Up next in our CWIP in Focus series, we feature Austin Shipman (she/her), a new CWIP member engaged in the Women’s Leadership and Mentoring Program (WLMP) and the Membership Committee. 

Austin grew up in a small farming community in Washington State. During high school, she participated in an exchange program in Buenos Aires and fell in love with large cities. Her time in Argentina sparked a lifelong interest in studying how city residents interact and function—independently and together. 

Since then, Austin has held positions throughout the social sector in large cities on the West Coast spanning operations, communications, and development roles. She spent over a decade focused on immigration issues and in 2020 as the Assistant Director of the Undocumented Migration Project launched the global participatory exhibition Hostile Terrain 94 to raise awareness around the consequences of U.S. border enforcement policies while amplifying the voices of those most impacted. Austin deeply believes in underscoring the human narrative and centering dignity in all of the work she does. 

Austin relocated to the Midwest to earn her master’s degree in Social Sector Leadership and Nonprofit Management from the University of Chicago, where she was named an Obama Foundation Scholar. She currently serves as a Project Administrator with the City of Chicago, on a team supporting economic recovery through small business support, nonprofit capacity building, and food equity—with a focus on urban agriculture. One of her favorite projects is the Community Growers Program, which consists of public and private partnerships providing support to local residents to develop sustainable growing operations, breaking down barriers to land access, advancing food equity, and promoting economic development.  

Unfortunately, the future of this critical program and Austin’s role are uncertain, as her team and the larger urban agriculture community are facing the same funding challenges many nonprofits and public entities are experiencing during these unprecedented times. She and her colleagues are working hard to find public or private funding to continue the program.

Austin’s passion for urban agriculture is obvious as she talks about the stark inequities among different neighborhoods in Chicago, and how so many communities on the city’s South and West Sides exist in food apartheids exacerbated by environmental racism. In those same communities, there are dozens of City-owned vacant lots that could be transformed into housing, businesses, community-stewarded farms and gardens, and more. Austin envisions a future where food is grown by the community, for the community, and resources and infrastructure are accessible to anyone who wants to create long-term, sustainable farm operations.

She encourages herself—and others—to expand their thinking around urgent issues facing local communities. Austin notes that because of institutionalized structures that perpetuate deficit-based thinking we often have a scarcity mindset rather than an abundance mindset. She believes it’s possible for everyone to have the resources needed to thrive, and that we must champion each other's causes and work across silos to push for transformational change that honors community assets and voices. She strives for policy and process change that is intentionally co-created with and informed by community partners, reflecting the needs of community members without being extractive. 

Austin’s experience has cemented a firm belief that, in addition to addressing large systemic issues, there is value in everyday small changes. An example Austin gave is that helping someone get a license to operate a produce stand may not make a drastic difference in the field of food equity, but it has a substantial impact on the livelihood of that person, their family, and the community. 

Outside of work, Austin enjoys biking, hydroponic gardening, ceramics, and doing unsanctioned home renovations. She also allows herself to have the occasional guilt-free “rot day” on her couch, which can include watching television shows that don’t require much thinking (she calls them “brain cheetos”) and playing cozy games like Animal Crossing.

Austin joined CWIP at the encouragement of a colleague of the Obama Scholars program and her first event was the 2024 Summer Social. She was accepted as a mentee in the WLMP. And, after attending different committee meetings, she felt most at home joining the Membership Committee. Austin encourages others who are new to CWIP to join a committee and not worry about time or capacity limitations, as everyone in CWIP understands that individual capacities ebb and flow. Austin also highlights the importance of reframing networking as relationship building and has immensely enjoyed the opportunities and events that have allowed her to meet the amazing women who are both empowered by and power CWIP. 

She shares that every member of CWIP she has connected with has been warm and welcoming. CWIP members have been willing to meet for coffee, connect her with their colleagues, and just talk. She hopes to pay it forward and encourages anyone who resonates with her story to reach out or connect with her on LinkedIn.