benz

Simone is a strategic thinker, collaborator, and community builder. She is the advocacy manager for Sustainable Food Center, a 501(c)(3) based in Austin, Texas, which works to transform the food system to nourish our health, land, and livelihood. In her current role, Simone leads the organization’s strategic and policy initiatives at the local, state, and national levels. Before devoting her work full time to policy and advocacy, Simone led community engagement and organizing efforts in support of equitable food access initiatives in Austin’s Eastern Crescent. Simone pursued dual bachelor of arts degrees in both environmental studies and international relations from Franklin University in Switzerland, and she’s currently pursuing an executive master in public leadership at the University of Texas LBJ School. Simone was raised in Managua, Nicaragua.