LDEI Member Green Tables Advisory Board

Dame Abby Mandel, Green City Market (Chicago)
Abby Mandel is a trained chef, cookbook author, syndicated newspaper columnist, food writer, sustainable market activist, cooking teacher and speaker on food-and-environmental topics. She is the founder and board president for Chicago's Green City Market, the City's first sustainable green market, now in its seventh season.

Dame Marion Nestle, Author, “Food Politics” (New York)
Marion Nestle is the Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, which she chaired from 1988-2003. Her degrees include a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition, both from the University of California, Berkeley. She is the author of “Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health” (2002) and “How We Eat” (2006). She has won numerous awards for her analysis of food policy.

Nora Pouillon, Restaurant Nora (Washington, DC)
Nora Pouillon, true believer in a sustainable lifestyle, is a longtime advocate for increasing the quality and nutritional value of the food supply. The internationally known Nora became the first certified organic restaurant in the U.S. in 1999.

Cathrine Sneed, The Garden Project (San Francisco)
Cathrine is the founder and guiding force of the acclaimed The GardenProject, which offers structure and support to former offenders and at risk youth through job training in gardening, counseling, and assistance in continuing education. Over 4,000 former prisoners have gone through the program.

Alice Waters, Chez Panisse, Chez Panisse Foundation, The Edible Schoolyard (San Francisco)
Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California, has championed local, organic farms for over three decades. After helping to change the American food landscape, Alice is introducing her ideas into schools with the Edible Schoolyard & School Lunch Initiative. She is the author of numerous articles and cookbooks.

Dame Ann Yonkers, Fresh Farm Market (DC)
Ann is President & Co-Director of Fresh Farm Markets, a farmer’s market organization that exists to create vibrant urban and community places in the Chesapeake Bay reagion, provide economic opportunities for farmers and showcase the region's agricultural bounty. An organic farmer, professional cook, activist, and mother, Ann is the ‘Godmother’ of the LDEI Civic Agriculture Initiative

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Green Tables Steering Committee

Lynn Fredericks, Committee Chair, FamilyCook Productions (New York)
Lynn Fredericks is the guiding force behind FamilyCook Productions, a national educational organization offering creative food /culinary education programming via books, interactive tools, articles, educational curricula and trainings. Author of “Cooking Time Is Family Time”, Lynn is an award-winning pioneer in the field of educating families and children about food and nutrition through a series of hands-on educational experiences. Lynn is also a national public health & food policy advocate for holistic food system planning as a measure to combat obesity & chronic disease. www.FamilyCookProductions.com Email: Lynn@FamilyCookProductions.com

Hilary Baum, Baum Forum, Public Market Partners (New York)
The Baum Forum produces educational seminars, multi-day conferences and special events focusing on critical issues in food and farming. Hilary is pioneer in the national farmers’ market movement and active in community-supported agriculture in New York. The Baum Forum is currently involved in programming that examines urban food systems planning and school food. Hilary’s experience and leadership is extending into the New York chapter’s Green Tables Initiative. www.baumforum.org Email: baumforum@aol.com

Cathy Conway, Avalon Catering (Atlanta)
Cathy is the Founder and President of Avalon Catering, one of the premier catering firms in metro Atlanta. Additionally, Cathy has been active in local movement for sustainable agriculture and is co-chairing her Atlanta’s Green Tables Initiative events. www.avaloncatering.com Email: cathy@avaloncatering.com

Holly Arnold Kinney, The Fort (Colorado)
As owner of both The Fort, a historic replica of Bents Fort outside Denver and Arnold Media Services, an in-house agency representing The Fort, The Fort Trading Company and the Tesoro Foundation. Holly founded the Tesoro Fondation to create educational community-based outreach programs. Much of Holly’s philanthropic efforts involve sustainable agriculture and the state “Colorado Proud” agriculture campaign. www.TheFort.com Email: armedia@aol.com

Jackie Ehlert Mercer, Want to Know Now Nutrition & Wellness (New York)
Jackie’s unique organization provides well-researched nutrition and wellness education and programs that enhance the lifestyle of individual and corporate clients. Since relocating to New Jersey from Toronto with her husband, president of Ramopo College, Jackie is leading a garden to table educational initiative where the university students will become ‘agents of change’ in nutrition and garden education within the region. www.wanttoknownow.com Email: i@wanttoknownow.com

Katherine Newell Smith, KNS Promotion, Inc. (Washington, DC)
Katherine provides expert marketing and public relations services to specialty foods and food-related companies including Chipotle Mexican Grill and Bell & Evans. Katherine specializes in food companies operated by people with a passion to produce great food and to provide or source sustainably produced ingredients. Her understanding of the connection between sustainable agriculture and the environment has been essential to Green Tables' well-rounded approach. Email: kns4pr@erols.com

Laura Taxel, Food Writer, (Cleveland)
For 26 years, Laura has been writing about food and increasingly, topics related to civic agriculture and sustainability. In addition to her monthly columns and features for several publications, she is currently the Editor In Chief of one of the first magazines dedicated to regional food production. Laura is providing significant leadership as her chapter embarks on its Green Tables projects. Email: laurataxel@ameritech.net

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