Lanae Hood, PhD (she/her/hers), is a Senior Policy Associate on CSPI’s Healthy Food Access Team, where she works to strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and improve access to healthy, affordable food. Her advocacy focuses on SNAP and the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), with particular expertise in SNAP benefit adequacy, fruit and vegetable incentives, and EBT integration. Lanae also leads qualitative and policy research that centers lived experience and translates evidence into policy recommendations and advocacy strategies.

Prior experience

Prior to joining CSPI, Lanae served as director of Virginia Fresh Match, a statewide GusNIP-funded nutrition incentive network, and as a tenured faculty member in nutrition. She has more than a decade of experience researching food insecurity, nutrition assistance programs, and strategies to improve healthy food access. Lanae is also passionate about strengthening local and regional food systems and serves in a leadership role with Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, supporting efforts to connect farmers, local food markets, and communities in western North Carolina. She holds a PhD in Nutrition Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, an MS in Nutrition from Meredith College, and a BA in Political Science from Wheaton College in Massachusetts.

Joined CSPI

Lanae joined CSPI in March 2024.

What's the most inspiring part of your job?

"I’m most inspired by the advocates and community members who keep showing up and fighting for a more equitable food system, even as hunger and food insecurity grow and the challenges facing families become more urgent."