Hilary King

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Associate Director, Master's in Development Practice

Director of Graduate Studies, Master's in Development Practice

Associated Faculty, Departments of Anthropology and Environmental Sciences

Outstanding Mentor Award, Laney Graduate School 2022 

Phone: 404-712-0101

Email: hbking@emory.edu

Hilary leads the academic aspects of the MDP program, teaching some of the core courses and working with other MDP instructors and with Emory faculty and staff to ensure the overall coherence and relevance of the curriculum. As MDP Director of Graduate Studies, Hilary addresses students' specific curricular needs as well as concerns relating to their academic success and personal wellbeing. Hilary also coordinates the MDP admission processes, engaging prospective and admitted students and liaising with the review committee. 

Hilary is an applied anthropologist and sustainable food advocate. She completed her doctoral degree in Anthropology at Emory University, and holds a Master's degree in the Anthropology of Development and Social Transformation from the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK. 

Hilary's research examines how social and political networks shape production and consumption practices, how people understandings their connections to the natural world and to other human beings, and how power and knowledge are distributed through these networks. Her current work with the Southern SARE project “Managing Markets” explores how market management shapes farmer economic viability and quality of life in the Southeast U.S. 

Hilary's research has helped to identify and build connections leading to innovative food system initiatives. Examples include the development of the MARTA Markets, weekly fresh produce stands at public transit stations in Atlanta and direct trade relationships between farmers in the Dominican Republic and consumers in the United States. Hilary has worked with farmers across the United States, Latin America, and East Africa with support from Thomas J. Watson and Fulbright Fellowships. 

A native Oregonian, Hilary worked in the fair/direct trade coffee industries, running her own company and advising cooperatives, prior to coming to Emory. In Atlanta, Hilary actively collaborates with Community Farmers Markets, Global Growers Network, Georgia Organics in fostering and monitoring changes in the local food system. 

Hilary was a 2022 Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership fellow, a 2019 New Leaders Council Fellow, and a member of the 2018 LEAD Atlanta Class, initiatives designed to equip promising professionals with the skills necessary to be effective leaders committed to the common good. 

An accomplished yoga practitioner, Hilary also loves hiking and has trekked the trails in most of Georgia State Parks.