2021 Speakers
Adam Farbiarz
(he/him)
DeliverZero
Adam is a co-founder of DeliverZero, a service that partners with local restaurants to package their to-go and delivery orders in reusable, returnable packaging.
Alexa Kielty
(she/her)
City of San Francisco, California
Alexa Kielty is the Residential Zero Waste Coordinator of the San Francisco Department of the Environment, working on zero waste since 2001. She has designed and executed San Francisco's apartment food scrap composting collection program, implemented the Mandatory Composting and Recycling Ordinance, and developed zero-waste events and textile collection programs.
Alissa Westervelt
(she/her)
donateNYC
Alissa Westervelt is the Senior Manager for donateNYC, a program at DSNY supporting reuse and donations as part of the City’s zero waste goals. Since joining donateNYC she had led the team to facilitate donations of thousands of tons of food and durable goods, responded to COVID by routing emergency food and supplies to nonprofits, and spearheaded Refashion Week NYC, a week of fashion events celebrating low waste and sustainable fashion.
Allison Shapiro
(she/her)
Closed Loop Partners
Allison is an Executive Director at Closed Loop Partners, an investment and innovation firm building the circular economy. She is responsible for strategic partnerships, new business development, and fund structuring.
AnDrew Rigie
(he/him)
NYC Hospitality Alliance
Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, an association representing restaurants and nightlife venues throughout the five boroughs.
Anna Steffens
(she/her)
Apeel Sciences
As a member of the Sustainability team at Apeel Sciences, Anna works to support retail and produce supplier partners in understanding how the introduction of Apeel’s edible plant-based protection contributes to their goals for food waste reduction and the associated avoidance of carbon emissions and water use.
Ben COllier
(he/him)
The Farmlink Project
Ben is a founding member of The Farmlink Project and spent his first year with the team leading their food rescue operations. He is a recent graduate from Brown University, where he studied Applied Math and played on the tennis team. Post-grad, Ben will continue to lead Farmlink's operations and help drive projects to add value to the farmers and communities that Farmlink serves.
Beth Kennedy
(she/her)
Seconds
Beth Stockli Kennedy, CEO & Co-Founder of Seconds, has over 15 years of marketing and general management experience in the CPG industry. She held leadership positions at companies from startup to Fortune 500 including Peeled Snacks, Target, Tetra Pak, and Del Monte Foods. Beth is experienced at growing brands, commercializing new products, and scaling supply chains all while managing a P&L.
Brian Fleury
(he/him)
WeCare Denali
Brian Fleury is the General Manager of Facilities at WeCare Denali, LLC. Mr. Fleury has been employed by WeCare for over 20 years in various roles within the organization. Since 2018, he has been leading the Facilities Group, currently operating at 24 sites throughout the USA. He is the 2021 President of the United States Composting Council and has been on the Board of Directors for 8+ years.
Bryan Johnson
(he/him)
City of Madison, Wisconsin
Bryan is the Recycling Coordinator for the City of Madison, Wisconsin, a position he has held since 2015.
Bridget Anderson
(she/her)
NYC Department of Sanitation
Bridget Anderson is the Deputy Commissioner for Recycling and Sustainability. She is responsible for planning, implementing, and tracking DSNY’s sustainability activities including recycling, composting, HHW and e-waste, textile recovery, and waste reduction. Ms. Anderson directs DSNY’s sustainable waste management policy research and program development, and strategic partnerships with the local reuse and community composting sectors. During COVID-19, she advanced “GetFood NYC” Emergency Home Food Delivery serving over 200 million meals.
Ceci Pineda
(they/them)
BK ROT
Ceci is a queer gender non-conforming organizer, earth steward, musician and facilitator learning how to live in right relationship with the land. They are dedicated to climate justice through community-based land regeneration and queer and trans* people of color liberation through cultivating reconnection with earth work. Ceci is the Executive Director of BK ROT, a youth powered composting project.
Chris Oates
(he/him)
WAJU
Chris Oates is the Founder of WAJU, the only beverage brand to source water entirely from the naturally occurring water in real fruit. To create WAJU, Chris has partnered with US fruit suppliers to sustainably save and upcycle water from organic fruit. He hopes his new sustainable water source used in WAJU can serve as a platform to evolve the entire water industry.
Dr. Claire Sand
(she/her)
Packaging Technology and Research
Claire Sand is a Global Packaging Leader with 35+ years of broad experience in the food science and packaging spectrum. Sand's mission is to enable a more sustainable food system with packaging science that prevents food waste and enables circularity. Dr. Sand is the Owner and Founder of Packaging Technology and Research and an Adjunct Professor. She is an IFT Fellow, Riester-Davis-Brody lifetime achievement in food packaging award recipient, serves on Editorial and packaging leadership Boards.
Claire Sprouse
(she/her)
Hunky Dory
Claire Sprouse has bartended, managed, and consulted at some of the country's most well-known and awarded cocktail institutions, from Houston to San Francisco and now New York City. Over the last decade, she has worked vigorously to tackle issues of sustainability within the industry. In 2019, Sprouse opened her first bar -- Hunky Dory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She is opening her second bar in San Francisco this summer.
Clare Fox
(she/her)
Everytable
Clare Fox is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Everytable, a social enterprise with a mission to make healthy food accessible to everyone, everywhere. Everytable believes that healthy food is a human right, and shouldn’t be a luxury product. Our groundbreaking social enterprise model is fast growing across Southern California and soon New York. Previously, she worked in food systems and policy for a decade, serving as Executive Director of Los Angeles Food Policy Council.
Claudia Fabiano
(she/her)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Claudia Fabiano has been with the Environmental Protection Agency since 2002, and joined the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery's Sustainable Management of Food team in 2016. She is also on the board of Washington DC's Food Recovery Working Group. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Studies from The George Washington University. When she’s not chasing after her two daughters, she’s coming up with creative solutions for how to cook what's left in the fridge.
Dana Gunders
(she/her)
ReFED
Dana Gunders is Executive Director at ReFED, a national nonprofit advancing data-driven solutions to end food loss and waste in the United States. Prior to her work with ReFED, Dana was a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), where she authored the landmark Wasted report about food waste and testified before Congress. She also helped launch the Save The Food campaign with the Ad Council and wrote the popular Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook.
Desmon Lewis
(he/him)
The Bronx Community Foundation
Desmon Lewis is the co-founder of The Bronx Community Foundation. BCF is the first and only public community foundation dedicated to providing resources solely for The Bronx. The goal is to convene organizations doing great work in The Bronx, support the entirety of the community including its residents, non-profit organizations, small businesses, and educational institutions, as well as strategically aligning the necessary support and resources required to push forward the prosperity of The Bronx.
Dianna Rose
(she/her)
Her Sustainable Life
Social entrepreneur, community cultivator, and visionary- Dianna Rose is the CEO of Jars of
Delight, an NYC zero-waste catering company, the Founder of Sovereign Markets, the first Black/Woman-Owned Farmers Market in Queens, and the Creator of A Voice for Zero Waste - a video series that champions individuals and brands that are doing the
the right thing by waste in NYC.
Commissioner Edward Grayson
(he/him)
NYC Department of Sanitation
Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Edward Grayson as the Commissioner of the Department of Sanitation on December 31, 2020. Grayson, a twenty-one-year DSNY veteran, has served as Acting Commissioner since September 2020. Prior to his appointment, Grayson served as a four-star chief and Director of the Bureau of Cleaning and Collection. Commissioner Grayson has held a range of positions throughout the Department. He was Operations Chief overseeing snow removal during the 2016 Jonas Blizzard, the largest snowstorm in New York City history.
Emily Broad Leib
(she/her)
Harvard Law School
Emily M. Broad Leib is Clinical Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, which is the first law school clinic in the nation devoted to providing legal and policy guidance on food law and policy issues to clients and communities. Broad Leib works to support healthy, sustainability, and equity in the food system, and to reduce the waste of healthy, wholesome food.
Erin Hafner
(she/her)
City of Baltimore, Maryland
Erin Hafner works as a Liaison Officer for the Department of Public Works Bureau of Solid Waste. She works on a variety of recycling and waste reduction programs for residents, schools, and businesses in Baltimore. Recently DPW took over the food matters program and Erin will be responsible for coordinating food waste reduction and compost programs with support from the NRDC.
Fumi Tsukamoto
(she/her)
Abokichi
Fumi Tsukamoto is a food entrepreneur and award-winning recipe developer. Her recipe for OKAZU (Japanese miso condiment) won the Gold Sofi Award in 2020, while her Instant Miso Soup, which diverts sake brewing byproduct from going to waste, became a finalist for the SIAL Innovation Award in 2019. She is co-founder and CEO of Abokichi Inc. which has made Upcycling a core pillar of their product innovation strategy.
Garrett Broad
(he/him)
Fordham University
Garrett Broad is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University. His research and teaching focus on the food system, media, and social movements. He is the author of More Than Just Food: Food Justice and Community Change, as well as a variety of articles on food's relationship to environmental sustainability, economic equity, and the well-being of humans and animals.
Halley Chambers
(she/her)
The Oberon Group
Halley is the Director of The Oberon Group. She specializes in strategy, business development, and partnerships. Prior to this, Halley was a senior consultant at Control Risks, advising on international strategy and risk mitigation. She also worked in Equity Capital Markets at Credit Suisse and spent a number of years at the New York-based think tank Demos.
Jessica Ramos
(she/her)
New York State Senate
Jessica Ramos has spent her life fighting for working families, advocating for labor, and organizing her local community. Born in Elmhurst to an undocumented seamstress and a printing pressman, Jessica was raised in Astoria, attended Queens public schools, and now lives in Jackson Heights with her two sons.
JJ JOHNSON
(he/him)
FIELDTRIP, Cooking with Chef JJ
JJ Johnson is an award winning Chef, Founder, TV Personality and Author. Chef JJ presents an environment for connection through food that transcends people, memories, and generations. Accolades include: James Beard Award Winner Best Author, Nomination for Best Chef, 2 time Best New Restaurant of the Year Winner by Esquire. His ability to combine culturally-relevant ingredients with classical technique is showcased at FIELDTRIP and you can catch him today on his TV show, Just Eats.
KATE MACKENZIE
(she/her)
NYC Mayor's Office of Food Policy
Kate is a leader in the food policy sector, with several decades of experience fighting for food security. Previously, Kate worked at City Harvest where she led the organization’s strategy to define the food security program and policy agenda. Kate leads the Administration’s commitment to Good Food Purchasing, focused on increasing access to healthy sustainable foods for over 238M meals and snacks served daily by City agencies. She also leads the City's COVID-19 food response.
MADELINE ROTMAN
(she/her)
Imperfect Foods
Madeline is the Head of Sustainability at Imperfect Foods, the online grocer on a mission to eliminate food waste and build a better food system for everyone. With 10+ years of experience in the grocery sector, Madeline has been a champion of food access and the need to build more equitable and regenerative food systems. In this role, she is helping the company reduce waste even further across their operational practices and food supply system at large.
Matthew Jozwiak
(he/him)
Rethink Food
In 2017, Matt Jozwiak founded Rethink Food, a nonprofit whose mission is to create a more equitable and sustainable food system. Jozwiak completed his professional culinary training in Lyon, France, and worked on the culinary teams of a number of notable restaurants around the world. He published various opinion pieces on food insecurity and distribution in publications such as the New York Daily News and frequently lectures on these issues at Cornell and Columbia Universities.
Mi Keong Lim
(she/her)
City of Seoul, South Korea
Mi Keong Lim is the Director of the Living Environment Division of the Climate and Environment Headquarters within the Seoul Metropolitan Government. She works on the establishment and operation of the Environmental Impact assessment system of Seoul, the pilot project of the GHG Emission Trading System of Seoul, Low Emission Zones for Old Diesel Cars, the Ecological Environment Planning System, and maintenance of the Biotope maps of Seoul.
Naama Tamir
(she/her)
Lighthouse
Naama Tamir, owner-operator of Lighthouse in Williamsburg, grew up in Israel. After her military service, she moved to NY and studied philosophy and Psychology at Hunter College. After many years of moonlighting in the hospitality industry, in 2011 Naama and her brother opened Lighthouse, a farm-to-table restaurant focused on social and environmental good practices. Her hobbies include martial arts, drinking wine, foraging, and playing with her puppy.
Natasha Dyer
(she/her)
City of Atlanta, Georgia
In her role as the Senior Recycling Program Coordinator with the Mayor’s Office of Resilience, Natasha focuses on creating programs that increase wasted food diversion from landfill as part of the City’s Climate Action and Food Access plans. Includes programs that recover edible surplus food to feed food insecure residents and collaborating with external partners to create decentralized composting systems that then benefit municipal urban agriculture.
Nicole Baum
(she/her)
Gotham Greens
Nicole is the Director of Business Development & Partnerships at Gotham Greens. Since joining in 2014, Nicole has helped lead the company’s marketing and sales efforts, bringing a sense of collaboration, innovation, and authenticity to Gotham Greens' communities and partnerships. Gotham Greens is on a mission to transform how and where fresh produce is grown by creating new ways to farm, produce local food, revitalize communities and innovate for a more sustainable future.
Priyanka Malhotra
(she/her)
Unilever, Hellmann’s Best Foods
Priyanka Malhotra is a Senior Marketing Manager at Unilever. She manages Hellmann’s Brand Equity, communication, Innovation strategy, and Purpose strategy focused on reducing food waste. She leads Unilever’s Asian Business Network Business Resource Center. She’s an Alumni of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor & The University of Texas, Austin.
Racine Droz
(she/her)
City Harvest
Racine Lee Droz is the Director of Donor Relations & Supply Chain Management at City Harvest, NYC's largest food rescue organization. Under her leadership, the Supply Chain New York team and Supply Chain Command Center are responsible for rescuing and delivering more than 28 million pounds of food annually within the five boroughs of NYC.
Raj Borsellino
(he/him)
Robin Hood Foundation
Raj Borsellino is a Senior Program Officer at Robin Hood, New York City’s largest poverty-fighting organization, where he primarily focuses on food security, immigrant legal services, and workforce development. Prior to joining Robin Hood, Raj spent five years at the law firm Paul, Weiss, where he maintained an active pro bono practice. He also taught high school in American Samoa.
Rhonda Sherman
(she/her)
North Carolina State University
Rhonda Sherman is an Extension Solid Waste Specialist and the Director of the Compost Learning Lab at NC State University where she has been teaching vermicomposting and composting for 28 years. Rhonda gives 50 presentations annually and has authored over 65 publications. Her latest book is The Worm Farmer’s Handbook by Chelsea Green Publishing.
Rhys Williams
(he/him)
The Good Acre
Rhys understands what it takes to grow and distribute local food because he has worked in almost every aspect of the food system. With over 20 years as an organic farmer and almost a decade working as a wholesale buyer for Twin Cities-based Co-Op Partners, a certified organic produce wholesaler. As Executive Director of The Good Acre, he has overseen the development of programs that benefit our local food system in many ways.
Ricardo Dias
(he/him)
Verum Ingredients
Ricardo is Co-founder and CEO of Verum Ingredients, a specialized ingredient supplier of South American food and beverage ingredients. He has a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry and 15+ years of experience in R&D, Quality Assurance, and Regulatory Affairs in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. He coordinates Verum Ingredients’ own R&D programs on upcycled, functional food ingredients for gut health derived from agroindustrial by-products.
Rick Whitted
(he/him)
U.S. Hunger
Rick Whitted is the President & CEO of U.S. Hunger, a nonprofit that is feeding families today and uniting them to a healthier tomorrow. Before his appointment as CEO in March 2020, Rick Whitted served on U.S. Hunger's board of directors, as Board Chair. Rick has overseen the launch of several of the organization’s programs, including the first fully virtual food bank, Full Cart.
Riyana Razalee
(she/her)
Re-Nuble
Riyana leads business development and strategy for Re-Nuble, an agtech company that transforms food waste into organic goods for soilless farms. Formerly, she co-led the development of one of Southeast Asia's largest bank's sustainable finance framework. Her other experiences include private equity and business development & regional expansion strategies.
Sandra Noonan
(she/her)
Just Salad
Sandra Noonan is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Just Salad, home of the World’s Largest Restaurant Reusable program. Since joining Just Salad in 2019, Sandra has led Just Salad’s groundbreaking carbon labeling and Climatarian menu initiative, piloted zero-waste digital food ordering, and created the Sustainability Champion employee engagement program spanning six U.S. states.
Sashti Balasundaram
(he/him)
WeRadiate
Sashti is an educator developing novel approaches for technology and digital tools to mitigate climate impact and enhance soil health. He is a certified Master Composter receiving accreditation from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and the founder of WeRadiate which uses smart-sensor digital technology to enhance efficiencies with farms and compost facilities. He is a graduate and holds a Public Health degree from Columbia University, New York.
Susan Thoman
(she/her)
Compost Manufacturing Alliance
Susan Thoman is a thirty-year veteran in the solid and hazardous waste, recycling, and alternative raw materials management field. She is the founder of the Compost Manufacturing Alliance, a private industry group that certifies compostable products to recognized lab and field standards. Susan spent twelve years on the senior leadership team at Cedar Grove Composting in Seattle serving as marketing director and vice president of corporate development.
Turner Wyatt
(he/him)
Upcycled Food Association
Turner Wyatt is CEO of Upcycled Food Association and previously served as the Co-founder and Executive Director of Denver Food Rescue. Turner is co-founder and Board President of Fresh Food Connect, a nonprofit technology company focused on creating a market for home grown food. Turner is the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Colorado, the Waste360 40 Under 40 Award, and the Top 20 Emerging Leaders in Food and Ag award.
Vitus Spehar
(they/them)
Everything Food
V is the current Executive Director of EverythingFood, and former Director of Impact for the James Beard Foundation. They are a founding board member of Queer Food Foundation, and the Host/Creator of TikTok’s @underthedesknews with over 500k followers, and 18m views. #Underthedesknews offers 60 second daily wrap-ups of current events, political analysis, and special interest stories “explained”.
Yadira Garcia
(she/her)
Happy Healthy Latina
Yadira Garcia is a trained natural-foods chef and Certified Integrative Health Coach of Dominican descent who grew up in the South Bronx of New York City. She is a community Chef-tivist, educator, and speaker under the platform she created, Happy Healthy Latina, Inc., helping to address food justice, nutrition education & health inequities in NYC. Together with her team, she works with several community-based organizations, NYC Public Schools and Bronx/NYC urban farms as a culturally-relevant cooking, nutrition education, and food justice workshop creator and facilitator.
Yvette Cabrera
(she/her)
Natural Resources Defense Council
Yvette Cabrera focuses on building a better food system – for people, for the climate, and for the environment. As NRDC’s Food Waste Director, she oversees engagement on federal and state food waste policy and cutting edge research on food waste, as well as managing the Food Matters project, through which NRDC partners with cities to achieve meaningful reductions in food waste through comprehensive policies and programs.