Anna Straus (they/she) is the Operations & Reporting Manager for Growing GRASS, a USDA Climate-Smart Commodities project. After obtaining a Master’s of Arts in Social Work from University of Denver, focused specifically on food and environmental justice, Anna worked as a writer and researcher for a national food policy-focused non-profit, Farm Action.
As a project manager and fundraiser, Anna works to make the food system more equitable and sustainable through Straus Communications & Connections, their consulting business. In the past few years, these efforts included organizing and co-writing a proposal to grow the Generalized Regenerative Agriculture Sourcing Specification (GRASS) with funding from the USDA’s Climate-Smart Commodities program. Since receiving USDA funding, Anna has transitioned to managing Growing GRASS’ operations full-time.
As a Denver resident, Anna remains rooted in the community by working directly with local farmers, ranchers, and community-focused organizations. She serves as a board member with Denver Food Rescue and as a volunteer with Switchgears Farms. Anna has a love for being outside, and cooking creatively with locally grown vegetable varieties.