Biography

Tricia Wancko joined NASDA in August 2024. Tricia serves the NASDA Foundation as associate director for several federal projects, including the EPA Pesticide Inspector Residential Training program, EPA Gulf of Mexico Division’s Historically Underserved Farmers Grant Program and the Farm2Food Accelerator program, among others. Prior to joining NASDA, Tricia led a USDA Rural Development Agriculture Innovation Center award supporting value-added enterprise development for agricultural producers. Previously, she served as the food safety project manager at National Farmers Union, overseeing USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture and FDA grants and cooperative agreements to provide education and training on the Food Safety Modernization Act. Tricia holds a bachelors of science in communication from Boston University and a master of arts in food studies along with an MBA from Chatham University’s Falk School of Sustainability. Tricia has a background in various farm and food businesses and is originally from Western Massachusetts.