Anita Chase
Operations Specialist
Anita grew up in Wichita, Kansas and earned a bachelor’s in music with a minor in cultural anthropology at Wichita State University. She then moved to Chicago with a rock band, where she lived for 17 years before moving back to Kansas to work for The Land Institute. She spent 12 of her years in Chicago working at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine assisting various members of higher administration and in communications. She is excited to be at an organization where she can use many of the skills she learned in previous roles in work that she believes can truly change culture and environment for the benefit of the planet and people together.
Q&A
What TLI perennial crop do you look forward to eating most, and how would you prepare it?
I tried Kernza® bread for the first time at a TLI Christmas party. It was delicious, and I would like some more, please!
What’s one aspect of your life history that most people don’t know or wouldn’t expect?
When I first moved to Chicago to try to make a living as a musician, I spent about a year doing all kinds of odd/temp jobs − including being a costumed mascot at a summer festival and getting my head shaved bald for a commercial – before I decided to get a “real” job. I started playing in bands when I was 16 and have been playing in at least one band ever since!
What were you like at age 10?
I hated dressing up and liked being outside. If I was inside, my nose was usually in a book. My favorite thing was going “exploring” with my siblings and friends, whether as a made-up game in our backyard or roaming the sandbar by the river.
What’s your motto / favorite quote?
One of my favorites is “You were sick, but now you’re well again, and there’s work to do.” from Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
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