Program Highlights

March 13, 2025

10:30 AM CDT / 11:30 AM EDT / 16:30 CET – Welcome Remarks

• Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank
• Dr. Melva K. Wallace, President, Huston-Tillotson University

10:45 AM CDT / 11:45 AM EDT / 16:45 CET – Panel Discussion: The Real Impact of Healthy Food Access on Communities

• Selena Ahmed, Global Director, Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI) and Dean, Food EDU, American Heart Association
• Rachel Ferencik, Senior Director, Hunger, Nutrition and Health Action Collaborative, CDC Foundation
• Maj. Emily Diemer, Research Director, US Army, Baylor Master’s Program of Nutrition
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

11:10 AM CDT / 12:10 PM EDT / 17:10 CET – Panel Discussion: Building Trust in Food Systems: The Impact of Traceability Solutions on Food Safety

• Jayson Berryhill, CEO, Wholechain
• Blake Stok, Director of Sustainability, Chicken of the Sea / Thai Union North America
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

11:30 AM CDT / 12:30 PM EDT / 17:30 CET – Panel Discussion: Scrapping Excess: A Food Waste Experiment

• Caitlin Leibert, Vice President of Sustainability, Whole Foods Market  
• Dana Gunders, President, ReFED
• Amanda Rohlich, Food Policy Advisor, City of Austin
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

11:55 AM CDT / 12:55 PM EDT / 17:55 CET – Panel Discussion: Doing Good with Good Food: The Next Gen Leaders of Family-Owned Food Shaping a Sustainable Tomorrow

• Garland Reiter Jr., Chief Commercial Officer, Driscoll’s
• Stefanie Katzman, CEO, Katzman
• Emmanuel Gonzalez, Chief Experience Officer, Vallarta Supermarkets
• Brita Lundberg, Fourth-Generation Farmer & Chief Storyteller, Lundberg Family Farms
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

1:00 PM CDT / 2:00 PM EDT / 19:00 CET – Fireside Chat with Pat Brown and Jared Lipworth 

in partnership with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios

• Pat Brown, Founder, Impossible Foods and Professor, Stanford University
• Jared Lipworth, Head of Studio, HHMI Tangled Bank Studios
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

2:15 PM CDT / 3:15 PM EDT / 20:15 CET – M. Fireside Chat: “For All, For Good: On the Road to Closing the Nutrition Gap.”

• Cécile Béliot, Global CEO, Group Bel
• Ivan Giraud, North America CEO, Group Bel
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

2:40 PM CDT / 3:40 PM EDT / 20:40 CET – Framing Conversation

in partnership with The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation 

• Lyndsey Waugh, Executive Director, Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

2:55 PM CDT / 3:55 PM EDT / 20:55 CET – Panel Discussion: Nutrition Across Adolescence

in partnership with The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation 

• Ashley Rouse, Executive Director, Edible Schoolyard Project
• Chef Adrian Lipscombe, Founder, 40 Acres Project
• Jessica Gudmundson, Executive Director, National Farm to School Network
• Linda Novick O’Keefe, Co-Founder and CEO, Common Threads
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

3:20 PM CDT / 4:20 PM EDT / 21:20 CET – Fireside Chat with Mark Hyman

in partnership with The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation 

• Dr. Mark Hyman, Physician, Author, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Function Health
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

3:45 PM CDT / 4:45 PM EDT / 21:45 CET – Panel Discussion: Food is Medicine and Eating for Health Part 1

in partnership with The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation 

• Brandon Lombardi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Sprouts Farmers Market
• Joi Chevalier, Chair, Austin Travis County Food Policy Board, Founder and CEO, The Cook’s Nook
• Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President for the Food Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

4:15 PM CDT / 5:15 PM EDT / 22:15 CET – Panel Discussion: Celebrating Chefs

• Chef Olivia Hernandez, Owner, HER Hospitality
• Chef Dave White, 2025 Chopped Grand Champion, Bravo’s Below Deck Mediterranean, Author of “Salted”
• Chef Jay Huang, Executive Chef, Lucky Robot and Nomade
• Chef Iliana De La Vega, El Naranjo, James Beard-Awarded “Best Chef in Texas”
• Moderated by Dr. Sweta Chakraborty, CEO, We Don’t Have Time North America

4:40 PM CDT / 5:40 PM EDT / 22:40 CET – Fireside Chat with Clips from “Generation Growth”

• Stephen Ritz, Educator, Urban Farmer and Founder, Green Bronx Machine
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

5:15 PM CDT / 6:15 PM EDT / 23:15 CET – Panel Discussion: Mission Driven Brands and Tasting Experience Part 1

• Joe O'Connor, President, Applegate (short video to play)
• Dusan Vujovic, Head of North America, Tony’s Chocolonely
• Karuna Rawal, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, Nature's Fynd
• Sarela Herrada, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, SIMPLi
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

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March 14, 2025

10:30 AM CDT / 11:30 AM EDT / 16:30 CET – Welcome Remarks

• Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

10:35 AM CDT / 11:35 AM EDT / 16:35 CET – Framing Fireside Chat

• Rick Simington, CCO, Organic Valley
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank

10:45 AM CDT / 11:45 AM EDT / 16:45 CET – Panel Discussion: Future of Food: Next Gen Food, Anti Ultra-Processed, and the New Food System​

in partnership with Organic Valley

• Sabrina Servais, Young Farmer, Organic Valley
• June Jo Lee, Food Ethnographer
• Cathy Strange, Ambassador of Food Culture, Whole Foods Market; Renowned Cheese Expert
• Peter Barrett, Writer, Things on Bread
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank

11:10 AM CDT / 12:10 PM EDT / 17:10 CET – Fireside Chat with Paul Willis

• Paul Willis, Founding Hog Farmer, Niman Ranch  
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank  

11:30 AM CDT / 12:30 PM EDT / 17:30 CET – Panel Discussion: Food with Purpose: Why Choosing Good Food Matters

in partnership with Organic Valley 

• Luke Zahm, Owner and Chef, Driftless Cafe and Television Host, Wisconsin Foodie
• Alyssa Vescio, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Whole Foods Market  
• John "Wesley" McWhorter, VP, Lifestyle Medicine at Suvida Healthcare
• Josh Tickell, Filmmaker and Storyteller, Common Ground Film
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank

11:55 AM CDT / 12:55 PM EDT / 17:55 CET – Fireside Chat with Karen Washington

• Karen Washington, Food Justice Advocate, Urban Farmer, and Author, Rise & Root Farm
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank 

12:20 PM CDT / 1:20 PM EDT / 18:20 CET – Closing Reflections

• Rick Simington, CCO, Organic Valley​
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, Food Tank

12:30 PM CDT / 1:30 PM EDT / 18:30 CET – Panel Discussion: Digging Deeper: The Importance of Soil

in partnership with Arva

• Annalyn Lavey, Founder & Managing Partner, Genus Land
• Gerardo Martinez, Farmer and Owner, Wild Kid Acres and CEO, Global Alliance of Latinos in Agriculture  
• Jay McEntire, CEO and Co-Founder, Arva
• Jyoti Jankowski, Strategy & Operations Lead, North America, Conscious Planet
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

12:55 PM CDT / 1:55 PM EDT / 18:55 CET – Panel Discussion: Regenerating Farms, Revitalizing Communities: The Complexities of Change

in partnership with Arva

• Josh Tranel, Farmer-Owner, Tranel Family Farm
• Kelsey Scott, Intertribal Agriculture Council, rancher, food systems advocate
• Michelle Hughes, Co-Executive Director, National Young Farmers Coalition
• Chaz Daughtry, Founder, Sweetwater Farms HTX and Soulfitgrill
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

1:20 PM CDT / 2:20 PM EDT / 19:20 CET – Fireside Chat with U.S. Congressperson Pete Sessions (Republican, TX-17)

• U.S. Congressperson Pete Sessions (Republican, TX-17)
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

1:40 PM CDT / 2:40 PM EDT / 19:40 CET – Closing Reflections

• Jay McEntire, CEO and Co-Founder, Arva
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

2:30 PM CDT / 3:30 PM EDT / 20:30 CET – Fireside Chat with Sam Acho

• Sam Acho, Founder & President, Athletes for Justice; Director of Human Capital, AWM Capital; Author, Humanitarian and 9 year NFL Veteran
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

2:50 PM CDT / 3:50 PM EDT / 20:50 CET – Panel Discussion: Food is Medicine and Eating for Health Part 2

in partnership with The Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation 

• Nira Goren, Head of Health Information Quality and Food is Medicine, Google
• Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO, Feeding America
• Dariush Mozaffarian, Director, Food is Medicine Institute
• Brandon Lombardi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Sprouts Farmers Market
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

3:20 PM CDT / 4:20 PM EDT / 21:20 CET – Panel Discussion: Healthy Food For All: Building Intersectional Partnerships

in partnership with Huston-Tillotson University

• Antony Jackson, Founder, We Can Now
• Jenna Jasso, Co-Founder, Festival Beach Food Forest
• Larry Franklin, Founder, Black Lives Veggies
• Brendan Gemmell, Manager, Neighborhood Program, Austin Animal Center
• Moderated by Amanda Masino, Professor of Biology and Chair of Natural Science, Huston-Tillotson University

3:45 PM CDT / 4:45 PM EDT / 21:45 CET – Fireside Chat with Steven Jennings

• Steven Jennings, Stakeholder Relations and Brand Lead, Health & Sustainability at Ahold Delhaize USA
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

4:05 PM CDT / 5:05 PM EDT / 22:05 CET – Panel Discussion: Transforming Texas Food Systems through a New Community Empowerment Model

in partnership with Barr Mansion

• Karin Ascot, Co-Founder, Holocia; Bioregional Leader
• Sara Faivre, National Board Member of Farmer Mac; Regenerative Farmer
• Jeff Travillion, Travis County Commissioner
• Chris Miller, Chair, National Coalition for Community Capital (NC3)
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

4:25 PM CDT / 5:25 PM EDT / 22:25 CET – Panel Discussion: Mission Driven Brands and Tasting Experience Part 2

• Joseph Brinkley, Senior Director of Regenerative and Organic Development, Bonterra Organic Estates
• Samantha Sackin, VP of Integrated Marketing, Organic Valley
• Giovanni Quaratesi, Head of Corporate Global Affairs, Certified Origins  
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

4:50 PM CDT / 5:50 PM EDT / 22:50 CET – Fireside Chat: Connecting the Earth and Universe

• Dr. Gary Blackwood, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (ret.), Former Leader of the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

5:05 PM CDT / 6:05 PM EDT / 23:05 CET – Fireside Chat with Jerome Foster II

• Jerome Foster II, Environmental Justice Activist and Social Entrepreneur
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank

5:20 PM CDT / 6:20 PM EDT / 23:20 CET – Closing Keynote Fireside Chat with Raj Patel

• Raj Patel, Author and Research Professor, Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin  
• Moderated by Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank  

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