Bio:  Donna Ayer, Executive Director Poverty and homelessness exist right here in our community. Our clients do not have adequate housing, food, clothing, medicine, for themselves and their families. Poor economic circumstances might be due to mental illness, chronic illness, long-term disability, or underemployment either through job loss or lack of job skills. Many of our neighbors find themselves unable to afford basic necessities but together we can all help. I am privileged to serve...

Raul Nieto, is a biologist and the director of The ITAPOA PROJECT based in the Choco region of Colombia and Ecuador. He has been working on this project since 1989. The ITAPOA PROJECT conbines scientific research, conservation and culture of the region. The goal of the project is to save habitat for amphibians in danger of extinction thru doing research, helping people cultivate organic cacao in deforested areas in order to get a better profit and to stop selling the primary forest trees...

Bio: William W. Li, MD, is an internationally renowned physician, scientist and author of the New York Times bestseller “Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself.” His groundbreaking work has led to the development of more than 30 new medical treatments and impacts care for more than 70 diseases including cancer, diabetes, blindness, heart disease and obesity. His TED Talk, “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has garnered more than 11 million views. Dr. Li has appeared...

Jaclyn Rutigliano Hometown Flower Company Jaclyn Rutigliano is the founder and CEO of Hometown Flower Collective, a Long Island-based sustainable floral design studio and pop-up flower truck. After 15+ years working as a publicist and branding/marketing expert, working with start-ups, non-profits, travel companies, and more, she started designing flowers as a form of stress relief, giving her a way to reconnect with nature and have a method of creative expression. It was then that...

Bio: Richard L. Anderson – For over 40 years, Rick Anderson has been a successful, marketing communications and public relations strategist to a wide range of public and private companies, government agencies and nonprofits. He was the co-director of the financial services practice at Fleishman-Hillard and co-founder of the Global Consulting Group, now a part of Nasdaq. Rick began his career with Textron and later served as Ombudsman and Assistant Secretary of Economic Affairs for the...

Bio: Andrianna Natsoulas is the Campaign Director for the non-profit organization, Don’t Cage Our Oceans. Prior to joining Don’t Cage Our Oceans, Andrianna was the Executive Director for NOFA-NY, (Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York.) She has created and implemented comprehensive programs at several other organizations, including Greenpeace, Food & Water Watch, and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (now North American Marine Alliance) Andrianna has coordinated with the...

Bio: Raised by three Ecuadorian women in Queens, New York, Carla Kaya Perez-Gallardo [she/they] was born into a home with a kitchen that was always busy. In seventh grade, they started Saborines, a pie company named after her grandmother. After graduating from Bard College with a degree in studio arts, they found a place for herself cooking and managing kitchens. Following a brief pause from cooking and a strained attempt to navigate the traditional art world, in 2016 she became co-founder of...

Chef AJ has been devoted to a plant-exclusive diet for nearly 45 years. She was the host of the television series Healthy Living with CHEF AJ which aired on Foody TV. A chef, culinary instructor and professional speaker, she is the author of three bestselling books,The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss:  A Revolutionary Approach to Conquer Cravings, Overcome Food Addiction and Lose Weight Without Going Hungry, Own Your Health and The 10th Anniversary Edition of Unprocessed, all which have...

Bio: Zahra Tangorra is a Chef/ Culinary Consultant, Business Owner, Podcaster and Writer living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Her latest food project is   Zaza Lazagna, launched in Winter 2021. Zahra and long time friend and coworker and Ryan Crossman partnered in creating ZAZA, and took their love of Italian American food and gracious hospitality, and adapted it into a heat and eat at home popup. ZAZA has been featured in a variety of publications including:The New Yorker, The...

Marie Burcham, JD, lives in the Pacific Northwest where they actively garden and work to improve the soil wherever they are. Their educational background is in Animal Science and English from the University of California, Davis and they also have law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School. After completing law school and passing the Oregon Bar exam, they practiced in animal and agricultural law for a few years before joining Cornucopia’s policy team. Now Cornucopia’s policy director, Marie is...

Sean Barrett has built a long career creating ocean-centric small businesses and establishing new models for the utilization of marine resources in North and Central America. He is the founder of Dock to Dish™️, an expansive network of small-scale community-based fishery programs, as well as The Montauk Seaweed Supply Company™️. Sean is currently pioneering a “sea to soil” movement to revive an ancient symbiotic relationship between regional gardens and farmlands and our local oceans through...

Mandana is an Iranian-American community herbalist, storyteller, land tender, and a joyous member of the mycelial network of liberatory thinkers. She is a co-founder and educator at Wild Gather School of Herbal Studies, where for the past 8 years she’s had the deep pleasure of sharing her love and experiences in plant medicine and community care. Mandana finds her north star by supporting her community’s journey back to the land and empowering others in their reconnection and remembering...

Liz Carlisle is an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, where she teaches courses on food and farming. Born and raised in Montana, she got hooked on agriculture while working as an aide to organic farmer and U.S. Senator Jon Tester, which led to a decade of research and writing collaborations with farmers in her home state. She has written three books about regenerative farming and agroecology: Lentil Underground (2015), Grain by Grain (2019, with...

Dana Ellis Hunnes is an Adjunct Assistant Professor with the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, a Senior Dietitian at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and author of Recipe For Survival: What You Can Do to Live a Healthier and More Environmentally Friendly Life with Cambridge University Press (2022). She earned her BS in nutrition and human biology from Cornell University, her Masters of Public Health (MPH) and PhD in Public Health from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health at...

Brett Coleman, along with his wife, Lena, are the founders of Agrihood Living, a website devoted to communities centered around the farm to table lifestyle. Brett graduated with a degree in Communications, and entered the fitness industry, which eventually led him to the world of healthy cooking shows. Lena’s background is in the motion picture industry, where she worked as a well-known stunt woman for several years.  For the last fifteen years, Brett and Lena have enjoyed working as...

Amy Klein has more than 35 years of professional experience in non-profit management, strategic planning, program development, fundraising and financial oversight. As Chief Executive Officer at Capital Roots, she spearheads the 45+ year-old non-profit’s mission to nourish healthy communities by providing access to fresh food and green spaces for all. Since joining Capital Roots in 1996, she has launched ten new programs that increase access to fresh, affordable food in our region’s...

Bio: Michelle Lynn Hughes is Associate Director of Regional Food Programs at the Glynwood Center in Cold Spring, NY. This role allows Michelle to use her passion for connecting diverse people with varied experiences to create a more just and resilient food system in the Hudson Valley. At Glynwood, Michelle co-manages the Food Sovereignty Fund, and leads the CSA is a SNAP and Regional Food for Health programs. Previously, Michelle was the Co-Director and Head Buyer for Rolling Grocer 19, a...

Bio: Leonard Buschel is a Philadelphia native, and a very happy Los Angeles transplant. He is California Certified Substance Abuse Counselor with years of experience working with people struggling with addiction. He attended Naropa University in Boulder, CO. Mr. Buschel is the founder of Writers In Treatment whose primary purpose is to promote ‘treatment’ as the best first step solution for addiction, alcoholism and other self-destructive behaviors. Leonard is the director of the 13 year old...

Mr. Adams is responsible for the site management, daily operations, programming, budgeting, long range planning, and supervision of staff and volunteers at the Edible Academy. Mr. Adams joined the Garden as a Science Education Intern at the GreenSchool in 2001. He was hired as the Coordinator of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden in 2002, and was promoted to manager of the Family Garden in 2005. He became Director of the Edible Academy in 2012. Mr. Adams was instrumental in...

Bio: Sean Fitzpatrick, is the Founder and Executive Director of Real Food Share. Real Food Share is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded on the belief that everyone deserves access to healthy food. Their mission is to transform and uplift our local food system to eliminate hunger. Sean’s desire to serve, led him to kick off Real Food Share in 2019, to provide healthy food access to food pantries across CT.  Sean has 20 years of experience as a personal trainer and health coach and after overcoming...

Bio: Kate Mendenhall, is the Director of the Organic Farmers Association, a national non-profit organization, who's mission is to provide a strong and unified voice for domestic certified organic producers. Kate worked with Pesticide Action Network and CUESA at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market in San Francisco before traveling to the east to work for NOFA-NY for a decade, the last five years as their Executive Director. Now Kate lives in her hometown in Okoboji, Iowa.  She worked as...

Bio: Randi Shubin Dresner has been with Island Harvest Food Bank since 2001, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer for most of her tenure. Under her direction, Island Harvest has increased its income by more than 463 % and its distribution of meals helping people in need has increased by more than 196 % in the past thirteen years alone. During this time, the organization has expanded programming to include advocacy, food-insecurity root cause analysis and action, the creation of...

Bio: Patricia (Patti) Wood is founder and executive director of Grassroots Environmental Education, an award-winning not-for-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the relationship between environmental exposures and human health risks using science-driven arguments for clean air, clean water and a safe food supply, and for stricter regulation of wireless radiation and chemical toxins.  Grassroots serves local and state governments, health care providers, school systems,...

Bio: Ed Maltby is a producer with over 45 years experience managing conventional and organic dairy, beef, sheep and vegetable enterprises on a variety of farms in Europe and the United States. An important focus of his work has been assisting regional farms to cooperatively market their products into mainstream markets, ranging from direct marketing lambs and organic produce; establishing a cooperative of dairy farmers who direct market their own brand of milk in Western Massachusetts, and...