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 latest 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 has already received over 12,000 visits from over 100 countries—illustrating the unmet need and tremendous potential to improve perceptions of these healthy, sustainable, delicious foods that are too often overlooked. Continuing this important work on aquatic foods, in 2023 FCL earned its first government-funded project, and a landmark one at that: We are humbled and excited to help the Alaska Mariculture Cluster (AMC), led by the Southeast Conference, grow the U.S. market for Alaska mariculture kelp and oysters. This pioneering effort is funded through a $49 million grant Alaska won from the U.S. Economic Development Agency’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge. 

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”-- and these have really taken off in the past year. To date, we've conducted trainings for C40, The Climate Collaborative, Good Food Purchasing Program, New York City Mayor's Office, the United Nations, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and Puratos. 

Learn more in the 2023 FCL Winter Newsletter. 

I joined R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliaries (SDHA) in 2020 as a Senior Advisor, and stepped into an enhanced leadership role in 2022: Director of the Stanford Food Institute and Sustainable Food Systems. I lead 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 lead 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); oversee Stanford's sustainable food program, One Plate, One Planet, and the high-impact sourcing decisions that stem from it; advise on communications and storytelling efforts; and mentor student programs and projects in support of the academic mission of the university--all related to climate action and long-term sustainability impacts.

2023 was a big year! (Read more in the Stanford Sustainability Year in Review.) We hosted our inaugural SFI Food Systems Research Symposium, which featured presentations from 73 food systems researchers across campus, exploring eight interdisciplinary fields: Soil/Agriculture/Aquaculture, Procurement/Sustainable Sourcing, Manufacturing, Food Justice/Food Sovereignty/Inclusive Diets, Race/Identity/Politics, Nutrition/Food as Medicine, Consumer Diet Choices, and Resource/Waste Recovery. 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, and I’m excited to be convening a diverse working group of campus stakeholders to shape the most impactful, evidence-based steps the university can take. 

Learn more in our 2023 SFI Impact Snapshot.

As part of my role at Stanford, I am Co-Director of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, a partnership with The Culinary Institute of America (where I previously served as Co-Director) that celebrated our 10th anniversary in 2023 and a decade of impact throughout campuses around the world. 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 300-member organization that spans 70+ 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. 

COLLECTIVE IMPACT: In 2023, we were proud to share some exciting news about the MCURC’s Collective Impact initiative: Between 2019-2022, across 200 million pounds of food purchased by 24 participating institutions, we achieved a remarkable 24.3% reduction in food-related greenhouse gas emissions. This represents over 97% progress toward the Collective Impact target goal set in 2019 to reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions across the MCURC by 25% by 2030. This collective shift saves over 133 million kg of greenhouse gas emissions per year, which is equivalent to 93,795 people taking a round-trip cross-country flight and taking 28,954 cars off the road for a year. With the substantial progress already made, the MCURC has extended its target goal to a 40% reduction by 2030. 

Learn more in the 2023 MCURC Year in Review.  

Since mid-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. My IFPA colleagues and I are working together with partners and stakeholders to now bring to life this innovative data visualization platform. 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.  

Learn more here.