Danielle Browne

NREI Social Justice Fellow

She/her/hers

Area of Discipline: Cannabis
Office Placement: NREI Rotation

Danielle Browne graduated from SUNY-ESF, majoring in Environmental Biology. She received her Master’s in Horticulture Science from Texas Tech and has recently earned a graduate certificate in Food Systems, The Environment, and Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. After completing her undergraduate studies, Danielle worked in invasive plant species management as well as on farms to gain experience in food production and shaping local food systems. Before heading off to college, she was a devoted volunteer at the Shepherd’s Table Soup Kitchen and at the First Baptist Church of Silver Spring’s Food Pantry, serving families in the Montgomery County area. Each November, she would pack over 300 boxes of food for families across D.C., alongside the Covenant Christian Community — An act of kindness started by her grandmother and father in 1984. Danielle’s ongoing dedication to social justice is evident through her membership in the NAACP as well as her intense passion for art. Danielle is the founder of Poetic Poison Animations LLC and runs a YouTube channel, Poetic Poison, through which she increases the positive representation of the global Black community through original, 2D-animated stories. Her drive to work in policy research and advocate for populations experiencing food apartheid led her to the Institute for Policy Studies where she gained hands-on experience in inequality news analysis and condensing complex policy issues. Long-term, Danielle hopes to foster food sovereignty by focusing on both community-driven and one-health solutions to food apartheid that acknowledge the intersection between human, animal, and environmental health.