Francesca Hong and Polly Dalton step into Board President and Board Vice President roles in 2025
Rooted, Inc. is excited to announce that State Representative Francesca Hong will be the next president of our Board of Directors, following the stepping down of longtime board president Joe Sensenbrenner. Rooted is thankful for Joe’s leadership of over 20 years and the many projects he championed, including the building of the Resilient Research Center site, which is now home to Rooted’s Badger Rock Neighborhood Center, Badger Rock Middle School, and Southside Elementary School.
Board President
Board Vice President
Sensenbrenner worked together with Rooted’s previous Executive Director Marcia Caton Campbell to lead Rooted through the pandemic and the subsequent sale of the Badger Rock building to the Madison Metropolitan School District. The organization has seen many changes since 2020, when Center for Resilient Cities and Community Groundworks joined to become Rooted, a newly merged organization focused on food systems and food justice work. This focus on food has become the means to bring communities together in the many spaces that Rooted stewards, including Badger Rock, Madison School Farm, and Troy Farm and Gardens.
Hong has been involved with Rooted’s efforts on many fronts, including being a guest chef for Troy Farm Dinners in the Garden events, our Gardening and Culinary Arts classes at Badger Rock Middle School, and Virtual Workshop Series. She has served the past two years on the board of directors, and when Sensenbrenner expressed an interest in stepping back, she saw an opportunity to further support the important food systems work that Rooted does in Madison, Dane County, and across the state.
“I am proud to serve as the board president of an organization that fosters community connections by uplifting the people working to build thriving food systems and educating our future food citizens,” reflects Hong. “It is in these times we must commit to nourishing one another, and one of the best ways to do that is by investing in people who care about the land, the food, and their neighbors. I’m looking forward to strengthening the resiliency of Rooted in the coming months, and I am confident that the success of Rooted will positively impact many, as well as create healthier communities that will not just survive, but thrive.”
Additionally, local farmer and former Stevens Point alder Polly Dalton will become Rooted’s next Board Vice-President following Jim Bradley, former Home Savings Bank President, who will remain on the board after stepping down. Bradley believes the change in leadership will help ensure the continued success of Rooted as it builds on its history and integration of land stewardship, community resilience, education, and food systems.
Dalton shares Hong’s belief that “The work of Rooted in Madison and our state is crucial now more than ever – supporting healthy and positive relationships in our neighborhoods through the simple and wondrous work of growing, cooking, and eating food together. I am excited to contribute my own experience farming and lifting up neighbors’ voices as Rooted’s programs and overall reach continue to evolve! I feel so lucky to have found a place in our community that provides such rich opportunities for all ages to work together, and am eager to invite others to join in.”
Sensenbrenner is confident in Rooted’s future with Hong’s leadership. “The entire Madison community and the Rooted extended family will greatly benefit from Francesca dedicating her extensive culinary, food system, networking, and community-building skills to create new possibilities as President of the Board of Rooted. With broad experience, she also brings a warmth and sensitivity that “flavors” her invitational leadership. With our collective, interacting origins, we are certain to find this to be the perfect recipe for success.”
