Our Team
Staff
Our team comes from a wide variety of backgrounds, bringing a diverse blend of expertise and experience in food business strategy and sustainability, finance, data analytics, culinary arts, research, agricultural development, and communications. Meet the people who make our work possible.
Dana Gunders
Executive Director
Dana Gunders serves as ReFED’s Executive Director. Dana is a national expert on food waste and one of the first to bring to light just how much food is lost throughout the food system. For almost a decade, she was a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). She then launched Next Course, LLC to strategically advise on the topic. Some of her career highlights include authoring the landmark Wasted report and Waste-Free Kitchen Handbook , launching the Save the Food campaign with the Ad Council, testifying in Congress, consulting to Google, appearing on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver , and being a founding Board Member of ReFED.
Asch Harwood
VP of Data & Insights
Asch Harwood serves as ReFED’s VP of Data & Insights, leading ReFED’s Insight Engine, as well as developing and delivering information and accompanying technical products that will lead the industry to act on food waste reduction. Asch is the founder of Red Hook Media Lab, a content and research studio that draws on best practices from entertainment education, behavioral science, design thinking, and data science to promote positive social progress. He has spent over a decade working at the intersection of social change, data, design, and technology, spanning industries and continents at organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations and UNICEF. Some of his proudest professional accomplishments include establishing the Council on Foreign Relations Nigeria Security Tracker, an interactive data platform for tracking political violence; creating Nigeria's first "mobile-first" pro-vaccine entertainment-education series; conducting field research into the state of Kenyan media; and developing a media literacy entertainment-education series, Anomaly, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.
Selena Mao
Data & Insights Research Analyst
Selena Mao serves as ReFED’s Data & Insights Research Analyst, developing information and accompanying technical products to help galvanize national efforts to reduce food loss and waste. Previously, Selena supported the Chief Sustainability Office for Los Angeles County to assess how the L.A. regional food economy was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Selena has authored policy and academic research on opportunities to localize food economies and build urban climate resilience. Selena holds a M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA and a B.S. in Engineering from Stanford University.
Minnie Ringland
Climate Analyst
Minnie Ringland serves as ReFED’s Climate Analyst, studying the greenhouse gas emissions factors used to link food waste to climate change, translating these findings to support ReFED's partners and solution providers, and generally working to improve our understanding of food waste's impact. She also supports key Data & Insights work, including Insights Engine updates and food business initiatives. Minnie has followed an interest in food systems since college, where she led the Food Action student club, working on food waste and nutrition issues, and helped organize the annual Yale Food Systems Symposium in 2015. She holds a Master’s degree from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, where her capstone project investigated emissions and carbon sequestration associated with Santa Barbara County's agricultural lands.
Alexandria Coari
VP of Capital, Innovation, & Engagement
Alexandria (Alex) serves as ReFED’s VP of Capital, Innovation, & Engagement, working to catalyze the more than $140 billion of public, private, and philanthropic capital needed to scale innovation and accelerate the adoption of solutions to food waste by 2030. She brings 12 years of investment banking, sustainable food supply chain, and innovation acceleration experience with startups, for-profits and nonprofits in the U.S. and Latin America, including time at JP Morgan, Fair Trade USA, OLLY, and Agora Partnerships. She is passionate about helping mission-driven companies grow their impact and believes in the power of market-based approaches to solving today's biggest challenges.
Jackie Suggitt
Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Director
Jackie serves as ReFED’s Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Director. In her position, she builds ReFED’s diverse multi-sector network, manages external partnerships, and leads planning for the annual Food Waste Solutions Summit. Before joining ReFED, Jackie worked as Senior Manager of Sustainability at Walmart where she led a number of sustainable food and nutrition programs for Walmart’s global and private brand business.
Caroline Vance
Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Director
Caroline serves as ReFED's Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Director, working on initiatives that drive more investment into solutions to food waste. Prior to joining ReFED, she spent 12 years in the impact investing unit of Deutsche Bank and its asset management firm, DWS, where she managed portfolios of investments in microfinance institutions and social enterprises operating in the developing world. She currently serves on the Board of Upaya Social Ventures, a non-profit organization that makes seed-stage investments in companies that provide dignified employment to the lowest-income members of society in India, and she is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Angel Veza
Capital, Innovation, & Engagement, Senior Manager
Angel Veza serves as ReFED's Senior Manager of Capital, Innovation, & Engagement, working to catalyze adoption of top food waste solutions. She originally worked in the education field teaching underserved communities. After working with students for 7 years, Angel received her Grade Diplome at the French Culinary Institute and worked through New York City’s top restaurants including Morimoto and two-Michelin starred Atera and with foodservice companies like Compass Group. During that time, she witnessed the significant amount of food being wasted in the hospitality industry and decided to work with the Food Waste team at World Wildlife Fund. As an expansion of that, she worked in supply chain and led strategic sourcing and procurement with a focus on food waste reduction at Manahtta Restaurant, part of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group in NYC.
Alejandro Enamorado
Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Manager
Alejandro serves as ReFED’s Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Manager, working to spur investment in the food waste sector. In his position, he works to contribute to the Insights Engine and build relationships with solution providers. He brings six years of technology investment banking, equity research and sales, and trading experience, including time at TD Securities, CI Investments, and RBC Capital Markets.
Lily Herd
Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Manager
Lily Herd (she/her) serves as ReFED's Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Manager. She works closely with ReFED's extended network of stakeholders to collaborate and share insights on food waste reduction strategies and to scale impact. Before joining ReFED, she worked in the agricultural and nonprofit healthcare sectors. She is passionate about food security, climate change mitigation through regenerative agriculture, and increasing equity and inclusion within the food system. Lily holds a Master's of Science in Food Security from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland as well as a Bachelor's in Psychology and Anthropology from the University of Oregon.
Lisa Accardi
Events Manager
Lisa Accardi serves as ReFED’s Events Manager, overseeing the planning, management, and execution of ReFED's events, including the annual Food Waste Solutions Summit. She has over 20 years experience managing events, projects, and communications for both large corporations and nonprofits. Nicknamed the "Queen of Leftovers" by her family, Lisa is passionate about solving the food waste crisis, as well as other climate change initiatives. Prior to ReFED, Lisa was events and communications manager for a biomedical research institute in San Francisco where she oversaw the overall event operations and led the planning of all high-level events. When not working, Lisa likes gardening, beach cleanups, and hiking the gorgeous northern California trails, where she lives.
Sarah Munger
Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Analyst
Sarah Munger serves as ReFED’s Capital, Innovation, & Engagement Analyst, working to move capital into the food waste sector through ReFED programming and support ReFED’s network of solution providers. Before joining ReFED, Sarah worked in business development in the food delivery industry at both Postmates and Uber, and previously ran the operations of a food-waste and food-justice nonprofit. She is passionate about regenerative food systems, climate justice, and food-waste reduction. Sarah believes strongly in the value of collaboration across organizations and industries to mobilize and enact climate positive change in the food industry.
Jeffrey Costantino
Communications Director
Jeffrey Costantino serves as Communications Director, helping ReFED connect to its key audiences with engaging and actionable content. Previously, he oversaw communications and marketing at the Western Union Foundation, which works to empower refugees and other migrants with education and workforce training. He also served as Managing Director for Marketing at Truth Initiative, a national public health nonprofit promoting tobacco-free lives.
Vanessa Mukhebi
Communications Manager
Vanessa Mukhebi serves as the Communications Manager at ReFED, supporting communications execution and strategy across the organization. Before joining ReFED, Vanessa worked in the international NGO sector, creating multimedia content and inclusive interventions that promote improved nutrition, climate-smart agriculture, gender equity, and poverty alleviation across sub-Saharan Africa. She is passionate about indigenous food systems and cultural dimensions of food security. Vanessa holds a Master's of Art in Anthropology (Food) from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor's in Media and Communication, Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Sydney in Australia.
Cole Leslie
Communications Fellow
Cole Leslie is a Communications Fellow for ReFED. He has several years experience working in green building, sustainable food systems, and communications. He has worked and lived in many places including as a cook in Peru, a project coordinator in Hawaii, and a startup cofounder in Austin, where he is currently based. Cole holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Colorado and a M.S. in Sustainable Design from the University of Texas at Austin. He is passionate about supporting diverse efforts focused on social impact and environmental sustainability. Outside of working for ReFED, he enjoys cooking, sports, and spending time outside with his wife and son.
Shawn Shepherd
Development Director
Shawn Shepherd serves as ReFED’s Director of Development, working to bring philanthropic support to our mission of eliminating food waste. She has a more than 30-year career leading nonprofit organizations and advancement offices in institutional settings. She has worked in the food system space as a national staff member with the American Farmland Trust, and has served on several regional boards addressing food insecurity. Recognized as a leader in environmental issues in her home states of Texas, New Mexico, and Idaho, her passion for addressing the existential crisis of our time – climate change – is what drives her work with ReFED.
Sam Buck
Senior Manager of Development
Sam Buck serves as ReFED's Senior Manager of Development, supporting fundraising efforts to eliminate food waste, address climate change, and increase food security. Previously, Sam worked in development to improve education outcomes at several institutions, including Stanford where he served as Associate Director of the Business School Fund. He holds an MBA and MS in Sustainability from the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan. While a graduate student, Sam co-founded the first student-run climate tech investment fund in the country and designed a food recovery business for Conservation Corps North Bay. He believes passionately in philanthropy's ability to convene stakeholders and catalyze coordinated action on important issues.
Katy Franklin
Operations Director
Katy Franklin serves as ReFED’s Operations Director, supporting organizational development and strategy and designing systems for effective program implementation and management. Previously, Katy managed operations at Sustainable America, where she gained a deep understanding of successful food waste reduction programs with consumers, food service providers, private firms, and at major events. Katy has authored industry and academic research on food waste and opportunities to solve this global challenge. Katy also helped develop Further with Food, a public-private partnership convened to address food loss and waste.
Salma Khan
Senior Operations & Administrative Manager
Salma Khan serves as ReFED's Senior Operations & Administrative Manager, supporting organizational growth, employee engagement, and human resources. Before joining ReFED, Salma worked as the Chief of Staff at Liaisons Inc. based in Miami which is a luxury travel and event management agency. Prior to Liaisons, she worked at EPL Nonprofit Management Consulting supporting temp staffing needs of various global NGOs. She founded EPL in Barcelona in 2018 after working in Human Resources for nearly two decades. She previously lived and worked in NYC at companies such as Boston Consulting Group, Getty Images, Moët-Hennessy, and Tapestry. Salma graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs Management.
Board of Directors
Our Board is comprised of leaders in the business, technology, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors who inform the organization’s strategic initiatives, offer technical expertise, and collectively provide a holistic analysis of the challenges and opportunities for food waste reduction.
Steven Swartz
Board Treasurer, ReFED
Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Technology Officer, The Wonderful Company
Learn MorePast Board & Steering Committee Members
Rob Kaplan
Founder and CEO
Circulate Capital
Devon Klatell
Managing Director, Food Initiative
The Rockefeller Foundation
Advisory Council
ReFED’s strength has long rested in the power of the people who surround, advise, and contribute to our work. The Advisory Council is a group of thought leaders helping to provide expert input to ReFED’s priority programs and long-term strategy.
Benjamin Crook
VP Dressings & Condiments NA, Unilever
Amy Duffuor
General Partner, Azolla Ventures
Dr. Liz Goodwin, OBE
Senior Fellow and Director, Food Loss and Waste, World Resources Institute
Claudia Fabiano
Sustainable Management of Food Team, EPA
Leah Lizarondo
CEO and Co-Founder, Food Rescue Hero
Ami McReynolds
Chief Equity and Programs Officer, Feeding America
Susan Robinson
Senior Director of Sustainability, Waste Management
Julia Ruedig
Principal, Amazon Fresh
Ryan Shadrick Wilson
Founder, Boardwalk Collective LLC
Andrew Shakman
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, LeanPath
ReFED's work is made possible with generous support from and in partnership with our funders.