Bridging Science and Community
Amy Funk has spent more than 25 years working at the intersection of environmental education, community development, and food systems, and she knows firsthand that science doesn't change lives by staying in the lab.
As Director of Outreach and Education at the Danforth Center and Director of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN) in East St. Louis, Amy works to ensure that the world-class plant science happening in St. Louis reaches beyond the walls of the laboratory. Her work connects communities, educators, and young people to the opportunities science offers, strengthening the pipeline from early education all the way to the workforce.
Her path to this work was shaped by her own experiences. Growing up in a military family, she spent summers moving between two very different worlds: working alongside her grandfather on his farm and visiting family near steel mills and refineries, where orange-tinted skies and sulfur in the air made the impact of industry on communities impossible to ignore. Those experiences sparked an early interest in the connection between human and natural systems and ultimately led her to pursue a degree in environmental science.
The JJK FAN Innovation Center
JJK FAN was born from a partnership between the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Lansdowne UP, and the Danforth Center. These four organizations are united by a shared mission: to inspire youth and families in East St. Louis through education, urban agriculture, and youth development. The center's vision is to become a sought-after national model that transforms young people and their communities through urban agriculture, food system resilience, and career readiness.
East St. Louis is one of the most under-resourced cities in the Midwest, and JJK FAN was designed to address that directly. Through hands-on STEAM and agriculture programming, youth workforce development, and food access initiatives, the center creates pathways for students to reach higher education and careers in science, agriculture, and related fields — opportunities that historically have been largely out of reach for East St. Louis youth.
"Everyone went to bat for JJK FAN," Amy has said. "With all of us bringing different strengths to the table, JJK FAN has grown at warp speed to bring a collective vision to life."
Programming at JJK FAN exposes young people to plant science, nutrition, technology, and entrepreneurship through culturally informed, hands-on learning. The goal is not only to educate, but to inspire: “Our work helps students discover new interests, build confidence, and see possibilities for themselves that they may not have previously imagined."
Amy played a central role in securing the infrastructure to make it all possible, including helping obtain a $10 million capital build grant from the State of Illinois that was instrumental in JJK FAN's buildout.
Science as a Community Resource
Amy's work at JJK FAN reflects a broader conviction that shapes everything she does at the Danforth Center: plant science is not something that happens only in laboratories — it is all around us, and everyone has a role to play.
"Plants are fundamental to our health, food systems, environment, and quality of life, yet many people rarely think about the role they play," she says. "My work focuses on breaking down those barriers by making science approachable, relevant, and connected to people's lived experiences."
Over the past decade, Amy has focused specifically on expanding food access and educational opportunity through community partnerships in the Greater East St. Louis region. She sees that work not as an endpoint, but as a model.
"What excites me most is the opportunity to take what we have learned in East St. Louis and scale those efforts across the St. Louis region," she says, "ensuring more communities have access to meaningful, place-based experiences that inspire curiosity, learning, and opportunity."
Motivated by Simple Wins
For Amy, even a small moment can be powerful.
"I am inspired by the simple wins," she says. "The student whose eyes light up when they discover something new about science or the natural world. The young person who begins to see possibilities for themselves that they had never considered."
She is also driven by the connective power of shared experience. "Throughout my career, I have seen how nature, food, agriculture, and shared experiences can bridge divides and create meaningful connections," she says. "They are a constant reminder of why the work we do at the Danforth Center matters — helping people connect with science, with one another, and with opportunities.”
