Anna Hammond

Childhood Obesity

America’s young people face a health crisis. According to the White House, over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in the United States have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. Anna Hammond, Executive Director of The Sylvia Center joins the show to discuss what can and should be done!

Anna Hammond, Executive Director of The Sylvia Center has been the architect of many successful educational programs for children and young adults, in both academic and community environments. She came to The Sylvia Center in 2009 with a mission to transform the way children eat by creating and implementing farm-to-table programs with a focus on the table – what happens to vegetables after we grow and harvest them. She is particularly interested in issues of access regarding food – who gets to eat what; good food as a choice, not a privilege; putting basic cooking skills back into children’s lives so that they can choose to eat well. Most recently, Anna worked as a political speechwriter and community organizer in New York City and Rockland County. Prior positions include deputy director for education, programs, and public affairs at the Yale University Art Gallery (2003-2008), and director of writing services for the Museum of Modern Art (1997-2002). She has published numerous articles and essays, directed over a dozen public art projects, and co-written a non-fiction children’s book about a community project intended to integrate children with diverse backgrounds in a neighborhood in the South Bronx.

Ms. Hammond graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with a degree in classics and archaeology. She is A.B.D from University of Chicago, in South Asian Languages and Civilizations, and in 1995 earned an M.F.A. in painting from Hunter College, New York. She is currently studying for a certificate in biodynamic agriculture from the Pfeiffer Center.

Dr. Derrick DeSilva

3 / 9 / 2010