Our growing Alumni Advisory Council is made up of trusted business advisors, farmers, educators, chefs, entrepreneurs, agriculturalists, bankers, lawyers and more at the ready to dispense career advice and help whenever needed.  

Meet the ASLF Alumni Advisory Council

See our growing list of Council Members and their areas of expertise below!

Rachel Alkon

Founder & Owner, Alkon & Co

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & FOOD SYSTEM COMMUNICATIONS

  • Rachel Alkon is a strategic communications and public affairs professional with deep expertise in food systems, sustainability, and social-impact issues. She has 15 years of experience working with fortune 500 companies, start-ups, major foundations, and nonprofits. Formerly, Rachel served as the Head of Communications and Public Affairs at Bowery Farming, the largest U.S. vertical farming company. In 2022, she launched Alkon & Co, a boutique communications firm advising purpose-driven organizations tackling some of today’s most pressing global issues, from climate change and gender equality to the global nutrition epidemic.

Ilana Alperstein

Founder & Owner, Mona Creative

FOOD MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

  • Ilana Alperstein combines considerable experience in marketing and public relations, beginning her career in the strategic marketing department at BMG Entertainment, before moving to Morgans Hotel Group and later the public relations firm Baltz & Company, where she served as Vice President. Founding Mona Creative nearly a decade ago, Ilana has worked with some of the most influential names in the food, travel, and lifestyle space, successfully positioning and promoting brands from launch to expansion.

Kate Arding

Owner & Director of Operations, Talbott & Arding

CHEESE & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Kate Arding is an internationally recognized authority on cheese with 30 years of experience in the farmhouse cheese industry. Her work encompasses cheesemongering and marketing, affinage, teaching, and presenting. She also acts as a consultant to cheese producers and retailers. A former member of the Board of Directors for the American Cheese Society (ACS), and Chair of the ACS’s Regulatory and Academic Committee, Kate regularly judges at many U.S. and international competitions. Kate co-founded the leading consumer cheese magazine Culture and is an area editor of the Oxford Companion to Cheese (Oxford University Press, November 2016). In 2014, along with Mona Talbott, Kate founded the award winning Talbott & Arding Cheese and Provisions, a specialty cheese and prepared foods store in the city of Hudson, NY.

Zoe Brickley

Director of Communications & E-Commerce, Jasper Hill Farms

CHEESE, FARMING & SMALL BUSINESS

  • Zoe Brickley began exploring the world of cheese while attending The French Culinary Institute, NYC. From there she took on the role of Cave Manager and American Buyer at Murray’s Cheese after some time spent behind the counter. In 2009, Zoe joined the team at Jasper Hill Farm where she led foundational Sales & Marketing efforts for the growing company. Currently, she Directs Jasper Hill’s Education, E-Commerce and Creative works. Zoe loves to learn more about cheese through teaching, having presented hundreds of hours of content for many organizations. She is an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional & Sensory Evaluator (ACS CCP, CCSE), a member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers.

Julian Brizzi

Managing Partner, Grand Army, Celestine & Nicky’s Unisex

RESTAURANTS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Julian Brizzi began working in restaurant kitchens in his native New Jersey at the age of 13. Beginning his front-of-house career at Gramercy Tavern in 2005, Julian went on to bartend, serve and ultimately manage the now-closed Prime Meats in Carroll Gardens Brooklyn. He opened his first restaurant, Rucola, in 2012. Grand Army Bar followed in 2015, Celestine restaurant in 2017, and Nicky's Unisex in 2020. He has also been involved in the opening of Pebble Bar (2022) and Ray's Brooklyn (2023). He lives in Downtown Brooklyn with his wife and two sons.

Ralph Bumbaca

NY Market President, TD Bank

BANKING & FINANCE

  • Ralph joined TD Bank in January 2010 and is one of their senior bankers in the New York City Market, responsible for leading TD’s commercial banking efforts. He has a dedicated staff of 40 bankers that oversee a large commercial and small business banking portfolio composed of a broad group of business owners throughout the New York Metropolitan area.

Lena Ciardullo

Executive Chef, Union Square Cafe

RESTAURANTS & CULINARY ARTS

  • Lena Ciardullo is the Executive Chef of Union Square Cafe. Raised in Naperville, Illinois, Lena attended the University of Illinois where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. During her undergraduate years, Lena studied abroad in Rome, where her love of food and hospitality was ignited. Upon her return, Lena found her first job in the kitchen and hasn’t looked back since. In 2009, Lena received her Associates Degree in Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of America and immediately joined the opening team of Maialino, USHG’s Roman-inspired trattoria. She later moved on to Gramercy Tavern where she worked as a tournant, before joining the Marta team in 2014. Throughout her time at Marta, Lena moved through the ranks, starting as a sous chef and ultimately assuming the role of Executive Chef of Marta, Caffe Marchio, and Vini e Fritti in 2018, before joining the Union Square Cafe team in 2019.

Rebecca Collins Brooks

Co-Owner, Catskill Wagyu

CHEESE, FARMING & WRITING

  • Becky Collins Brooks farms, writes, and makes cheese on Hilltop Farm in the Catskills region of New York. She and her husband Barton run Catskill Wagyu, the farm business that includes their herd of 50 Wagyu cattle. Together they are building a microdairy with their small herd of Holstein cows, with plans to sell raw milk and eventually her cheeses. She keeps a flock of American Bresse chickens for both meat and eggs. Becky writes about agriculture and her farming life for agriculture journals, as well as the online magazine Inside+Out Upstate NY - her column "Gimme the Dirt" includes photographs she takes during her daily work on the farm. She is the creator and founder of The Meeting of the Milkmaids, a yearly gathering designed to support and encourage women in the cheese industry. Her best friends are two terriers: Winston, a Westie, and Molly, a Jack Russell.

Susie Cover

Executive Director, Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund

FOOD BUSINESS OPERATIONS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP & NONPROFITS

  • Susie Cover is an entrepreneur, operations and logistics manager, chef, living in Brooklyn, New York. She is currently the Executive Director of the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund. recently she was the Vice President of operations for Butter Beans Kitchen, a food service company providing over 10,000 meals daily to charter and private schools in New York City. She was the Product Development Chef for Babeth’s Feast, a premium frozen grocery in Manhattan, she founded and was executive chef for an online delivery food service called Susie’s Supper Club. She launched a line of frozen meals under the same brand for Whole Foods and also developed a cookbook, The Supper Club: kid-friendly meals the whole family will love. Earlier in her career, she worked for many years as a caterer and private chef.

Daniel Eddy

Chef Owner, WINNER Restaurant Group

BAKING, RESTAURANTS & REAL ESTATE

  • Daniel Eddy began his culinary career in 2004. After 4 years of cooking in NYC, Eddy decided to travel, ultimately landing in Paris in 2009. There he had a chance to work with Daniel Rose (Le Cou Cou/Starr Restaurant) at his first acclaimed restaurant, Spring.

    After three years at Spring, Daniel returned to home NYC, and in April of 2015 he opened Rebelle restaurant, receiving critical acclaim and a Michelin star in his first year, which he held onto until his departure in 2017.

    In 2017 Eddy opened Walnut Street Cafe, which garnered a three bell review from the Philadelphia Enquirer, and listed in the Top 25 restaurants in Philadelphia for 2017.

    Eddy opened Winner, a bakery, restaurant, and bar, this spring in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Amidst a global pandemic he and his team have created a place of growing popularity with the locals and praise from media outlets like The New Yorker, NY Times, and Bon Appétit.

Herbert Eisenberg

  • Herbert is a founding member of Eisenberg & Schnell, LLP. He has practiced for over 35 years representing employees in all aspects of employment law. He focuses on individual and class litigation involving discrimination, equal pay and sexual harassment. He has expertise with financial, academic and professional institutions and practices.

Partner, Eisenberg & Schnell LLP

EMPLOYMENT LAW

Ted Fang

Executive Director, Florence Fang Community Farm

URBAN FARMING & FOOD JUSTICE

  • Ted Fang is founder of the Florence Fang Community Farm, the largest community farm in San Francisco, and the City’s only USDA-registered farm Mr. Fang is also an appointee of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. In addition, Mr. Fang is an elected representative to the USDA Urban County for Bay Area Urban Agriculture and serves as President of the San Francisco Farm Bureau. Prior to farming, Mr. Fang’s was the first Asian American to serve as editor & publisher of a major daily newspaper, the San Francisco Examiner.

Jessica Galen

Owner, Bloomy Cheese

ENTREPRENEURSHIP, COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP & ACTIVISM

  • Jessica Galen is the owner of Bloomy Cheese & Provisions, an independent cheese shop in Dobbs Ferry, in New York's beautiful lower Hudson Valley. The shop features dozens of American and imported cut-to-order artisan cheeses, fine charcuterie and pantry items, handmade gifts from local artists, classes and workshops for cheese lovers, wine and beer service, catering, and a relentless commitment to the mission of Lactose & Tolerance. Jessica loved cheese from a young age, and assisted in cheese caves at the legendary Murray's Cheese and for Cato Corner Farm, a raw milk farmstead cheesemaker, while in graduate school for Food Studies at NYU.

Steven Garibell

VP, Community Business Development, TD Bank

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT & FINANCE

  • Steven has more than 20-years of experience fostering economic empowerment for minority communities through building trusting banking relationships for the diverse intersectionality business community in New Jersey and New York. He currently leads the Community and LGBTQ+ Business Development efforts for TD Bank with responsibilities to educate diverse-owned enterprises.

Lisbeth Goddik

Department Head & Professor, Oregon State University

FOOD SCIENCE & EDUCATION

  • Lisbeth Goddik grew up in Denmark and immigrated with her family to the US when they purchased a farm in the Willamette Valley in 1985. She earned graduate degrees in food science from Cornell University and OSU. She has worked for 20 years as the OSU Dairy Foods Extension Specialist and now leads the OSU Food Science and Technology Department. In this position, she has led the transition of the department from a traditional food science program into a program focused on sustainable food manufacturing. As dairy extension specialist, she worked extensively with the region’s artisan and farmstead dairy processors.

Catherine Greeley

Vice President & Co-Owner, Heritage Foods

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION

  • Catherine was born and raised outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Culinary School at Johnson & Wales University and later graduated with her Bachelor's degree from Cornell University. Catherine started as an intern and quickly became head of the Mail Order division at Heritage Foods and later Vice President and Co-Owner of the organization. She manages all relationships with farms for beef, lamb and poultry and runs their annual Goatober project. She also manages the marketing and branding at Heritage. Catherine has been pivotal in the growth of Heritage Foods over the past 10 years and has helped to bring heritage meat into thousands of homes. She is passionate about making healthy, heritage meat more accessible to everyone.

Jed Greenberg

Executive Director, Good Shepherd Conservancy

KOSHER FOOD PRODUCTION & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Jed Greenberg is a Standardbred poultry farmer, educator, and a notable humane butchery expert. While running an egg farm co-op in his twenties Jed studied humane animal handling and farming methods. During this time Jed met Frank Reese and quickly became invested in the Good Shepherd mission. Upon its inception, Jed Greenberg joined the board of the Good Shepherd Conservancy, eventually stepping up to become its Executive Director.

Christopher Harkness

Chief Operations Officer, Great Performances

FOOD BUSINESS OPERATIONS

  • Christopher Harkness is an accomplished culinary expert who graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America and honed his skills under Certified Master Chef Jack Shoop in Atlanta. He has a rich background working in various culinary establishments, including Myrtle Beach National, The Nassau Inn, Balducci's Markets, and Great Performances. Transitioning into operations management, Chris showcased leadership at restaurants like Frankies Spuntino, Robertas, and the 2 Michelin Starred Blanca. Now serving as Chief Operations Officer at Great Performances, they oversee all aspects of operations, from kitchen management to event execution, ensuring that every aspect of the company's operations reflects its commitment to culinary excellence and customer satisfaction. Chris exemplifies dedication, creativity, and leadership in the culinary world, consistently raising the bar for culinary excellence and customer satisfaction.

Anna Harrington

Founder & Owner, The Rounds

FOOD BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Anna is a creative executive with 15 years of brand building experience and a life-long passion for food and cooking. She excels at multitasking and problem solving with a holistic approach to creating brands. Anna has an entrepreneurial mindset married with a keen aesthetic eye and intimate knowledge of how to get things made, sold and distributed by working with people.

Mary Beth Houlihan

Environmental Social Governance & Impact Partner, Kirkland & Ellis

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

  • Mary Beth Houlihan advises clients with respect to complex and dynamic ESG issues, including regulatory compliance considerations, investor demands, and voluntary reporting frameworks, in the context of fund formations, public disclosure, and due diligence. Mary Beth’s ESG practice builds upon more than a decade of experience providing environmental, health and safety counseling to financial institutions, investment funds, and private and public company clients in hundreds of complex corporate, real estate, and financial transactions.

Christine Hutchinson

Director, Our Core & Co-Director, Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust

FARMING, SOCIAL JUSTICE & ADVOCACY

  • Christine Hutchinson is a veteran teacher and active community member in Newburgh, NY as well as a visionary leader and co-director of the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust (NEFOC), where she passionately advocates for food and land sovereignty. With a profound commitment to justice and equity, Christine leads the Black Land Stewardship Cultivation Program, a transformative initiative focused on supporting Black farmers in the Northeast. Her passion extends to being a Board Member of Black Farmers United of NYS and directing Our Core, Inc., a hyperlocal organization that empowers marginalized teens. Christine's leadership in projects that aim to increase access to land, capital and training for Black and BIPOC farmers and future-farmers in the region, showcases her commitment to a sustainable agricultural future. Through her strategic vision, Christine is not just cultivating crops but also fostering a resilient and empowered community of farmers who honor the land and its diverse stewards.

Dr. Joie Jager-Hyman

Founder & President, College Prep 360

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & EDUCATION

  • Dr. Joie Jager-Hyman is an activist, educator, and entrepreneur. She is the Founder of College Prep 360, a purpose-driven educational advising firm with an unrivaled track record of success. Joie is also an active philanthropist who fundraises for numerous political candidates and organizations that promote economic justice, including the New York Women's Foundation, Groundswell Community Mural Project and Swing Left. She has also served on the Boards of UAspire, a nonprofit that promotes college affordability, and Syrian Youth Empowerment, an NGO that supports high achieving students in Syria in gaining acceptance to American universities.

    As a graduate of Dartmouth College, Joie served as Assistant Director of Admissions for her alma mater. She then completed a doctorate in education policy at Harvard University, researching the transition from high school to college, and has collaborated with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence on a curriculum on college admissions and transitions.

Joanne Kwong

Owner, Pearl River Mart

ENTREPRENEURSHIP, LAW & NONPROFITS

  • Joanne Kwong is the president of Pearl River Mart, the iconic NYC Asian emporium established in 1971. After the 2016 closing of the historic “friendship store,” she joined her in-laws and reinvented the brand, establishing new locations in SoHo, Chelsea Market, Flushing, and the Museum of Chinese in America. Today, under Joanne’s leadership, Pearl River remains the joyful shopping institution beloved by generations of New Yorkers and visitors alike. It now also serves as a dynamic hub for the AAPI community and a springboard for emerging entrepreneurs and artists. Before leading Pearl River, she was an attorney, adjunct law professor, and non-profit communications executive.

Jonathan Leeder

Logistics & Operations Manager, Meta

FOOD BUSINESS OPERATIONS

  • Jonathan Leeder is the Logistics & Operations Manager for culinary endeavors at Meta. Jonathan spent 10 years in the film and entertainment industry in LA and NYC and another 10 years in NYC Restaurants with Union Square Hospitality Group and Blue Ribbon Restaurants. He has spent the past 6 years at Meta focused on their culinary operations and logistics.

Steve Lichter

Executive Vice President, Akorn Inc

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP

  • A proven leader with an extensive and diverse background in the pharmaceutical industry with operational focus and cost leadership capabilities. Strong track record of driving value in both private and public global organizations. Several non-profit Board assignments.

André Hueston Mack

  • Iconoclastic sommelier André Hueston Mack was the first African-American to be named Best Young Sommelier in America by Chaine des Rotisseurs. He was a sommelier at Thomas Keller’s renowned The French Laundry before opening Chef Keller’s three-Michelin-starred Per Se. As one of the top professionals in the wine industry, he has worked with the likes of Amazon, Cadillac, Ebay, National Rental Car, Microsoft and has appeared on Anthony Bourdain's “The Taste” and NBC’s “Uncorked”. Mack is host of both Bon Appétit’s “World of Wine with André Mack,” the highest viewed wine show on YouTube, and “Through the Grapevine,” where he interviews celebrity guests while testing their wine knowledge. In 2007, he founded Maison Noir Wines, which incorporated his trademark attitude and personal perspective on wine subculture and in 2022, he launched Rye & Sons, a celebration of America’s original, but oft overlooked, spirit—Rye Whiskey. A self-taught graphic designer, Mack designs all of his labels as well as a t-shirt line for Maison Noir Wines. He has also authored Small Thyme Cooks, the world’s first culinary coloring and activity book which he also illustrated, and 99 Bottles: A Black Sheep’s Guide to Life-Changing Wines, his part memoir and part wine guide. With his wife Phoebe Damrosch, Mack founded and runs & Sons Hospitality Group in the Prospect Lefferts Garden neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Sommelier-at-Large, & Sons Hospitality Group

WINE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP & DESIGN

Eugenie Maine

Grant Administrator, Launders Charitable Trust

NONPROFITS, EDUCATION & INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

  • My career as an educator has spanned over 30 years both in the US and around the world. In the US I have been a teacher in inner city schools, and an open classroom High School Social Studies teacher as well as a union leader both at the local and state level. At the International level I am the founding principal of the Semarang International School in Indonesia. I have also taught in International Schools in Sri Lanka and Rome, Italy. Since 2008 I have served as the Grant Administrator for the Launders Trust and have worked with Foundant Technologies to set up a 100% paperless on-line grant application process.

Emmett McCann

Managing Director & Co-Portfolio Manager, Oaktree Capital

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS & FINANCE

  • Emmett is a managing director and co-portfolio manager of Oaktree’s Infrastructure Investing strategy, specializing in the transportation sector. He is also a member of Oaktree’s ESG Governance Committee. Emmett joined Oaktree in 2014 from Highstar Capital with over 19 years of experience in infrastructure, private equity, investment banking and finance.

Patrick Martins

Founder of ASLF, Heritage Foods, Slow Food USA & Heritage Radio Network

FOOD BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Patrick works with an excellent team to run Heritage Foods, a mail-order and distribution business for dozens of farms raising heritage breeds of livestock and poultry, the last vestiges of pre-industrial agriculture in America, the kind you must eat to save! You can order online or enjoy these foods at hundreds of the finest restaurants and markets from coast to coast. He sits on the Board of the Good Shepherd Conservancy, an agri-tourism center in Kansas that is a training ground for farmers to learn how to farm and breed non-factory-farm poultry; a professional kitchen; and a living museum. Patrick is a founder of Slow Food USA and the Heritage Radio Network and author of The Carnivore's Manifesto published by Little, Brown.

Jonah Miller

Head of Food & Beverage, D.E. Shaw

RESTAURANTS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • A native New Yorker, Jonah began working in restaurants at age 14. In 2014, after cooking at restaurants such as Chanterelle, Savoy and Maialino; and inspired by his time studying abroad in Madrid, Jonah opened Huertas. He has been named to Forbes 30under30 and was a James Beard Semi-Finalist. He is the subject of the book Generation Chef and author of The New Spanish. Huertas closed in 2023 and Jonah is now the Head of Food & Beverage at DE Shaw.

Danny Morales

Farm Manager, Hilltop Hanover Farm

FARMING & HOSPITALITY

  • Danny is a seasoned farm manager from Queens, NY. He’s now farming not far from home in Yorktown Heights, helping grow food at Hilltop Hanover Farm and expanding its production. Previously, he led the farm department at Queens Farm, helped start a farm-to-table operation in the Hudson Valley, and worked at Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his dog, watching or playing basketball, and eating good food.

Andrew Morley

Co-Owner, Sweet & Salty Farm

DAIRY FARMING & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Andrew Morley is a farmer and cheesemaker in Little Compton, Rhode Island. He and his wife, Laura Haverland, started Sweet and Salty Farm, a pasture-based dairy farm and cheese and yogurt making operation in 2011. Together, they graze a herd of Jersey cows right by the ocean's edge, and make a range of cheeses and yogurt onsite.

Sierra Murray

Program Manager, Emma’s Torch

SOCIAL IMPACT & SOCIAL WORK

  • Sierra has been working along the intersections of food and social change for seven years in community-based food security programming, agriculture, professional kitchens, and workforce development. Sierra currently works as the New York Program Director at Emma’s Torch, a non-profit workforce development and job placement social enterprise that provides refugees with in-depth culinary training as well as employability, equity, and empowerment training. Sierra is a passionate advocate for the culinary industry, a licensed master social worker, and lover of all things food.

Marion Nestle

Paulette Goddard Professor and Professor Emerita,  NYU Nutrition & Food Studies

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, FOOD WRITING & EDUCATION

  • Marion Nestle is Paulette Goddard Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita, at New York University, in the department she chaired from 1988-2003 and from which she retired in September 2017. She is also Visiting Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell. She holds honorary degrees from Transylvania University in Kentucky and the Macaulay Honors College of the City University of New York.

    She earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology and an M.P.H. in public health nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley. Previous faculty positions were at Brandeis University (1968-1976) and the UCSF School of Medicine (1976-1986). From 1986-88, she was senior nutrition policy advisor in the Department of Health and Human Services and editor of the 1988 Surgeon General’s Report on Nutrition and Health. Her research and writing examine scientific and socioeconomic influences on food choice and its consequences, emphasizing the role of food industry marketing.

    She has received many awards and honors: the John Dewey Award for Distinguished Public Service from Bard College in 2010. In 2011, the University of California School of Public Health at Berkeley named her as Public Health Hero. Also in 2011, Michael Pollan ranked her as the #2 most powerful foodie in America (after Michelle Obama), and Mark Bittman ranked her #1 in his list of foodies to be thankful for. She received the James Beard Leadership Award in 2013, and in 2014 the U.S. Healthful Food Council's Innovator of the Year Award and the Public Health Association of New York City's Media Award, among others. In 2016, Soda Politics won literary awards from the James Beard Foundation and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. In 2018, she was named one of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health's 75 most distinguished graduates in 75 years, won a Trailblazer Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and was selected Grande Dame of the year by Les Dames d'Escoffier International. In 2019, the Hunter College Food Policy Center gave her its first Changemaker Award and Heritage Radio named her to its Tenth Anniversary Hall of Fame. She is the recipient of the 2023 Edinburgh Medal for Science and Humanities.

Emily Pearson

Director of Wholesale & Co-Owner, Heritage Foods

MARKETING & WHOLESALE

  • Emily, after working for a boutique public relations firm in New York for several years, followed her gut — or rather her stomach — and went to work with Tuscan Italian celebrity chef Cesare Casella. Emily was Cesare's assistant from 2013 to 2016 overseeing all communications, partnerships, product development and branding. She went on to join Batali & Bastianich for the opening of La Sirena at The Maritime Hotel and in late 2016 joined the Heritage team as Director of Wholesale. Emily oversees relationships with over 150 restaurants, artisan butchers and curemasters as well as managing a network of farmers and processors. She is also actively engaged in marketing and operations for the company. In 2019, Emily became a co-owner of Heritage Foods. She lives in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn with her husband Dennis and daughter Olivia.

Gordon Pelavin

NYC Real Estate & Business

MARKETING, MARKETS & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

  • Gordon Pelavin is a seasoned professional focusing on New York City real estate and business. He was the previously the General Manager for Jamestown Properties of Google-owned retail spaces in New York City including Chelsea Market and Pier 57. He was also the General Manager of the retail space at Grand Central Terminal. Food related uses play an important role at each of these properties (Anne Saxelby opened a retail cheesemonger at Chelsea Market in 2017).

Stephanie Rudloe Regalado

Founder, Marrakech Designs

DESIGN & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Stephanie Rudloe Regalado, creative director of Imports from Marrakesh and founder of Marrakech Designs, collaborates with artisan ateliers in Fez and Marrakech to produce handmade Moroccan home accessories. Drawing from her collaborative design experience and trade network of artisans in Morocco, each project, be it large or small, is a unique collaboration that brings her clients creative vision to life. Her mission is to preserve traditional Moroccan crafts by giving individuals, designers and architects direct access to custom handcrafted Moroccan decor.

Bill Saxelby

Chief Executive Officer, EmitBio, LLC

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP

  • A proven industry leader with an extensive and diverse background in medical device general management and leadership. Strong track record of driving shareholder value in both private and public global organizations.

Caroline Schiff

Pastry Chef

PASTRY, RESTAURANTS & RECIPE DEVELOPMENT

  • Caroline Schiff is an award-winning pastry chef and cookbook author in Brooklyn, NY with sixteen years of experience in restaurants, bakeries, and cafés. She is widely known by her instagram moniker, @pastryschiff and was most recently the Executive Pastry Chef at Brooklyn’s acclaimed Gage & Tollner (where she created her infamous baked Alaska). Caroline is also a Food and & Wine Best New Chef 2022, James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef Finalist 2022 and author of The Sweet of Sourdough. Next up, she plans to open her first brick and mortar concept (a diner) in New York in 2025.

Nicole Taylor

Writer & Cookbook Author

BLACK & SOUTHERN FOODWAYS, FOOD WRITING & NEW MEDIA

  • A James Beard Award–nominated food writer, master home cook, and producer. She has written for the New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Food & Wine. Nicole is the author of The Up South Cookbook and The Last O.G. Cookbook. She is the executive producer of If We So Choose, a short documentary about the desegregation of an iconic southern fast food joint. Nicole is the cofounder of The Maroon, a marketplace and retreat house focused on radical rest for Black creatives. She lives in New York City and Athens, Georgia, with her husband and son.

Trish Adobea Tchume

Senior Director of Leadership Research & Practice, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, CAPACITY BUILDING, NETWORKS & SOCIAL JUSTICE

  • Trish Adobea Tchume is a first generation Ghanaian-American, a social and racial justice advocate, facilitator and trainer. She is proud to be the Director of Liberatory Leadership Practice and the Sterling Network Organizer for the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. As the Director of Liberatory Leadership Practice, Trish works closely with the other organizations to explore, define, and support approaches to leadership development and organizational capacity building that prefigure a world where all of us can thrive. In her role as Sterling Network Organizer, Trish directly supports the Sterling Network NYC to build the necessary culture and analysis to imagine and collectively work toward a more racially just and vibrant New York City. She brings to her role a deep reverence for the transformative power of networks and a breadth of experience growing and organizing them from former roles as the executive director of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, the network organizer for Within Our Lifetime: A Network to End Racism, the director of civic engagement for the Building Movement Project, and her most recent role as the director of leadership development at the Center for Community Change. Trish is Brooklynite, a proud auntie, a beach devotee and is fortunate enough to devote her volunteer time to the board of Change Elemental, the Central Brooklyn Food Coop, and is a trainee with Ancient Song Doula Services. Trish holds a Masters in Education and has been published in the Huffington Post, the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Nonprofit Quarterly, and many other publications.

Alyssa Vine

University Director of Credit for Prior Learning, City University of New York

CONTINUING EDUCATION & JOURNALISM

  • Alyssa Vine is a graduate of the Columbia Journalism School and the University of Vermont. For the last nine years, she has worked for City University of New York's Office of Academic Affairs, holding a variety of positions related to experiential learning and adult learners. She currently serves as University Director of Credit for Prior Learning, providing leadership and policy guidance to CUNY's colleges in their efforts to award academic credit for learning acquired outside the college classroom.

Marc Weinhouse

Co-Founder & President, Discourse Engine

MEDIA & TECH MARKETING

  • Fun fact: I once worked for the Dalai Lama. Did he push me into a career in media, marketing, partnerships and brand strategy? No, but during that time when I did post-graduate work in a Tibetan community, I met a magazine owner who gave me the opportunity to start a career in media. I loved exploring technology and entertainment and finding creative ways to grow businesses as I worked from advertising and business development roles at magazines up through becoming the head of partnerships and content distribution for leading media companies like YouTube, CBS and Viacom.

Lauren Weisskirk

Owner & Principal Consultant, Gladiolus

NONPROFIT CONSULTING

  • Lauren Weisskirk has spent her career as a nonprofit executive and leader in public education. She works with school districts, states, and organizations across the country to maximize their impact for students. She knows firsthand the value of immersive experiences for young adults, as her passion for education began as a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Indonesia. She lives and eats fantastic local food in Portland, Oregon.

Charles Wekselbaum

Owner, Charlito’s Cocina

FOOD BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • In 2011 Charles started his own charcuterie company, committed to making old school cured meats with sustainably sourced raw materials. Their first production of 25lbs was done out of a small USDA facility and from there, Charlito’s Cocina was born. Charlito’s Cocina made their first sale at the Smorgasburg Market in the fall of 2011, and got their first wholesale customer (Heritage Meat Market) soon thereafter. He is proud to say that the company is still around nearly 13 years later. They’ve been through a lot, but the persistence has been worth it. With a small and mighty team, their products are distributed at specialty food shops, restaurants, and food service establishments around the country, including 6 regions of Whole Foods and Murray's Cheese.

Seth Werbitt

Vice President of Property Management, Jamestown

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT & REAL ESTATE

  • Seth Werbitt is the Vice President of Property Management of the Northeast Region for Jamestown Commercial Management Company and Jamestown Urban Management. Mr. Werbitt joined Jamestown in 2020 as a Regional Manager for the New York region. Prior to joining Jamestown, he was Vice President, Global Real Estate at JP Morgan Chase & Co. where he oversaw Property and Facility Management of all office assets in the New York Metro area totaling 9 million square feet. Mr. Werbitt began his real estate career at Hines where he held positions of increasing responsibility in Property Management. He received his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics from Bentley University and his Master of Science in Real Estate from New York University.

Rebecca Yoshino

Farm Coordinator & Educator, Bard College

FARMING, FOOD JUSTICE & EDUCATION

  • Rebecca Yoshino is the Bard College Farm manager who works with her student team, faculty and staff. Rebecca Yoshino is a Hudson Valley native and earned her BA at The Evergreen State College in Olympia Washington before returning to her passion as an organic farmer in the Midwest. Over the last two decades Rebecca has been actively involved as an organic grower, farm manager and organizer working within the sustainable and food sovereignty movement in Minnesota and beyond. She was the director of Wozupi Tribal Gardens, in Shakopee, MN, a 40 acre certified organic farm and education space run by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. In 2017 she joined the Hmong American Farmers Association in Hastings, MN, serving immigrant farmers on a 125 acre incubator farm and food hub dedicated to increasing market access, training and community wealth building opportunities for marginalized immigrant communities before relocating back to the Hudson Valley and joining the Bard College community in 2019.

Brent Young

Founder & Owner, The Meat Hook

FOOD BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

  • Brent Young is the founder and owner of The Meat Hook, New York's premier whole-animal butchery. Proudly sourcing all of their meat from regenerative farms in the Hudson Valley, The Meat Hook is celebrating 15 years in business and spreading the good meat gospel.

Connect

Lindsay McCann serves as the support coordinator for ASLF Apprentice Alumni and the Alumni Advisory Council. Please reach out to her to inquire about the Alumni Advisory Council, or to make a connection with a member.