Leadership

After completing her MBA at McGill University, Margaret realized that her interests lay in the public sphere vs private business. This led to working in a government agency, a nonprofit consulting firm, an arts center as well as several political campaigns. She is a community builder who advocates for DEI in all of her work.

Margaret holds a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from Northeastern University and is a Society for Human Resources Certified Professional. She is an elected Town Meeting Member and serves on several nonprofit boards. She is excited about TKC’s mission having been a member of a local CSA for many years.

Kate focuses on helping the research efforts of the TKC.

Kate is a Registered Dietitian with her Masters in Public Health. She has previously worked with school food service administration, restaurants as well as a private practice dietitian. She has completed her 200hr yoga teacher training. In addition to her work with the TKC she teaches an undergraduate course at Northeastern University focused on public health nutrition programs in community settings.

Jen leads the research efforts of the TKC.

Jen started her career in public health doing lab bench science at Harvard in the environmental health department investigating occupational health exposures and poor health outcomes. She went onto Johns Hopkins where she helped perform a study of the rescue and recovery workers at the World Trade disaster site and the physical and mental health consequences of their first response efforts. Jen then returned to Harvard where she earned her joint Doctor of Science degree in Epidemiology and Nutrition where she studied diet and lifestyle and associations with cancer in the large Harvard cohorts. In her postdoctoral years, Jen joined a neuro-epidemiology group at Harvard where she studied viral and other environmental exposures and risk of Multiple Sclerosis. As a research associate, she worked at the Channing Lab where she continued her work in preventative medicine looking at sleep and circadian rhythms and risk of cancer and other outcomes. Jen jointly held an appointment as Instructor at the Harvard Medical School where she worked in the Anesthesia Department of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital helping to conduct randomized clinical studies.

Jen connected with David Eisenberg at the Nutrition Dept where she worked with him to create a study to investigate the teaching kitchen as a preventative health intervention. Now, Jen helps the TKC establish research projects and begin to develop research protocols for the multi-site research efforts of the collaborative.

In addition to her research efforts, Jen was a residential first year proctor and academic adviser at Harvard College for 15 years and continues to sit on the Freshman Board of Advisers where she continues to advise Harvard freshmen. Jen currently lives in Cambridge, MA where she loves to run along the Charles River and dig in her community garden.

With more than 25 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Sarah has built her career in the fields of education, social service, and health care. She brings a wealth of expertise in fundraising, non-profit management, program and project management, strategic operations, and developing relationships with community-based organizations through a people-first approach.

A passionate advocate for community health and preventative care in under-resourced communities, Sarah's personal mission is to make wellness achievable for everyone through nutrition and culinary education. Inspired by teaching the Cooking Matters curriculum in various community settings, she returned to academia to earn her Master of Science in Nutrition from the National University of Natural Medicine in 2017. Following her graduation, Sarah founded a consulting practice that offered tailored nutrition solutions, meal planning, and culinary education, primarily focusing on youth athletes.

Most recently, Sarah worked at CareOregon, the largest Medicaid provider in the state, where she served as the Community Health Program Manager. Her work centered on identifying strategic partnerships with community-based organizations to support CareOregon members' social needs, health literacy and chronic conditions management.

A native of Maine, Sarah has called Portland, OR home for over 30 years, where she and her husband raised two sons. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys spending time in the kitchen, entertaining friends, attending live music events, hiking Northwest trails, and gardening.

Sarah is thrilled to join the TKC team where her food is medicine training, management and operational skills and nutrition education expertise all come together.

Allison Righter, MSPH, RDN is a dedicated public health professional and registered dietitian nutritionist with passion for driving impactful food-related initiatives that align both health and sustainability goals. From 2021-2024, Allison served as director of health and sustainability programs for the strategic initiatives group at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) where she led program planning and strategic direction for two annual conferences (Menus of Change and Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives) and three year-round collaboratives with specific sectors of the foodservice industry influencing millions of meals served each day. She previously served for seven years as a faculty member at the CIA, where she taught nutrition, food safety, food systems, and public health courses and helped integrate allergen awareness, student wellness, and sustainability principles across the curriculum and campus. Allison also coordinated the teaching kitchen pilot study at the CIA in partnership with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health from 2013-2015 that led to the launch of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative. She continued to coordinate the TKC through 2018 before it spun out into a separate 501c3. Prior to the CIA, Allison served as program manager for the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, providing science advisory to the Meatless Monday campaign and supporting community-based food systems initiatives in the greater Baltimore area. She completed her BA in Public Health Studies and her MS in Public Health as part of a coordinated dietetics program at Johns Hopkins University. In 2019, she was awarded a “Forty Under 40 Mover & Shaker” award by NY’s Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. After living in NY’s Hudson Valley for a decade, Allison recently moved back closer to friends and family outside of Baltimore with her husband and daughter. Outside of work, Allison enjoys cooking, reading, staying active, hanging with friends, and exploring the local food scene.

With 20 years of experience in event management and fundraising, Jen Singer is a seasoned professional dedicated to delivering exceptional event experiences that drive engagement and business growth. As a Program & Events Manager, she specializes in strategic planning, project management, and client relationship management, ensuring seamless execution of corporate events, conferences, and special programs.

Jen’s expertise spans corporate event planning, sponsorship development, vendor coordination, budget management, and event marketing. Her keen eye for detail and creative problem-solving skills allow her to craft memorable experiences that align with an organization’s goals and enhance brand visibility.

An MBA candidate, Jen brings a strategic and analytical approach to event management, leveraging her business acumen to drive impactful results. A dynamic collaborator, she thrives in fast-paced environments and works closely with cross-functional teams, vendors, and industry partners to bring innovative event concepts to life. Her strong communication skills and strategic approach make her an invaluable asset in creating events that leave a lasting impression.

Brian Hogan Stewart is a trusted voice in culinary storytelling, with extensive experience in brand strategy, media relations, and content development. He is the creator and host of Salt + Spine, the top-ranked podcast on cookbooks, and the founder of Cookbook Week, a first-of-its-kind live storytelling festival celebrating cookbooks and culinary culture.

As a consultant and creative strategist, Brian helps hospitality, lifestyle, and cultural brands develop meaningful stories across voice, media, experiences, and content. In 2023, he led the PR and marketing strategy for Aphotic, a seafood-focused fine dining restaurant in San Francisco that earned both a Michelin Star and a Michelin Green Star within four months of opening. He has held senior leadership roles at top hospitality agencies including bread & Butter and af&co., working with clients like the James Beard Foundation, New Belgium Brewing, MINA Group, Graduate Hotels, The LINE, Spotlight Algae Oil, and the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace.

His podcasting work has been recognized by the Taste Awards and Italy’s Corriere della Sera Cook Awards. Salt + Spine has featured more than 200 authors including Nigella Lawson, Jacques Pépin, Yotam Ottolenghi, and Samin Nosrat, and was described by The Irish Times as “a more imaginative take on the cookery podcast.”

Before entering the culinary world, Brian led national media campaigns for organizations including MoveOn.org and the Center for American Progress’s youth engagement arm. His advocacy work spanned numerous policy areas from immigration to climate change, and he consulted for groups including healthcare advocacy org Young Invincibles and the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor. Brian is a former journalist who studied at the University of Iowa and is completing an MBA in Food & Wine from the Bologna Business School. He is CSR 4.0 certified and has reached WSET Level II (with Distinction). He has served as a judge for the Good Food Awards and the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Brian splits his time between the United States and Italy, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. An avid home cook, he collects far more cookbooks than he has, or will ever have, the shelf space for.

Katie Welch is delighted to utilize both her personal passion for food as medicine and more than 20 years of advancement experience to fortify and enhance the work of the TKC. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Cambridge Public Library Foundation, leading a rapid expansion of fundraising and community building to support a seven-branch library system. At the Library Foundation, Katie worked closely with dedicated board members to design, elevate, and expand a comprehensive development platform to drive all types of fundraising and build towards a $10M endowment goal. Katie began her career at The Guidance Center in Cambridge, MA, rising to the role of Director of Development before becoming the Director of Development and Marketing for Riverside Community Care, the largest nonprofit health and human service organization in MA.

Katie holds a degree from Tufts University and a certificate from the New York Center for Homeopathy. She is a board member of the Friends of the Melrose Public Library and Grassroots Environmental Education. When she’s not at work, Katie likes to experiment with new recipes and enjoy nature with her husband and two young daughters.

Jason Wright runs a New York-based Graphic & Web Design studio, J Wright Design, for a wide range of industries including Restaurants & Hospitality, Endurance Sports, New Business, and beyond. For more than two decades, JWD has created branded identities, websites, objects, packaging, clothing designs, and much more for clients worldwide. His focus is on delivering high-quality, eye-catching creative solutions, but with a professional personal touch not found in many design studios.

Jason is a New York-based designer and fine artist who develops creative and practical solutions for clients worldwide. With over 20 years of experience in advertising, graphic design, and web development, Jason combines the versatility of a big design agency with the personal attention of a small design boutique. Holding a Masters degree from Pratt Institute and a Bachelor’s Degree from Emory University, Jason began his career in advertising creating campaigns for companies such as Papa John’s Pizza and Coca-Cola.

His work includes sites for Oscar-nominated and award-winning films, design, and advertisements for large corporations such as CNN and Target, as well as countless identities and other design work for his clients. Some of these businesses include an Iron Chef, Michelin-starred restaurants, World Champion Triathletes, top fashion designers, Multi-Platinum rock stars, architects, artists, vet hospitals, and television personalities.

Aviad “Adi” Haramati, PhD, is an award-winning Professor of Integrative Physiology and Medicine, and Founding Director of the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Education (CENTILE) at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. He also serves as co-director of the graduate program in Integrative Medicine and Health Sciences at Georgetown. He is the founding vice-chair of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health and served as chair of numerous international congresses in integrative medicine and in health professions education. In addition to co-directing the Renal Module for first year medical students, Dr. Haramati also teaches mindful practices to medical students, residents and faculty to foster professional identity formation and well-being. His sessions on Mindful Eating and Mind-Body Medicine were part of the CME course on Healthy Eating, Healthy Lives, sponsored by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America. Dr. Haramati is a past-president of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE), former member of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), a member of the Governing Committee of Association of Medical Education in Europe, and a member of the Executive Council of the World Federation for Medical Education. He has been a visiting professor at over 100 medical schools worldwide.

David M. Eisenberg, MD is director of culinary nutrition and adjunct associate professor of nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. He he is the founder and former executive director of the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative  and is the founding co-director of the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conference. From 2000-2010, David served as the Bernard Osher distinguished associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, founding director of the Osher Research Center and the founding chief of the division for research and education in complementary and integrative medical therapies at Harvard Medical School. He simultaneously served as the director of the program in integrative medicine at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital. His current educational and research interests include: studies to assess the safety and cost-effectiveness of complementary and integrative medical therapies; and the creation of reproducible self-care strategies involving nutrition, mindfulness, exercise, and behavioral optimization to prevent, treat, and manage common medical conditions.

David is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. He completed his fellowship training in general internal medicine and primary care and is board certified in internal medicine. In 1979, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences, David served as the first U.S. medical exchange student to the People’s Republic of China. In 1993, he was the medical advisor to the PBS Series, “Healing and the Mind” with Bill Moyers. He has served as an advisor to the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federation of State Medical Boards regarding complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine research, education, and policy. From 2003-2005 David served on a National Academy of Sciences Committee responsible for the Institute of Medicine Report entitled, “The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by the American Public.” He has served as a member of the U.S. National Board of Medical Examiners Clinical Skills Committee and its Communications Task Force. David has authored numerous scientific articles involving complementary and integrative medical therapies and continues to pursue research, educational and clinical programs relating to integrative and lifestyle medicine. His current focus relates to the establishment of nutrition competencies for MDs at all levels, and the need for enhanced nutrition education by MDs and other health professionals. As the son and grandson of professional bakers, David aspires to bring together the culinary and medical communities to enhance comprehensive health care for all.

Jaclyn Lewis Albin, MD, CCMS, DipABLM is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Public Health at UTSW. She serves as the Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine/Pediatrics (Med/Peds) Residency Program and as the Medical Director for Food as Medicine Innovation at Parkland Health. Dr. Albin founded and directs UTSW’s Culinary Medicine program, working to teach nutrition through hands-on cooking classes to health professional learners and patients. She strives to blend clinical innovation, research, and community partnership to creatively advance the role of lifestyle health and nutrition security.

Hope is a licensed, registered dietitian, and Chair of the Department of Nutrition in the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. She’s a past Board member for The Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics and faculty lead for the Jack, Joseph, Morton Mandel Wellness & Preventive Care Pathway for medical students. Prior to joining CWRU she developed nutrition and wellness programs for Fortune 500 companies, completed advanced professional culinary training and presented hundreds of nutrition education presentations incorporating culinary demonstrations for television, professional and community audiences. Hope has received many teaching awards for her engaging and energetic teaching style including the 2019 Outstanding Dietetic Educator from NDEP and the Ohio Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Top Prof, and the John S. Diekman Graduate Award for teaching excellence. In 2017, she was one of the nominees for the Carl Witte Excellence in undergraduate teaching award. In 2016 she received the Professional Achievement Award from the 7,000 member organization, SCAN: Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness nutrition practice group. Additionally, Hope was appointed by the CWRU Board of Trustees as the inaugural recipient of the Jack, Joseph, Morton Mandel Professorship in Wellness and Preventative Care, 2016-2021. In February, 2018 the Pathway received an award for Innovation in Teaching future health care professionals from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Hope’s research areas include aging, glucose metabolism, the glycemic index, sports nutrition and liver disease. Currently Hope is co-investigator for an NIH study investigating a healthy lifestyle intervention in preparation for pregnancy in obese women.

Deanne Brandstetter, M.B.A., R.D. has over thirty years of experience in the food and nutrition business.   As Vice President of Nutrition & Wellness for Compass Group, North America, she leads a team that coordinates wellness programs for foodservice clients and develops innovative & award winning cross sector nutrition & wellness initiatives. She also directed the nutrition program for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah as part of the Compass Olympics Lead Management Team.

Deanne’s marketing background and passion for great food has fueled her goal of creatively translating medical and nutrition science into innovative exciting food concepts for Compass Group customers.

She earned an American Culinary Federation Silver medal for Healthy Cuisine, has authored numerous articles for professional and trade journals, including a module of the ADA (now AND) Labeling Certification Course, and has presented programs at the Society for Foodservice Management, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Foodservice Director magazine Menu Directions, Field to Plate-France, the National Restaurant Association and the CIA Greystone World of Healthy Flavors conferences. Deanne is a Culinary Institute of America Fellow, was a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Sustainable Food Systems Roundtable and Task Force on Menu Labeling, Past-Chair of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Nominating Committee, member of the Academy Diversity Committee, Past-Chair of Dietitians in Business & Communications and  2022-23 Treasurer of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics; co-chair of the CIA Healthy Menus R&D Collaborative and is serving as a WELL Nourishment concept advisor. She also serves on the Advisory Board to the Dean of the School of Education, Health and Society at Miami University. She was awarded a WELL Community Award in 2021 and the Dietitians in Business & Communications Outstanding Leader in 2022.

Ghislaine Challamel is a strategic communications and health innovation leader with over 15 years of experience advancing food literacy, sustainable practices, and human performance. She serves as a Senior Advisor to the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative, where she develops and leads communications strategies to amplify the impact of TKC’s global network. Her work integrates AI tools and evidence-based storytelling to drive member engagement, operational efficiency, and thought leadership.

Ghislaine also advises the Stanford Food Institute and the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC), where she translates behavioral and nutritional research into actionable insights for the foodservice industry. Previously, she led the Global Food Education Program for Compass@Google, overseeing workplace teaching kitchen programs in over 50 sites across five countries. Her career spans international roles in academia, industry, and consulting, including positions at Nestlé Waters and Burson-Marsteller.

Ghislaine holds master’s degrees in Food Science and in Marketing and Communication, and completed executive education in sustainability leadership at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Sherene Chou, MS, RDN is an award-winning dietitian and chef focused on building a more equitable and sustainable food system through the intersection of culinary nutrition and health equity. She works with national brands and institutions to build innovative programs for more accessible and culturally inclusive nutrition education. Her work is rooted in community empowerment spending a decade working directly on community health, food recovery and local food justice. In 2020, she co-founded Food + Planet, an initiative to empower health professionals to transform the food system educating over 10K dietitians and built programs with Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, American Heart Association’s Food EDU and created the first Blue Foods As Medicine Cookbook. She co-developed the Culinary Medicine course at Keck USC School of Medicine, the Certificate of Training on Sustainable Food Systems for the Academy of Nutrition, and was featured as one of Today’s Dietitian‘s 10 RDs Making a Difference in 2019. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Today’s Dietitian, and British Vogue. Outside of work, you’ll find her planning the next family trip to Taipei with her husband and sons.

Sian Cotton, PhD, founding director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health and the Turner Farm Foundation Chair at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, is a licensed clinical psychologist.  A Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and Division Director for Integrative Medicine, Dr. Cotton has an active research lab with ongoing clinical studies focusing primarily on mindfulness-based interventions and integrative medicine practice-based research. She is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Academic Consortium of Integrative Medicine and Health, a group of over 85 leading academic health centers and served as 1 of 8 Congress Co-Presidents for the 2nd World Congress on Integrative Medicine in Rome September 2023.  Dr. Cotton is often invited to speak with community organizations and businesses, healthcare audiences, and academics about mind-body medicine for stress reduction, and preventive and wellness-based approaches to healthcare.

Dr. Caree Jackson Cotwright describes her work as the place where nutrition meets community and creativity. She blends science and storytelling to nourish a healthier generation. Whether she’s crafting nutrition policy or colorful plays, she turns veggies into superheroes and classrooms into stages for change—one bite, one story, one community at a time.

Dr. Cotwright is a distinguished leader in nutrition, passionately dedicated to advancing food and nutrition security across the United States. As the former Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity for the Food and Nutrition Service at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Dr. Cotwright was essential in orchestrating a comprehensive departmental approach to enhance nutrition security nationwide. She also played a pivotal role in advancing the goals of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Her commitment to enhancing health outcomes is reflected in her extensive communication efforts, having presented over 200 keynote addresses, speeches, podcasts, and webinars. Dr. Cotwright is an esteemed scholar who has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious 2024 President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Hero Award.

Currently serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Georgia’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Dr. Cotwright’s research focuses on improving dietary habits among young children, particularly within underserved communities. Her innovative approach, utilizing community-based participatory research, seeks to create healthy and sustainable best practices in the early care and education setting.

Renowned for her ability to integrate the arts and media into nutrition education, Dr. Cotwright has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and secured over $1 million in grants for obesity prevention. Her early experiences as an ORISE Research Fellow at the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity further fueled her dedication to promoting health through initiatives like Let’s Move!

Dr. Cotwright, a registered dietitian, is the visionary behind Dr. Caree, LLC, an organization dedicated to fostering meaningful community engagement, strategic planning, nutrition policy, and transforming the dietary habits of young children and their families. She is the author of the play, Lil’ Red Riding Through the Hood, teaching children about healthy eating through a colorful story with relatable characters. The company provides interactive training, speaking engagements, and arts-based nutrition education initiatives.

With a PhD and an MS in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor’s in Biology from Howard University, Dr. Cotwright exemplifies the spirit of excellence. Residing in Atlanta, Georgia, she embraces her fulfilling family life with her husband and three daughters. Dr. Cotwright’s ongoing commitment to nutrition security and health for all is a profound source of inspiration, driving positive change within the nutritional sciences field.

Paul DelleRose, CHE, is an Operational Support Chef Specialist and Corporate Trainer with Southern Food Service Management, which provides corporate dining services across business and industry, education, sports and leisure, and government sectors.

Prior to this role, Paul was a Chef and Professor of Culinary Arts at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where he taught for 17 years. A passionate and enthusiastic educator, he designed and led a variety of courses in the CIA’s degree programs.

A 1994 graduate of the CIA, Paul returned to his alma mater as a faculty member in 2007. Before that, he was Consulting Executive Chef for Cornerstone USA. His career also includes leadership as Executive Chef for the DoubleTree Hotel and Hilton in Tarrytown, NY, and as Executive Chef and Partner at Civile’s Venice on the Hudson.

Paul helped develop the curriculum and taught two cohorts in a joint pilot study between the CIA and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The program focused on training consumers to make healthier food choices through cooking techniques and lifestyle modifications. He is also a regular presenter at the Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives CME conference, co-sponsored by Harvard and the CIA.

A Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Empire State College, State University of New York, and has also studied at the Windows on the World Wine School.

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” — Jim Rohn

Kofi D. Essel, MD, MPH, FAAP, is the inaugural Food as Medicine Program Director at Elevance Health. As a core member of the Health Outcomes Organization team, he works to coordinate with the broader social impact strategy, health equity, and medical policy initiatives throughout the enterprise. He leads efforts in designing innovative approaches to address diet related chronic diseases and social risk using novel food interventions.

Dr. Essel is a board-certified community pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital(CNH) and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington University(GWU) School of Medicine & Health Sciences in Washington, D.C. Most recently serving as the Director of the GWU Culinary Medicine Program. Dr. Essel has dedicated his career to advocacy/research around healthcare and public health workforce training, health disparities, and community engagement, with expertise and national recognition in the areas of addressing diet related chronic disease and food insecurity with patients and families.

Dr. Essel sits on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Roundtable on Obesity Solutions’ Lived Experience Innovation Collaborative and was nationally recognized by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for helping to create an innovative curriculum to enhance pediatric resident trainee skills on nutrition related disease management. Dr. Essel sits on the board of directors for the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and serves as physician advisor for the Partnership for a Healthier America’s “Veggies Early & Often” campaign. Dr. Essel is a member of the executive committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Obesity. He also co-authored a national toolkit for pediatric providers to address food insecurity in their clinical settings with the AAP and FRAC. Dr. Essel earned a B.S. from Emory University with a focus on human biology/anthropology and earned his M.D. and M.P.H. in Epidemiology from GWU.

Trevor is an attorney, clinical instructor, and lecturer on law in the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School, where he supervises students working on a variety of projects, including those focused on increasing production of healthy, nutritious, culturally relevant foods, and making sure people have access to these foods.  Prior to joining FLPC, he led federal advocacy efforts for the Organic Farming Research Foundation, where he advocated for policies to improve organic agriculture in the United States. Before that, he was the Deputy Director of Food Disclosure and Labeling at the United States Department of Agriculture, where he oversaw several food labeling programs. While at USDA, he also worked on a number of programs authorized by the farm bill, including conservation programs, farm programs, farm loans, and crop insurance.

Chavanne Hanson is Google’s Food Choice Architect and Nutrition Manager on the Global Food Team. She joined Google in December 2018. The Google Food Team is responsible for creating food experiences that promote collaboration and engage and energize Googlers each and every day. With cafes, teaching kitchens and events that serve thousands of meals each day, the team works with a variety of partners and suppliers to deliver delicious, nutritious food and innovative experiences to fuel Google’s culture and future. Chavanne will be working to creatively leverage nutrition sciences programming, food choice architecture, behavioral sciences and the development of well-being approaches in order to create meaningful user experiences for Googlers. Building on this work, she is deeply motivated to work with the Food Team as well as the broader Google network to inspire and enable the world to make food choices and use food experiences to develop more sustainable lifestyles and communities.

Before joining Google, Hanson was the assistant vice president and senior public affairs manager of Nutrition, Health & Wellness at Nestlé SA located in Vevey, Switzerland. Early in her tenure at Nestlé, Chavanne served as a Nutrition Communications Manager/Market Nutritionist where she championed Nutrition, Health & Wellness initiatives for the Nestlé Prepared Foods Company and supported Nestlé USA health & wellness growth. As the Nestlé USA Wellness Champion she expanded her role beyond Prepared Foods to work with each of the retail divisions to build Nestlé’s overall Nutrition, Health & Wellness image.

Prior to joining Nestlé, Chavanne enjoyed a varied career. She got her start in the nutrition field helping to develop and implement a preventive cardiology program for University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio. She went on to become the Associate Producer for the Gathering Place television series and nutrition communications consultant to Graham Kerr, one of the first television chefs and recognized as the “Galloping Gourmet”. Chavanne has taught the nutrition component of healthy cooking classes at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking as well as Culinary Nutrition for Chefs in Training at Schoolcraft College in Michigan. She has also been involved with various publications such as co-author of My Personal Path to Wellness Journal, did recipe testing and development for the Health Guaranteed Cookbook.

Chavanne received her B.S. in dietetics from Baylor University and her M.P.H. in human nutrition from the University of Michigan.

Adante Hart, MPH, RDN, LDN, is a registered dietitian, culinary nutrition educator, and speaker dedicated to advancing food sovereignty and empowering individuals and communities to take charge of their health. He specializes in translating nutrition science into accessible, hands-on cooking experiences that highlight the connections between food, culture, and well-being.

With experience spanning academia, agriculture, healthcare, restaurants, and non-profit organizations, Adante brings a unique perspective to his presentations, which focus on the intersections of nutrition, accessibility, foodways, and health. He currently serves as a Nutrition Specialist with Durham County Government and has contributed to national and regional initiatives through roles with Rouxbe Cooking School, Oldways, the Southern Foodways Alliance, and the National Organization of Blacks in Nutrition and Dietetics (NOBIDAN).

In addition, he serves on the team for Tall Grass Food Box, a community-supported agriculture initiative that supports and uplifts Black farmers within local food systems. His expertise has been featured in EatingWell, CNBC, and U.S. News & World Report.

Adante earned his Master of Public Health in Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Bachelor of Science from Johns Hopkins University. Based in Raleigh, NC, Adante enjoys traveling, exploring food and culture, staying active, and learning about the latest in media and technology.

Robert Israel, MD, is an internist and aspirant chef, life time good eater and attendee at one of the first Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives conferences (and several subsequently) which changed his life and his practice dramatically. Since then he has more successfully incorporated lifestyle medicine and culinary medicine into his practice. With a lot of help from like-minded people at USA Health he now has a teaching kitchen in his office. Classes are held regularly there for medical and nursing students, high school students, the public, and patients as well. Most importantly, the USA Health system has been most supportive and indeed in another year or so we will have three teaching kitchens in the system.

The TKC has been a great resource for us since we joined in 2020. My own dietary choices have changed to almost all whole foods, mostly plant forward, less meat and sugar and almost no highly processed foods and I now crave vegetables. I am passionate about the plant forward movement both for personal health and also for planetary health. I strongly believe that a healthier community is a wealthier, happier, and more equitable community. Sustainability, equity, and planetary health are important to us here.

My vision for teaching kitchens is that in the near future all communities will have exposure to this resource either in person or via the web.

Robert Israel, MD, FACP, is a board-certified internist and aspiring chef. Many years ago, attendance at one of the first Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives courses inspired him to incorporate healthy lifestyles and nutrition guidance into his daily medical and personal practice. It has been transformational, and it has grown over the years into a partnership with the University of South Alabama health system and medical school, with a focus on culinary medicine through two, soon to be three teaching kitchens. Teaching culinary skills and nutrition to medical students, physicians, and the public is the focus.

Our association with the TKC has been of tremendous benefit, helping us hone our teaching skills, learn from others what works and doesn’t work, and giving us a sounding board of like-minded professionals to learn from.

We believe that the path to better health leads from the taste buds through the microbiome and that nutritious food can taste fabulous while being budget and planetary health friendly. We want our students to embrace that belief as well.

Ed McDonald, MD is a trained chef and board certified physician dedicated to improving the health of individuals and communities through nutrition education. He obtained his undergraduate education at the University of Michigan and his medical education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. After medical school, he completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Northwestern. As a resident, Dr. McDonald often shared recipes with his clinic patients at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. Witnessing the effects of simple lifestyle interventions on the health of his patients prompted him to seek further training in nutrition. He then completed a fellowship in clinical nutrition at the University of Chicago and culinary training at the prestigious Kendall College School of Culinary Arts. He subsequently completed a fellowship in Gastroenterology at Rush University Medical Center. Dr. McDonald currently is assistant professor in Gastroenterology at the University of Chicago. Dr. McDonald is currently the Director of Adult Clinical Nutrition at the University of Chicago.(Chicago, IL)

Dr. Julia Wolfson, PhD, MPP is an Associate Professor in the Department of International Health, Human Nutrition Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH). She also holds a joint appointment in the Department of Health Policy and Management at BSPH. Dr. Wolfson is a faculty affiliate of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, the Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy, and the Institute for Health and Social Policy, where she is also the Deputy Director. Dr. Wolfson’s research lies at the intersection of health policy and health behavior and centers on health behaviors, environmental factors, policies, programs, and interventions related to improving diet quality, reducing food insecurity, promoting environmentally sustainable food choices, and preventing diet related chronic diseases. Through research using qualitative, quantitative, mixed, and community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods, Dr. Wolfson strives to contribute to evidence-based policies and programs that help make it easier for all people to make healthy and sustainable food choices in their daily lives. Much of Dr. Wolfson’s recent and current research focuses on contextual, environmental, and policy factors that influence cooking skills and behavior, measurement of food agency and cooking skills, and development and evaluation of food-agency based cooking skills interventions.

Dr. Wolfson received a Master’s in Public Policy from the Sol Price School of Policy, Planning and Development at the University of Southern California, and her doctorate in Health Policy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Prior to her current career in academia, Dr. Wolfson spent about a decade as a chef in fine dining restaurants in New York City and Los Angeles, CA.