MEGAN BETZ

1 January 2023

EDUCATION

Indiana University, Ph.D. Geography, Dec. 2021

Dissertation: “Analyzing the ‘Community’ of Community Orchards”

Indiana University, M.P.A. Sustainability & Sustainable Development, May 2013

Capstone: “Assessing and Influencing Indiana University Students’ Understanding of Energy”

Ball State University, B.A. French & Journalism, May 2010, graduated cum laude

Thesis: “Garnier and Metaphor” and a translation of Robert Garnier’s Bradamante, Act 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

2013 - 2016 Associate Instructor, Indiana University       Bloomington, Indiana

G306 - Topics in geography, community orchard and community gardens (lead instructor)
G110 - Human geography (lead instructor; teaching assistant)
G107 - Physical systems & the environment (led discussion sections)

2010 - 2011 Lecturer, Université de Nancy II                   Nancy, France            

TP101 - English conversation and phonetics (lead instructor)
TP201 - English conversation and phonetics (lead instructor)
TP301 - English conversation: literature (lead instructor)
TP100 - English conversation: the legal system (lead instructor)
TD2xx - English and American law (lead instructor)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Dec. 2021 - present CEO and President, Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard

Dec. 2016 - Dec. 2021 Community Engagement Coordinator, Service-Learning Program, Indiana University-Bloomington

PEER-REVIEWED Publications

journal articles

Babb, A., Betz, M., Pahk, S., & Smith, I. Forthcoming. “Nostalgia and the Protection of White Supremacy at a Public Farmers' Market.” Gastronomica.

Valliant, M. & Betz, M. 2020. “Learning from ‘Listening to Communities’” ENGAGE! Co-created Knowledge Serving the City, 1(2). doi: 10.18060/23964

Betz, M. 2019. “Pruning the Community Orchard: Methods for Navigating Human-Fruit Tree Relations” Geographical Review. doi: 10.1111/gere.12348

Haythorn, C., Knudsen, D., Farmer, J. Antreasian, C, & Betz, M. 2019. “It’s All in the SKU: Getting Food from Somewhere from the Field to the Dinner Plate While Using a Large Scale Retailer.” Sustainability.

Betz, M., Mills, J., & Farmer, J. R. 2017. “A Preliminary Overview of Community Orcharding in the United States.” Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. doi: 10.5304/jafscd.2017.072.002

Farmer, J. R. & Betz, M. 2016. “Rebuilding Local Foods in Appalachia: Variables affecting Distribution Methods of West Virginia Farms.” Journal of Rural Studies, 45, 34-42.

Betz, M. & Farmer, J. R. 2016. “Farmers’ Market Governance and Its Role on Consumer Motives and Outcomes.” Local Environment,  1-15. doi: 10.1080/13549839.2015.1129606

additional peer-reviewed publications

Lave, R., Romero, A., Bierman, C., Paredes, A., Betz, M. and Guthman, J. 2021. "Wilted: Pathogens, Chemicals, and the Fragile Future of the Strawberry Industry: Julie Guthman." The AAG Review of Books 9(1): 44-52.

Babb, A. & Betz, M. “Web Exclusive #1: ‘COVID-19 Inspires a Cooperative CSA’” Gastronomica blog, Aug. 26, 2020.

BOOK CHAPTERS

Betz, M. Forthcoming (April 2021). “Pruning the Community Orchard: Methods for Navigating Human-Fruit Tree Relations.” In Geographical Fieldwork in the 21st Century. Routledge.

non-peer-reviewed articles

Betz, M. 2018. “A Poet’s Meditations as Entry to Critique.” Graduate Journal of Food Studies, 5(2).

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

May 2015 - Aug. 2016 Research Assistant, Human Dimensions Research Lab, Indiana University       Bloomington, Indiana

Assisted Dr. James Farmer in researching and writing several papers addressing farmers' market, local food, and the commons.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

INTERESTS

I am a political ecologist interested in local food projects and community development, particularly how these projects engage with the concept of community and challenge conceptions of sharing and ownership of public space. My research focuses on perception, performance, and relations between species.

ADDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS, & PRESENTATIONS

Professional writing

I am a regular contributor to the Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning blog, writing on teaching practice topics including community-engaged learning and inclusivity. For more, visit our blog. For a collection of my food writing in Bloom, a local magazine, and a digitized archive of work published during my time at the Wapakoneta Daily News, my first writing job, click here.

media & public writing

Betz, M. (listed as Guest Writer). “Questions Loom as Food Gets Harder to Access.” Indiana Daily Student. Nov. 16, 2022. https://www.idsnews.com/article/2022/11/opsecondguestcolumn111522-63750f66b2eb1?fbclid=IwAR0KYa_o3OPzIRCarJGkKGIJ4eQqv-ETWwLshJ7_krRjDmQZ7TuiTaiqcT8 (accessed 1 Jan., 2023).

Betz, M. “Scheduling my Miscarriage.” Nursing Clio, Oct. 4, 2018.

Betz, M. "Guest Column: Roots of Community Orchard Spread Across Town." Limestone Post, July 17, 2018.

Corrigan, A. "Marketing Yogurt To Men? Put Abs On The Package." Earth Eats, May 19, 2017. Podcast audio: http://indianapublicmedia.org/eartheats/emily-contois-dude-food/.

Earth Eats Staff. "Raj Patel On The Trouble With Land Ownership." Earth Eats, April 8, 2018. Podcast audio: https://indianapublicmedia.org/eartheats/raj-patel-trouble-land-ownership/.

Corrigan, A. "Mas Masumoto’s Letter To A Young Farmer — His Daughter." Earth Eats, March 10, 2017. Podcast audio: https://indianapublicmedia.org/eartheats/mas-masumoto-megan-betz-interview/.

Betz, M. & Corrigan, A. "Urban Farming Worldwide With Jennifer Cockrall-King". Earth Eats, Feb. 13, 2015. http://indianapublicmedia.org/eartheats/jennifer-cockrallking-food-city/.

Betz, M. Interview with Annie Corrigan. Earth Eats. Indiana Public Radio, August 16, 2014.

Betz, M. Interview with Annie Corrigan. Earth Eats. Indiana Public Radio, August 2, 2014.

conference PRESENTATIONS

Babb, A., Betz, M., Smith, I. “Free Speech and Public Safety for Whom? Protecting/Protesting White Supremacy at a City Farmers’ Market.” Poster presented at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting, virtually, April 8, 2020.

Price, M.F., Betz, M., Studer, M., Valliant, M., Adams, J. “Hidden Voices in eService-Learning: Community Partners as co-educators in course design.” Workshop presented at the IU Online Conference, Bloomington, Indiana, Oct. 29, 2020.

Betz, M. “Vegetal geography 1.” Panel conducted at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting, Washington, D.C., April 6, 2019.

Betz, M. “Navigating fruit tree-human relations of the community orchard.” Paper presented at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting, Washington, D.C., April 6, 2019.

Betz, M. “Pruning: shaping community in the community orchard.” Paper presented at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, April 10, 2018.

Valliant, M. & M. Betz, M. “Making Service Meaningful.” Panel presentation at the Skilled Service Summit, Indiana University - Bloomington Kelley School of Business. Bloomington, Indiana, April 6, 2018.

Betz, M. “Pruning: A Meditation on Multispecies Community.” Paper presented at the Graduate Association for Food Studies' Future of Food Studies Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, Oct. 20, 2017.

Betz, M. “Beginning to analyze the concept of "community" in U.S. community orchards.” Paper presented at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, April 8, 2017.

Betz, M. “Performing the myth of the garden.” Paper presented via Skype at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting, San Fransisco, California, April 1, 2016.

Betz, M. “Performing the myth of the garden.” Paper presented at the IU - Bloomington Interdisciplinary Conference , Bloomington, Indiana, March 5, 2016.

Betz, Joe & M. Betz. “Pastoralism in contemporary American poetry” Paper presented at the Landscape, Space, and Place conference, Bloomington, Indiana, March 5, 2016.

Betz, M. “Nostalgia in community agriculture.” Paper presented at the Dimensions of Political Ecology conference, Lexington, Kentucky, February 27, 2015.

Betz, M. “Place-making in community orchards.” Paper presented at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting, Chicago, Illinois, March 24, 2015.

Haythorn, Carolyn, D.C. Knudsen, M. Betz, C. Antreasian, & J.R. Farmer. “It’s all in the SKU.” Paper presented at the American Association of Geographers annual meeting, Chicago, Illinois, March 24, 2015.

Betz, M. “Applying Ostrom’s principles of the commons to the Bloomington Community Orchard.” Paper presented at the Yale Food Systems Symposium, New Haven, Connecticut, October 19, 2013.

Veit, M. “Garnier and Metaphor.” Paper presented at the St. Louis University Modern, Classical Languages Student Symposium, St. Louis, Missouri, March 20, 2010.

conference COORDINATIOn

Conference on Curricular Community Engaged Learning, Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning, Indiana University - Bloomington

Poster pRESENTATIONS

Betz, M., Mills, J., & Farmer, J. “Preliminary overview of community orcharding in the U.S.” Poster presented by J. Farmer at the Purdue Small Farms Conference, Danville, Indiana, March 2, 2017.

panel discussions

Betz, M., Chatarpal, M., & Chera, M. “Food Week Panel & Discussion: Food (In)Justice.” Panel discussion hosted by the Geography Dept. of Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, Oct. 13, 2017.

GRANTS, AWARDS & FELLOWSHIPS

AWARDS

2018                            William R. Black Leadership Memorial Scholarship
2018                            Geography Department Chair's Graduate Student Recognition Award
2017                            Geography Department Chair's Graduate Student Recognition Award
2015                            Geography Department Chair's Graduate Student Recognition Award
2014                            Geography Department Chair's Graduate Student Recognition Award 

GRANTS

2016                            Indiana University Graduate & Professional Student Government Travel Award

FELLOWSHIPS

2014                            Geography Department John Odland Graduate Research Fellowship ($500)
2014                            Anna L. Homquest Fellowship ($5,400)
2012 - 2013                Educational Opportunity Fellowship, Indiana University ($1,500 and tuition remission)

SERVICE

TO THE DEPARTMENT

2013 - 2014   Department of Geography Print Materials Committee
2013 - 2014   Department of Geography Social Committee

TO THE COMMUNITY

2013 - 2015             Bloomington Community Orchard Communications Board of Directors
2012 - present        Grant writer, Community Kitchen, Bloomington, Indiana
2011 - 2015             Bloomington Community Orchard Communications Team Leader
2010 - 2011            ONE Campaign Congressional District Leader

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Feb. 2014                   Nonprofit Board of Directors Certificate Program

PREVIOUS EMPLOYMENT

2013 - 2017            Fundraising Assistant, Community Kitchen of Monroe County
2012 - 2013            Service Corps Fellow, Indiana University, School of Public & Environmental Affairs
Summer 2010        Freelance reporter, Wapakoneta Daily News
2009 - 2010           Editorship, Ball State University, Honors College
2009 - 2010           Translation Fellow, Ball State University, Department of Modern Language & Classics
Summer 2007        Staff writer, Wapakoneta Daily News