Emerson Fellow
Morgan McKinney
28th Class, 2021-2022
Morgan is originally from Ohio and graduated from Duke University with degrees in global health and public policy. During her childhood she split her time between living on a farm in rural Ohio with her father’s side of the family and in a small town just outside of Columbus with her mother. Over the past few years, she has worked as a research assistant with Duke Global Women’s Health Technologies to make cervical cancer screening more accessible for underserved women in Peru and the United States, sparking a more broad passion for social justice work. While food has always played a central role in her life, it was not until the Covid-19 pandemic that she pursued interests in food systems as a space connecting people to their physical and social environments and a fundamental intersection to a plethora of social issues, driving her interest in sustainable food supply chains.
Field placement: Community Farm Alliance
Berea, Kentucky
Morgan completed her field work at the Community Farm Alliance in Berea, Kentucky. Her work included advocating for programs that offer financial incentives for low-income households to purchase fresh produce from farmer's markets, bridging the gap between Kentuckians facing food insecurity and local farmers. Through community organizing and outreach, she built a coalition that links the interests of urban and rural communities in solidarity for ending hunger and poverty across the state.
Policy placement: The Brookings Institution
Washington, D.C.
Morgan McKinney is working with Brookings Metro to research policies and programs that support low-income workers and disadvantaged youth. Through a series of blogs and research briefs, she is highlighting policy solutions that connect people to economic opportunity through more robust and redesigned labor markets and educational institutions.