Planning Committee and Ambassador Program

The Planning Committee and Ambassador Program—composed of culinary, healthcare, nutrition, and sustainability leaders from the Culinary Institute of America, Stanford Medicine, and external organizations—provide guidance to help advance Food is Life, Food is Health’s mission. Both groups provide input on key questions to keep the program aligned with current science, themes, and community needs, while the Planning Committee also meets regularly to translate this mission into a coherent agenda and immersive learning experiences.

FLFH Planning Committee Members

  • Christopher Gardner, PhD (Co-Chair)

    Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine, Stanford Medicine; Director, Stanford Prevention Research Center’s Nutrition Studies Group

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  • Robert Jones ’20, MA, MS (Co-Chair)

    Vice President of Strategic Partnerships, Industry Leadership and Impact, Culinary Institute of America

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  • A woman with shoulder-length wavy brown hair, wearing a black collared shirt, standing outdoors on a sunny day with a colorful residential street in the background.

    Kristen Rasmussen, MS, RDN (Program Director)

    Associate Director of Health & Sustainability Programs, Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, Culinary Institute of America

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  • Tim Bouley, MD, MSc, MA

    Managing Director for Biological Sciences, Food, and Agriculture, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Food Accelerator

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  • A woman with shoulder-length dark hair and bangs, wearing a black lace top, smiling against a pink background.

    Jennifer Breckner

    Director of Programs and Special Projects, Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, Culinary Institute of America

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  • A smiling woman holding a small orange tangerine in front of a basket filled with tangerines, standing in front of a stone wall.

    Lauren Chandler, MS

    Private Chef, Professional Group Lead, Lauren Chandler Cooks, Teaching Kitchen Collaborative

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  • A middle-aged man with glasses, light-colored hair, in a dark suit, white shirt, and gold patterned tie, standing in a grand hallway with arched windows and brick walls.

    Greg Drescher

    Senior Advisor for Strategic Partnerships, Industry Leadership and Impact, Culinary Institute of America

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  • Close-up of a woman with long, curly brown hair, blue eyes, and a bright smile, wearing a black top and a blue sweater indoors.

    Abby Fammartino, MSFS, MBA

    Director of Health & Sustainability Programs & Research, Industry Leadership and Impact, Culinary Institute of America

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  • A smiling woman with glasses and long brown hair outdoors, wearing a striped sleeveless top and earrings.

    Lisa Goldman Rosas, PhD

    Associate Professor, Stanford Medicine

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  • Smiling female chef with brown hair and red bandana in a kitchen

    Skyler Hanka, '12, MS, NBC-HWC

    Consulting Chef & Conference Operations, Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, Culinary Institute of America

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  • Amber Hansen, MS, RDN

    Health Program Manager, The Center for Food and Beverage Leadership, Culinary Institute of America

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  • Chavanne Hanson, MPH, RDN

    Business Partner, Nudge to Nourish

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  • A woman in a red shirt stands in a modern kitchen with a bowl of salad, a plate of breaded chicken cutlets with tomato sauce, and a blender on the countertop.

    Breana Lai Killeen, MPH, RDN

    Chef, Farmer, Writer, Recipe Developer, Eating Well and Senior Food Editor, Food & Wine

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  • Portrait of a smiling woman with long, wavy dark hair wearing a purple top.

    Tamiko Katsumoto, MD, DipABLM

    Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford Medicine

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  • Daryl Oakes, MD

    Associate Dean, Post Graduate Medical Education, Stanford School of Medicine

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  • Todd Ohle '95

    Vice President of Dining Services, Carolina Meadows

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  • Thom Pastor, CDM, CFPP

    Description goes here
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  • A woman with curly hair tied up, wearing a white chef's coat and a dark apron with her name on it, standing outdoors with green foliage in the background

    Rebecca Peizer, CEC, CHE

    Professor, Digital Media, Consulting Partner and Demonstration Chef, Culinary Institute of America

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  • Chef smiling and wearing a tall white chef's hat and white uniform, in front of a stone wall.

    Toni Sakaguchi, CEC, CHE

    Executive Chef, Industry Leadership and Impact, Culinary Institute of America

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  • A smiling middle-aged woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a lace-patterned jacket and jewelry, outdoors with a blurred green background.

    Jen Stack, MS, RDN

    Culinary Science, Health & Nutrition School Faculty, Culinary Institute of America

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Ambassador Program Members

  • Sara Bleich, PhD

    Professor of Public Health Policy, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

  • Deanne Brandsetter, MBA, RDN

    Former President, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

  • Jen Clarke

    Dean—School of Graduate and Professional Studies, Culinary Institute of America

  • David Eisenberg, MD

    Director of Culinary Nutrition and Adjunct Associate Professor of Nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health

  • Christopher Golden, MD

    Associate Professor—Planetary Health and Nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School

  • Nira Goren, MD

    Head of Health Information Quality and Food is Medicine, Google

  • Gregory Gourdet

    Chef, Author, Founder and TV Personality, Kann Restaurant

  • Rob Jackson, PhD

    Professor—Earth Systems Science, Doerr School of Sustainability

  • Sun Kim, MD

    Endocrinologist, Stanford Medicine

  • Jim Leape, MD

    Co-Director, Researcher, Center for Ocean Solutions, Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford

  • Michel Lucas PhD

    Chef and Epidemiologist, University of Laval

  • Kimberly Luksic, RDN

    Dietician, Carolina Meadows

  • Paul Newnham

    Chef, CEO, Activist, SDG2 Advocacy Hub

  • Phil Saneski

    Executive Chef, Good Eating Company

  • Sean Spencer MD, PhD

    Gastroenterologist, Sonnenburg Lab, Stanford Medicine

  • Justin Sonnenburg, PhD

    Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford Medicine

  • Michael Sperling, PhD

     Vice President—Academic Affairs, Culinary Institute of America

  • Pierre Tham

    Chef, Author, Activist, Yolélé Foods