Client Portfolio: Past & Present

Since 2020, I have proudly served as Director of Strategy—helping chart the course for FCL's mission of making climate-smart eating the norm. In 2022, we were named one of Fast Company's World-Changing Ideas in the Climate category. In my role, I lead partnerships and ecosystem strategy for the organization, and support high-impact projects such as our communications toolkits to drive demand for bivalves and seaweeds, which we developed in partnership with Food+Planet. Check out the toolkits at eataquaticfoods.org, which received over 12,000 visits from over 100 countries in just the first few months of launching—illustrating the unmet need and tremendous potential to improve perceptions of these healthy, sustainable, delicious foods that are too often overlooked. Continuing the important work on aquatic foods, in 2023 FCL earned its first government-funded project, and a landmark one at that: helping the Alaska Mariculture Cluster (AMC), led by the Southeast Conference, grow the U.S. market for Alaska mariculture kelp and oysters. We've now done similar work to help stakeholders increase consumption of beans throughout the U.S., and we are actively pursuing pathways to replicate our successful model for regenerative agriculture and food waste reduction. 

One of my favorite parts of my role is co-leading two trainings we provide to influential leaders across the globe--"How to Talk About Food and Climate" and "How to Reframe Narratives to Shift Perceptions and Drive Consumption of Sustainable Foods." To date, we've conducted trainings for over 350 participants from over 25 countries and 130 different companies, agencies, and organizations. These include C40, Chicago Food Policy Action Council, CIA Healthy Menus R&D Collaborative, The Climate Collaborative, Good Food Purchasing Program, Menus of Change, New York City Mayor's Office, Puratos, the United Nations, and World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Learn more in the 2024 Annual Report.

I joined R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliaries (SDHA) in 2020 as a Senior Advisor, and in 2022 took on the role of founding director of the Stanford Food Institute, where I was also Director of Sustainable Food Systems. I led the Institute across its core pillars of research, education, and flavor and innovation, with a focus on bold climate leadership and equitable supply chains. I also led cross-campus collaborations (i.e., Scope 3 Emissions Program and groundbreaking behavioral research with faculty partners in the School of Medicine, Doerr School of Sustainability, and Graduate School of Business) and external partnerships (i.e., Drawdown Labs); oversaw Stanford's sustainable food program, One Plate, One Planet, and the high-impact sourcing decisions that stem from it; advised on communications and storytelling efforts; and mentored student programs and projects in support of the academic mission of the university--all related to climate action and long-term sustainability impacts.

In 2023, we hosted our inaugural SFI Food Systems Research Symposium, which featured presentations from 73 food systems researchers across campus, exploring eight interdisciplinary fields. Building on Stanford R&DE’s longstanding partnership with Farms to Grow, Inc., our Equitable Harvest Black Farmers Initiative published two toolkits: one to guide institutional foodservice leaders in sourcing from more Black farmers, and one to help more Black farmers sell to wholesale buyers. SDHA also became the first campus dining program in the nation to earn the James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch Ambassador Award for sustainable seafood purchasing. Lastly, I was appointed the Food Systems Lead for the University’s new Climate Action Plan, so I led a year-long working group of dozens of campus stakeholders to shape the most impactful, evidence-based steps the university can take. 

I continue much of this work as Senior Advisor to SFI and SDHA, where I am excited about a partnership we have launched with the School of Medicine to lead a groundbreaking study with a major tech company on the power of food to enhance employee well-being, mental health, belonging, and productivity. I am equally excited about our longstanding partnership with the Graduate School of Business researching AI-driven food waste measurement tools to reduce diner plate waste, our contributions to the U.S. Food Waste Pact, and the chance to scale the successful MCURC Collective Impact model beyond campus dining through the Doerr School of Sustainability's new Accelerator focused on food systems.

As part of my role at Stanford, I am Co-Director of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, which I helped co-found in 2014. It's led in partnership with The Culinary Institute of America and the Stanford Prevention Research Center. In my role, I co-design and evaluate strategic initiatives for the Collaborative, oversee our research agenda and educational activities, cultivate member engagement and value for mission-aligned sponsor organizations, and serve as spokesperson for the 500+-member organization that spans 80+ colleges and institutions, ex-officio members, and Research Collaborators—all working together to advance healthy, sustainable, delicious food choices for all. Our groundbreaking global network leverages the combined purchasing power of institutions and campus dining halls as living laboratories for behavior change. We focus on innovative strategies for plant-forward menu shifts and food waste reduction.

COLLECTIVE IMPACT: In 2024, we were pleased to share the MCURC Collective Impact Progress Report 2024, which we hope will inspire others on their own journeys toward plant-forward, climate-friendly menus.Together, we realized a 23% reduction in food-related greenhouse gas emissions across 33 institutions and 93 million pounds of food in just five years. We're working toward a 40% reduction by 2030, in close alignment with the EAT-Lancet targets for optimal nutrition within planetary boundaries, and we're spearheading the development of innovative new metrics for the associated cost savings, diet quality benefits, diner satisfaction ratings, and supplier engagement opportunities. Never before have universities worked together to address climate change in this way!

Learn more in the 2024 MCURC Year in Review.  

Since 2023, I have had the pleasure of serving as Strategic Advisor to the International Fresh Produce Association and The Foundation for Fresh Produce on a range of strategic initiatives, starting with supporting the White House Industry Commitment they made in 2022. Tentatively titled the "Produce in the Public Interest (PIPI) Database,” the commitment supports Pillar 5 of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health: Enhancing Nutrition and Food Security Research. Our aim is to develop an open-access insights engine to track the top drivers of produce consumption globally, across a 25-year time horizon. Ultimately, we hope the tool can help public health practitioners and policymakers crack the code on boosting intake of fruits and vegetables in order to improve health outcomes. We released the "Power of Pull," an original framework for understanding the top drivers of produce consumption. We have been excited to see our vision resonate for stakeholders to start "seeing the whole elephant" on this complicated puzzle of consumer behavior. 

Recently, we released a visionary theory of change for the role of produce consumption in global health (truly the OG Food is Medicine!), which I've had the chance to amplify at major food industry convenings such as at the KM Zero Food Changemakers Think Tank in Madrid. Next, we are launching a Child Nutrition Education Network to bring together funders and nonprofits across the globe who all share a common goal: Teach, inspire, and empower kids to have a lifelong love of eating their fruits and veggies. 

Learn more here.