CELTC Events

Born and raised in Thurston County, Treacy’s love for the PNW is unwavering. Filling restaurants with his local cuisines has been his legacy over the last three decades but not his only passion. Treacy is an avid hiker, dog lover and enjoys spending time with his grandkids.

Along with producing his Vern’s classics like clam chowder, Treacy has invested his time and expertise in building avenues for area farmers and small businesses to get their products into the hands of local residents.

Treacy partakes in local farmers' markets and is one of the cofounders of South Sound Fresh, a web-based farmers’ market with home delivery. Quite literally farm to table.

Our Community Kitchen (OCK) is just the latest way Treacy is contributing to the success of his community by providing an accessible space for supporting local small businesses.

Suggested Pre-reading: Shared Kitchen Survey Insights (PDF, 1 MB)

Employment, salary, taxes - it's all a scam. Your peers are idiots, your bosses are tools and the money they pay you is not worth the sh*t you shovel every gd day of the rest of your life. Sounds like a hellscape, right? Well, your hellscape is my playground and here's why - I'm a bullsh*t artist and you can be too.

Suggested Pre-reading:
Timewaster 5000 (Liquid Death)

Speaker
Johnny Eastlund

Johnny is a multi-disciplinary bullsh*t artist working in advertising, entertainment and music. He has contributed to major films, album releases and currently leads content production at Liquid Death, all while having virtually no clue what he's doing.

GRuB’s Shepherd Project seeks to actively engage and guide Veterans seeking to transition into agriculture through direct mentoring, coaching, and connecting with resources and training. We aim to work closely with these beginning farmer Veterans to help them navigate through the complexities of starting an agricultural enterprise. 

The long-term goal of the Healing through Hives Project is to increase the number of viable apiaries (honey bee farms) operated by Veterans in western Washington. We’re doing this by creating pathways for prospective and beginning Veteran beekeepers to access programs and resources that help them overcome the barriers they face as beginning farmers (such as access to training, land, capital, mentoring, markets) and the barriers they face as Veterans (such as transition to civilian life, mental and physical health challenges, and low-income). 

Jennah will be sharing about her journey of starting Hub City Honey Company LLC with partner and Veteran Beau Gromley.

Suggested Pre-reading: 
Eric and the Bees (YouTube)

Speakers
Jennah Kemp & Alex Cumings

GRuB’s Veteran Program consists of Jennah Kemp, the Veteran Program Manager, and Alex Cumings, the Veteran Projects Coordinator. Jennah is a Navy Veteran and Alex is an Army brat, growing up with both parents serving on active duty. They support military service members, spouses, dependents, and mentors to receive beekeeping and farming training/support to achieve their agricultural goals and launch their own farms and businesses. GRuB's Veteran Projects offer scholarships, other educational and networking opportunities, mentorship, and mental health support.

This lecture will be talking about the importance of a localized food system as a means of food security and justice, as well as the process of entering the workforce as a young professional. We will touch on the importance of having passion and enthusiasm despite the threats of red tape and budget cuts within program development, especially when working within an organization with a committee and a board. 

This concept also relates to a broader idea of food justice as we see drastic budget cuts within the USDA during this transitional period in government. How do these budget cuts impact the local food system and the subsequent workforce? How can we actively engage with our local food systems and support our neighborhood farmers? All this and more will be covered in this lecture!

Suggested Pre-reading:
Food Hub Growth: A Case Study of the Puget Sound Food Hub Cooperative (PDF, 1 MB)

Speaker
Sarah Quenemoen

I was first introduced to the concept of a food hub through my studies at Western Washington University. Here, I was able to acquire a degree in Environmental Policy, but the program that changed the trajectory of my life was the Climate Leadership Certificate. Having started farming in 2020, I had recently been introduced to the study and analysis of the broader food system which I operated within. The CLC program allowed me the opportunity to work at the Red Shed Farm and Classroom in Bloom - two farms in the Methow Valley that focus on hyper-local food distribution to food justice programs as well as the broader Methow community. The fire season that summer was very active, and I saw an impacted community struggle to find comfort and community in the wake of such drastic destruction. The evacuations and displacement of community members in a region with a mostly "invisible" houseless population opened my eyes to the necessity of food security within regional and neighborhood programs. I was able to build my thesis around this concept and investigated food hubs as a tool of food security. After farming for a couple more years, I was able to land in a position with the Southwest Washington Food Hub as their Sales & Marketing Coordinator. Here, I develop sales channels and advocate for local foods amongst growers and changemakers alike.

Starting a food business is a great way to share culinary tradition and make people happy by feeding them. But there are plenty of practical and regulatory hurdles, like working with local health departments and creating viable offerings in an industry with such tight margins. This class will provide an overview of permitting, commercial kitchen options, product costing, and food safety.

Suggested Pre-reading:
Is Starting a Food Business Worth It Right Now? (Bon Appetit)

Speaker
Devra Gartenstein

Devra Gartenstein has owned and run small food businesses for over 30 years. She currently coaches food and farm business founders through Business Impact NW.

Extended Hybrid Workshop
1 - 3:30 pm (PST) in Purce Hall 5

This interactive lecture explores how art and participatory mapping can reveal hidden systems of exploitation in global supply chains. Drawing from human rights research and artistic practice, we'll visualize the complex ecosystem that enables modern slavery to persist despite corporate sustainability claims. 

Through creative mapping exercises, participants will identify "wicked patterns" of injustice and potential intervention points. Join us to discover how making the invisible visible can transform our understanding of global supply chains and empower meaningful action.

Suggested Pre-reading:
The Power of Art to Foster Systems Thinking (PDF, 2.4 MB)
Diverse Voices, Sticky Maps and Wicked Patterns (PDF, 1 MB)
Mapping Visual Global Politics (PDF, 1 MB)

Speaker
Jeannie Morgan

Jeannie Morgan is a visiting lecturer and researcher from Roskilde University (RUC) in Denmark, who was awarded funding from the Erasmus+ Programme for the Critical Edge Alliance Exchange to Evergreen State College. Her unique career journey started as an investment banking analyst at JP Morgan, but a profound search for meaning led her to leave Wall Street and shift her focus onto the world’s most pressing social challenges. This led her to grassroots work with migrants in Southern California and eventually humanitarian work in Africa, where she managed projects in livelihoods, refugee protection, and strengthening civil society in both East and West Africa. She holds an LL.M. in Human Rights Law from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in International Development, complementing her earlier degrees in Management and Economics.

Her research interrogates the intersection of business, human rights, and social sustainability, with a particular focus on the hidden impacts of transnational business activities. She is a published author with the MANORG research group at RUC, contributing the chapter “Beyond Compliance: The challenge of internalising social sustainability norms in EU supply chains” to a 2024 book on the challenges of sustainability. She is also engaged in a new research project collaborating with Ethical Trade Denmark. Currently Jeannie advises students on research and dissertations within sustainability, CSR, social entrepreneurship, and business and human rights. She is also teaching advanced research methods and international business law.

Drawing on her background as both a researcher and multimedia artist, Jeannie combines a rare blend of analytical rigor with creative approaches to help students gain a deeper understanding of systemic labour exploitation. Her main approach brings together diverse perspectives and challenges conventional thinking. In this realm she is also a recent startup Founder at Collab-D, where she is blending research, business and human rights frameworks, and emerging AI-powered analytics, to develop (and eventually build) a tech solution to help companies and organisations map and trace patterns of exploitation.

Mind, Body, Village: The Future of Holistic Health & Education explores the connection between personal well-being, experiential learning, and community resilience. It examines how movement, mindfulness, and holistic education support both individual growth and collective well-being. The lecture considers ways to integrate these practices into daily life, fostering a more connected and health-conscious society.

Suggested Pre-reading:
"Love thy Nature" a Documentary by Sylvie Rokab (YouTube)

Speaker
Amy Flynn

Amy Flynn is a visionary educator, integrative health coach, and community leader dedicated to holistic wellness and experiential learning. As the founder of Heartsong Village Center, she creates spaces for connection, growth, and self-discovery. With a deep understanding of the mind-body connection, she empowers individuals to reclaim their bodies, find purpose, and cultivate balance through movement, nature, and community engagement.

This lecture will explore organizational structures for responsible businesses, highlighting how different models embed social and environmental impact into their core operations. We will examine business and employee-owned cooperatives, where democratic governance and shared ownership empower workers and communities; B Corporations, which balance profit with purpose through rigorous social and environmental standards; Social Purpose Corporations (SPCs), a Washington State-specific structure that allows businesses to prioritize mission alongside shareholder value; and Non-Profit Organizations, which reinvest all revenue into advancing a social or environmental cause. By comparing these models, we will discuss their benefits, challenges, and real-world examples of businesses using these structures to drive meaningful change.

Suggested Pre-reading:
The Washington State Small Business Guide (business.wa.gov) 

Speaker
Dr. Sean Moore

Dr. Moore is the Director of the Thurston EDC Center for Business & Innovation and oversees over a dozen resources to support entrepreneurs in startup and growth. Dr. Moore is also an Adjunct Business Faculty member at the South Puget Sound Community College. He is academic research focused on responsible businesses environmental performance. He has fifteen years of management experience and has worked for responsible businesses like Patagonia.