SHINY FLANARY
Founder, Come Thru Market
Interim Executive Director, Black Food Sovereignty Coalition
Morning PLENARY:
WED., JULY 10th 2024, 9:00AM
shiny flanary is a queer Black farmer living in so-called Portland, Oregon. shiny wears a lot of hats. She runs her farm and herbal products business, Scrapberry Farm, and is also the founder and manager of Come Thru Market, a Black and Indigenous incubator market and farmer training program. She also manages the Black and Brown Herb Exchange, which connects farmers with buyers, learners with teachers, and offers business support to farmers and makers.
shiny grew up in Oakland, California – not a place traditionally known for inspiring little Black girls to grow up to be farmers. Despite trying (and mostly not succeeding) to grow carrots and sunflowers as a little girl, it never occurred to her to pursue farming. She imagined that “growing things” was the purview of wealthy white people.
A meandering 20-year journey as a telephone operator, tow truck dispatcher, community worker, and librarian/teacher in community colleges eventually brought her full circle to growing carrots, sunflowers, and medicinal herbs. Add in a little community and a lot of sweat and she now proudly calls herself a farmer, food justice worker, and farmers market manager. Oh, and most recently, Interim Executive Director at BFSC!
Bob Whitener
Owner & Corporate Executive Officer, The Whitener Group
Pre-Dinner Plenary:
Thurs., July 11, 2024, 3:30pm
As co-owner and CEO of The Whitener Group, Bob Whitener provides tribal governmental and enterprise development services for tribes.
Bob has over 40 years of experience working with tribal governments and Indian Country enterprises, serving as the CEO/Board President for Island Enterprises, as the economic development arm of the Squaxin Island Tribe for over 8 years, and spending 6 years as the Executive Director for the Squaxin Island Tribe itself. Bob’s Masters in Public Administration is from The Evergreen State College.
Bob has expertise in the areas of finance, administration, human resources systems, tribal-state compact negotiations, policy development, natural resources management, and federal negotiations.
When not found deep in work, you will find Bob traveling (to Maine and Mexico, mainly), tinkering in his garage (either at home or here at TWG’s offices) usually on a boat or TWO, or out on the water, of course.
Header Image: Agate Passage Preserve © Shaun Swalley/Bainbridge Island Land Trust