J. Dara BloomStudent Council
EDUCATION
Ph. D. Candidate, (ABD) Rural Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University
Specialization: Sociology of Food and Agriculture
2009 M.S. Rural Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University
Thesis Title: “Conceptualizing “Hybrid” Food Networks: Engaging Conventional
Food System Infrastructure To Build Local Food Systems.”
2002 B.A. Religion, Swarthmore College
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
2010- present Research Assistant, The Pennsylvania State University (Dep’t. of
Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology); Dr. Clare Hinrichs
2009 Research Assistant, The Pennsylvania State University (National Science
Foundation Grant); Project Title: “Doing Food Work: Practices Of Gendered
Inequalities In (Re)Productive Labor In The U.S. Food System”; Dr. Carolyn
Sachs, Dept. of Ag Econ & Rural Soc. and Women’s Studies, Penn State
University, and Patricia Allen, Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food
Systems, University of California at Santa Cruz
2008-2009 Research Assistant, The Pennsylvania State University (National Science
Foundation Grant); Project Title: “Biocomplexity in the Bioeconomy: The
Natural and Industrial Ecology of Biobased Products”; Dr. Clare Hinrichs, Dept
of Ag Econ and Rural Soc, Penn State University
2007-2008 Research Assistant, The Pennsylvania State University, (Center for Rural
Pennsylvania Grant); Project Title: “Growing the Links Between Farm and
School: Best Practices for Farm-to-School Programs in Pennsylvania”; Dr. Clare
Hinrichs, Dept of Ag Econ and Rural Soc, Penn State University and Dr. Kai
Schafft, College of Education, Penn State University
2005-2006 Free Lance Certified Translator; Certified by the Organización Mexicana
de Traductores, Guadalajara, MX
REFERED PUBLICATIONS
Bloom, J. D. and C. C. Hinrichs (2011). Moving local food through conventional food
system infrastructure: Value chain framework comparisons and insights.
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 26, pp 13-23
Schafft, K., C. Hinrichs and D. Bloom. "Pennsylvania Farm to School Programs and the
Articulation of Local Context.” Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition.
5(1): 23-40.
RELEVANT NON-REFERRED TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS
Hinrichs, C., K. Schafft, D. Bloom and E. McHenry-Sorber. 2008. Growing the Links
between Farms and Schools: A How-To Guidebook for Pennsylvania Farmers,
Schools and Communities. Harrisburg, PA: The Center for Rural Pennsylvania.
GRANTS RECEIVED
2010 Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences Graduate Competitive
Grant Award; “Wal-Mart Goes Local: Defining Sustainability for US
Agriculture”
HONORS AND AWARDS
2009 Honorable Mention, Rural Sociological Society Graduate Student Paper
Competition for “Moving Local Food through Conventional Food System
Infrastructure: Value Chain Framework Comparisons and Insights.”
2009 Kenneth P. Wilkinson Memorial Scholarship in Rural Sociology
2009 Second Place Award, Penn State University Graduate Poster Exhibition, Social
and Behavioral Sciences Division for “Hybrid Food Networks: The Role of
Conventional Distributors in Building Local Food Systems.”
2008- present Member, Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society, The College of
Agricultural Sciences’ Honor Society.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
2010 Manuscript Reviewer, Agriculture and Human Values.
2010 Manuscript Reviewer, Journal of Rural Social Sciences.
2010 Panel Reviewer, 2010 Sustainable Community Grants; Northeast Sustainable
Agriculture, Research and Education (SARE) program and the Northeast
Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD).
2009 Invited Poster, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD)
Local and Regional Foods Conference; “Hybrid Food Networks: The Role of
Conventional Distributors in Building Local Food Systems.” Kerhonkson, NY.
May 19-20, 2009.
2009- present Member, The Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society.
2008 Invited Presenter, Penn State Cooperative Extension In-Service Training;
“The Role of Small to Mid-size Wholesale Produce Distributors in Farm-toSchool Programs.” University Park, Pennsylvania. September 3, 2008.
2008-present Member, The Rural Sociological Society.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2010-2011 Teaching Assistant, Penn State University, Community and Economic
Development 452: Rural Organization
Spring, 2010 Teaching Assistant, Penn State University, Community, Environment and
Development 475: Integrated Capstone Experience
March, 2010 Guest Lecturer, Penn State University, Agroecology 461: Emerging
Issues in Agroecosystem Management, March 30, 2010.
March, 2010 Field Course Assistant, Penn State University, Community Environment
and Development 497 B: Honduras Study Experience
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
Dara Bloom. 2010. “Supermarket Retailers Meet the Local Food Movement:
Conceptualizing the Theoretical and Empirical Implications of Walmart’s Local
Produce Initiative.” Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, Atlanta,
Georgia. August 23-25, 2010.
Dara Bloom. 2010. “Walmart Goes Local: Defining Sustainability for US
Agriculture.” Joint annual meetings of Agriculture, Food and Human Values
Society and Association for the Study of Food and Society, Bloomington, Indiana.
June 2-5, 2010.
Dara Bloom. 2009. “Moving Local Food through Conventional Food System
Infrastructure: Value Chain Framework Comparisons and Insights.” Annual
Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, Madison Wisconsin, July 30-August 2,
2009.
Clare Hinrichs, Dara Bloom and Leland Glenna. 2009. “Discursive Shifts on
Biotechnologies in Developing Sustainable Biofuel Standards.” Annual meeting
of the Rural Sociological Society, Madison, Wisconsin, July 30-August 2, 2009.
Dara Bloom. “Coordinating Conventions in Hybrid Food Supply Chains.” Joint annual
meetings of Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society and Association for the
Study of Food and Society. University Park, Pennsylvania May 29-31, 2009.
Kai A. Schafft, C. Clare Hinrichs and J. Dara Bloom. 2009. “Pennsylvania Farm-toSchool Programs and the Articulation of Local Context.” Joint annual meetings of
Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society and Association for the Study of
Food and Society, University Park, PA, May 28-31, 2009.
Dara Bloom, Clare Hinrichs, and Kai Schafft. 2008. “Values and Relationships in
Emerging Alternative Food Supply Chains: Insights from Pennsylvania Farm-toSchool Networks.” Annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society,
Manchester, New Hampshire, July 28-31, 2008.
Clare Hinrichs, Kai Schafft, Dara Bloom and Erin McHenry-Sorber. 2008. “Which
Publics? Which Policies? Finding and Fostering Pennsylvania Farm-to-School
Networks.” Annual meeting of the Rural Sociological Society, Manchester, New
Hampshire, July 28-31, 2008.