Meet our new team member: Sam Night

Our office is growing! We’re pleased to introduce you to Sam Night, a new Food Policy Advisor working with us on a two-year assignment. We asked her a few get-to-know you questions so you can learn more about her and her background.

Q: Where are you from?

A: I grew up in Houston and lived there until I went to college. I moved back to Texas last year from Washington, D.C.

Q: What is your educational background?

A: I went to undergrad at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and am currently in school part-time at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at UT-Austin.

Q: Where did you work before joining our office?

A: My work background is in federal food assistance programs, mostly with SNAP policy and related programs for SNAP recipients. Before joining the city, I did my graduate internship at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington D.C. and was at Feeding Texas here in Austin before I went back to school.

Q: What will you be working on for the Office of Sustainability?

A: Right now I'm working on a "policy scan" of the city, state, and county policies/laws that shape the local food system in Austin — from urban food production to food waste.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do in Austin?

A: Mueller Farmers Market on Sunday mornings!

Q: What is your most favorite dish to cook?

A: My favorite thing to cook changes all the time, but right now it’s probably homemade pasta. I recently found my pasta machine and it's my current food hobby!

Q: What is the most recent (or your most favorite) sustainable thing you do in your personal life?

A: Going plastic free in my kitchen. I recently replaced my Tupperware with glass containers and invested in reusable produce bags — so worth it.

Q: Are you a dog or a cat person?

A: I don’t actually love pets, but cat person if I had to choose!