June Jo Lee

Vice President, Strategic Insights – The Hartman Group

FOODCARING to nourish our Modern Hungers of disconnections and dislocations…

June Jo is working within the food industry to accelerate consumer/institutional demand and supply side innovation towards a culture of foodcare within regenerative regional food systems in 3 key areas:

· De-commoditize what and how we eat
· Rebalance resources from healthcare to foodcare
· Scale fresh, flavorful and soulful food for all

METHODS. Applied anthropology to collect qualitative data and build local community through ethnographic techniques:
· Design and conduct key informant and in-situ interviews, participant observation, intercepts, focus group moderation, ideation facilitation, experience audits
· Create and prioritize empathy-based user/stakeholder insights aligned with client strategic goals
· Socialize insights through storytelling, transparency and engagement
· Activate strategic roadmaps through iterative design of products, programs and services
· Transition businesses into future identities and roles based on core values messaging
· Track trends, emerging behaviors and collective narratives around what/how/why we eat

EXPERIENCE. Created UMass Dining’s first user ethnography in 2014-15.

Currently, Resident Food Ethnographer for Google Food and UMass Dining, providing insights, design and visioning. User Experience Researcher to food industry (most recently, Walmart Labs’ Everyday Living Team, goodDog and BrightFarms). Member of Google Food Lab.

Co-founder of Readers to Eaters, an independent children’s book publisher promoting food literacy through good stories and a deep appreciation of food cultures. Co-author of Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix (2017).

Most recently, VP of Strategic Insights at The Hartman Group leading projects for Whole Foods Market (digital experience optimization), Safeway (gluten-free platform), Starbucks’ Evolution Fresh (foundational consumer insights), Kraft (breakthrough innovations for Millennials and Alone Eating), Seventh Generation (expansion into mass markets), Food Marketing Institute (evolution of eating culture), Nestle, Kraft, Hersey, Johnson & Johnson (global early signal trends), PepsiCo, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Campbell’s, Heinz (brand innovation and messaging) and more…

EDUCATION. Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies, University of Texas at Austin.