photo: A Well-Fed World with Grow Where You Are and MaituFoods - USA
Dawn Moncrief
Board Director / President - Dawn Moncrief has been a social justice advocate working since the early 1990s. She has two master's degrees from George Washington University: one in International Relations, the other in Women's Studies, both focusing on economic development. Her work highlights the ways in which high levels of meat consumption in the U.S. and globally exacerbate global hunger, especially for women and children. She also draws attention to the negative consequences of animal agriculture on climate change and the deceptiveness of "humane" marketing. Email - dawn.moncrief@awfw.org (extended bio)
D. Maurice Herring
Board Director - D. Maurice Herring's formal education on health and wellness includes a B.S. in pre-med Biology and Chemistry from Seton Hall University and an M.S. in Community Nutrition and Food Science from Cornell University. He has actively promoted healthy people and a healthy planet through his work as a full-time nutritionist. He has also been involved with the Vegetarian Society of DC as a Board Director from 2005-2010, the editor of VSDC News, and the director and instructor of the 2007 Eat Smart Program.
Tushar Mehta
Board Director - Dr. Tushar Mehta is an M.D. who practices family, emergency, and addiction medicine in Toronto, Canada. His volunteering includes medical work in India and Haiti. He also helps environmental, animal, and social justice organizations, including Project CANOE (supporting at-risk youth), and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (serving on an anti-whaling expedition in Antarctica). Dr. Mehta's research interests include the medical and nutritional benefits of a plant-based diet, and the impacts of animal agriculture on the environment and global food security. His Plant-Based Data website is an important research hub for students, journalists, and NGOs.
Ashley Capps
Director of Research and Communication - Ashley Capps holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. The recipient of a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, she works as a writer, editor, and researcher specializing in farmed animal welfare and vegan advocacy. In addition to leading AWFW's Humane Facts initiatives, Ashley is the founder of the education and advocacy campaigns Milk Hurts and Mothers Against Dairy. Ashley uses her vegan cheesemaking skills to promote the great taste of and social benefits of plant-based food choices.
Eugene Cooke
Grow Where You Are / Organizational Partner - Eugene Cooke is an internationally recognized food justice activist and urban farmer utilizing veganic growing methods. His organization, Grow Where You Are transforms urban spaces in underserved neighborhoods by creating community food gardens and vegetable farms. Eugene has created of urban farms and food gardens for cities, schools, and households. He has also planted 400+ fruit trees throughout the U.S., as well as in Jamaica, Haiti and Kenya, where he trained local residents in veganic growing methods. Eugene promotes ecological restoration and demonstrates how we can grow abundant food without exploiting animals, harming the environment, or depleting ecosystems.
Melanie Hiller
Director of Grants and Gifting - Melanie Hiller is a longtime human rights and animal advocate passionate about the interconnections of these movements. She holds a degree in Justice & Social Inquiry from Arizona State University. Melanie previously worked as a research program coordinator for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and her background is in marketing, project evaluation, and program management. Her diverse and extensive volunteer work includes: facilitating of transgender patient care trainings for medical providers, repairing hurricane-damaged homes and community spaces, and assisting visitors at her local national park.
JoVonna Johnson-Cooke
MaituFoods / Organizational Partner - JoVonna Johnson-Cooke is owner and co-founder of MaituFoods, a vegan meal delivery service and nutrition education hub. She holds a B.A. in Psychology. She works to develop culturally appropriate and accessible educational materials that highlight the benefit of healthy nutrition through a vegan diet. The MaituFoods' Mother's Meal Program provides women, especially those with modest means, with the knowledge and guidance to achieve a healthy pregnancy and optimal postpartum recovery. The mission of MaituFoods is to honor the art of food rituals and to serve humanity in a way that promotes the least harm and the most good for people, animals, and the environment. As co-founder of Grow Where You Are, she works with a dynamic team of people committed to local food sovereignty by assisting individuals and communities in creating sustainable plant-based local food systems.
Seble Nebiyeloul
International Fund for Africa / Organizational Partner - Seble Nebiyeloul holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Allied Health and a Master of Science degree in Healthcare Administration. With Anteneh Roba, she co-founded the International Fund for Africa, a nonprofit devoted to helping both human and nonhuman animals in Africa. Through her work with IFA, Seble strives to develop equitable, effective health-care programs for medically underserved populations in Ethiopia. She also promotes a plant-based diet, noting: "Possessing a natural fondness for nonhuman animals and understanding that they suffer, too, and that the mistreatment of nonhuman animals is linked to human suffering, I have been a vegan for [many] years."
Anteneh Roba
International Fund for Africa / Organizational Partner - Anteneh Roba is a board certified emergency medicine physician. He is president and co-founder of the International Fund for Africa (IFA), a nonprofit organization and a registered NGO in Ethiopia dedicated to helping both human and nonhuman animals in Africa. Through IFA, Anteneh improves healthcare for children in Ethiopia and to makes medical care accessible to the people of rural Ethiopia. He works tirelessly to improve the welfare of homeless animals and "working animals" in Ethiopia. He promotes the adoption of a plant-based diet across the African continent. Dr. Roba frequently lectures on the health benefits of a plant-based diet and on human and nonhuman animal issues affecting Africa.
Robert Goodland (in Memory)
12-29-13: May our dear friend rest in peace. We miss you and your extraordinary contributions.
Climate Change Specialist / Board Advisor - Dr. Robert Goodland served the World Bank Group as their Environmental Adviser for 23 years, during which time he drafted and persuaded the Bank to adopt most of its current social and environmental policies. He was elected president of the International Association for Impact Assessment, and Metro Chair of the Ecological Society of America. He was honored in 2008 as the first recipient of the Coolidge medal for lifetime achievement in environmental conservation, presented by the prestigious International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He assisted A Well-Fed World in understanding the nuances of the livestock-climate connections and spoke at United Nations and other international forums to advance our shared mission.
