ron Williams
Ron Williams is one of the best known Pottstown educational leaders and community activists, not just locally but also regionally and nationally. His heritage is that of a Native American northern plains background.
Ron is the original sponsor and caretaker of the Pottstown Lenni-Lenape Burial Ground memorial; founder and organizer of the Pow Wow on Manatawny; benefactor and fundraiser for the Pine Ridge Native American Reservation in Wanblee, SD; recent recipient of the Valley Forge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Community Service Award; and many more. Ron has also served on the Pottstown School Board.
Ron will discuss his many activities, the causes nearest to his heart, and some of the historical and modern experiences of Native Americans.
joe rocchi
Chef Joe Rocchi is the Culinary Director at Franklin Towne Charter High School in
Philadelphia.
Chef Rocchi holds a Bachelor of Science in culinary arts and has over two decades of
experience in the food industry. He is a licensed sanitation instructor. He has
successfully worked as a consultant, chef, and executive at many different
establishments in the Philadelphia area, including several casinos, high-end
restaurants, catering businesses, and a healthcare institution. He was the executive
sous-chef during the openings of the Parx and Sugar House casinos.
Joe is an enrolled member of the Pamunkey Tribe of Virginia, the first federally
recognized Virginian Indian tribe. He is passionately and deeply involved in research,
education, and promotion of Indigenous food sovereignty, the dietary effects of
colonization, and pre- and post-colonial Indigenous foods.
He is on the Leadership Council for the Native American Food Sovereignty Association.
He holds a seat on the speakers’ bureau of the Philadelphia Native American House
Alliance, in addition to a seat on the board of directors for PAZA, Tree of Life, a Native-
centric non-profit organization. He has recently been featured on PBS for his role in the
creation of the inaugural Indigenous People’s Feast at the College of William and Mary.
He is a contributing member for IndigiFoodDB: A Database of Indigenous Foods, their
Flavors, Nutrition, and Environmental Impact. He was also a subject-matter expert that
contributed to the Kitchen Managers Certificate program for the National Restaurant
Association Education Foundation, which is recognized by the Federal Dept. of Labor.
He is member of TEWFA (Traditional Eastern Woodlands Foodways Alliance) a group
that received a $438,000 grant to create an Indigenous food supply chain. And to
develop a healthy and culturally-relevant indigenous school nutrition program working
with five School Food Authorities in three states, which was announced at the NAIC in
2024.
He is a two-time winner of the coveted Rachel Ray ProStart Grow Grant for culinary arts
program development.
He has recently completed his first dinner on behalf of the First Nations Development
Institute while simultaneously kicking off a series of farm-to-table dinners on behalf of
the Farminary, which pairs authors with chefs to create a one-of-a-kind evening based
around social justice in the realm of agriculture.
Chef Rocchi has appeared on multiple podcasts, radio shows, been a key note speaker,
performed culinary demos, guest lectures, and inspirational speaking, from institutions
such as Penn state to middle schools, public & private events.
Joe is a member of the Freemasons and a fully-patched member of the Widows Sons
M.R.A. Chapter.
barry lee
Barry Lee, a traditional media artist and painter based near Philadelphia, PA. My work focuses on Native American and doing landscape.
I am inspired by the dancers at Powwows that I attend as an EmCee and also as an entertainer with the Native American musical group: Spirit Wing with my wife Barbara Andrews-Christy. Countless stories and lore of Native America are an inspiration to my work and life.
native american house alliance 