We’re excited to welcome Josh Wise as the new Director of Development and Communications at IATP.
At our core, everything IATP does is communications. Josh’s role is a new one. We’ve merged the development and communications departments into one, to help us unify our message and increase our engagement. IATP’s work has always demanded clear communication of our research and policy advocacy to the public, government officials, and our partners and colleagues. His work supports the critical analysis and advocacy work carried out by IATP staff and partners; puts our issues into context and ensures we are engaging with key allies. And, he will expand communications with donors and funders to reflect the growing importance of strategic partnerships evolving in the funding community.
Josh has a strong background in trade, having served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition, a group of more than 80 organizations—including IATP—dedicated to lobbying elected officials to support trade policies that work for working people, farmers, and the environment. He also served as the Midwest organizer for the Citizens Trade Campaign, leading the campaign in the Midwest to oppose Fast Track, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). At the local level, Josh worked to ban sweatshop-produced goods from local procurement agreements and established the Minnesota Trade Policy Advisory Council, which oversees Minnesota’s role in international trade negotiations.
Just prior to joining the IATP staff, Josh served as the Executive Director of One Voice Mixed Chorus, an arts organization dedicated to social justice and organizing in the LGBTQ community. During that time, Josh tells us, he realized just how important it was for him to get back to working on issues related to globalization; to feel a part of the worldwide efforts to constantly improve our global and local agriculture, food and trade systems. We are thrilled to have him.
Josh has been getting to know us throughout August, and will start full time in September. Please keep an eye out. You’ll be hearing quite a bit from him and he’s looking forward to hearing from you too!
You can contact Josh at jwise@iatp.org to welcome him aboard, to share ideas, or even, to make a donation! IATP depends on individuals like you, to support our work on issues such as stopping the TPP and expanding farm to school. Our supporters are part of it all and you can join them by donating today.
Welcome Josh! Onward toward a fair and sustainable future!
