Food Equity Champions
Leaders who are ensuring everyone, no matter what zip code they live in, has access to good food.
Jennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN
Jennifer Anderson is a registered dietitian and has a masters of science in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. In 2019, she founded Kids Eat in Color®, a resource that helps children and families have better nutrition and mental health.
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Dr. Sarah Bleich
Dr. Sara Bleich is the Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity in the Food and Nutrition Service at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), after serving as the Senior Advisor for COVID-19 in the Office of the Secretary at USDA (2021). She is a policy expert and researcher who specializes in diet-related diseases, food insecurity and racial inequality with more than 175 peer-reviewed publications.
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Dr. Caree Cotwright
Dr. Caree Jackson Cotwright, an associate professor in the University of Georgia's Department of Nutritional Sciences, is the director of the Childhood Obesity Prevention Laboratory. The overall goal of Dr. Cotwright’s work is to reduce the risk of childhood obesity among children aged 0-5 years. She emphasizes using health equity strategies to empower communities of color to thrive by adopting healthy lifestyle choices.
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Dr. Kofi Essel
Kofi D. Essel, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a board-certified community pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital(CNH) in Washington, D.C. Dr. Essel serves as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, the Director of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences Culinary Medicine Program, the Director of the GWU Community/Urban Health Scholarly Concentration, and the Director of the GWU Clinical Public Health Summit on Obesity.
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Helena Bottemiller Evich
Helena Bottemiller Evich is the founder and editor in chief of Food Fix, a new online publication about food policy in Washington and beyond.
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Nimali Fernando, MD, MPH, FAAP
Dr. Nimali Fernando (aka "Dr. Yum") is a pediatrician practicing in Fredericksburg, VA, and a founder of the website doctoryum.org and The Dr. Yum Project.
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Priya Fielding-Singh
Priya Fielding-Singh is a sociologist and ethnographer. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Family and Consumer Studies at the University of Utah. Her research and writing examine issues of social, economic, and racial justice, with a focus on families, food and health.
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McKel Kooienga, MS, RDN, LDN
McKel Kooienga is the founder of Nutrition Stripped, author of the Nutrition Stripped Cookbook, creator of the Mindful Nutrition Method, and is a leading voice in mindful eating, named “Top 20 Role Models” by Arianna Huffington.
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Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist, Special Advisor to the Provost, Dean for Policy, and Jean Mayer Professor at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy; and Professor of Medicine at Tufts School of Medicine. His work aims to create the science and translation for a food system that is nutritious, equitable, and sustainable.
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Danielle Nierenberg
Danielle Nierenberg is a world-renowned researcher, speaker, and advocate, on all issues relating to our food system and agriculture. Danielle is President of Food Tank (foodtank.com) and an expert on sustainable agriculture and food issues. She has written extensively on gender and population, the spread of factory farming in the developing world, and innovations in sustainable agriculture. Danielle is the recipient of the 2020 Julia Child Award.
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Honorary Chair - First Lady Michelle Obama
Michelle Robinson Obama served as First Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, transforming the position and becoming a role model, champion and inspiration for women, families, and young people across America and around the world.
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Dr. Angela Odoms-Young
Dr. Angela Odoms-Young is an Associate Professor and Director of the Food and Nutrition Education in Communities Program in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University. Her research explores social and structural determinants of dietary behaviors and diet-related diseases in low-income and Black/Latinx populations and centers on identifying culturally appropriate programs and policies that promote health equity, food justice, and community resilience.
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Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP
Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP is a mom who once had a picky eater. She’s experienced first-hand the stress that parents feel when they are worried about their child’s nutritional health. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find Melanie blending her knowledge of feeding therapy with practical parenting strategies that help the entire family eat healthier.
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Nancy E. Roman
Nancy E. Roman is the former President and CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). During her tenure, Nancy led PHA to more fully recognize the impact of food on chronic disease and to embrace objectives advancing global sustainable nutrition.
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Chef Mavis-Jay Sanders
Chef Mavis-Jay Sanders is an award winning culinarian and storyteller working at the intersection of food and social justice, encouraging communities to celebrate the joys of life and humanity through food. Mavis-Jay creates captivating gatherings for all sized groups, both in-person and virtual.
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