Eric Decker is a Professor in the Department of Food Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  Dr. Decker is actively conducting research to characterize mechanisms of lipid oxidation, antioxidant protection of foods and the health implications of bioactive lipids. Dr. Decker has over 460 publications and he has been listed as one of the Most Highly Cited Scientists in Agriculture since 2005. Dr. Decker has served on numerous committees for institutions such as FDA, National Academy of Science, Institute of Food Technologist, USDA and the American Heart Association. He has received recognition for his research and service from the American Oil Chemist Society, Agriculture and Food Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society, Institute of Food Technologists, University of Massachusetts and the University of Kentucky. Dr. Decker has also been elected to serve as an officer for American Meat Science Association, Institute of Food Technologists and most recently as the President of the American Oil Chemist Society.

Tamara Duker Freuman, MS, RD, CDN, is a New York City-based registered dietitian with 15 years of experience in clinical gastroenterology practice settings, specializing in the dietary management of digestive symptoms and diseases. She holds a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from New York University and completed her undergraduate education at Duke University. She is currently employed at New York Gastroenterology Associates and lectures nationally at academic conferences on the topic of dietary management of digestive disease.

Freuman is also a nationally known health writer and the author of two books, “The Bloated Belly Whisperer” (2018) and “REGULAR” (2023), which have been translated into five languages and published in over a dozen countries worldwide. She has written close to 300 articles for U.S. News & Health Report’s eat + run blog, and currently serves on their Medical Advisory Board.

Kevin Ryan is founder/CEO of Malachite Strategy and Research, a CPG, retail and foodservice-focused insights and innovation agency. Kevin previously served as the Global Strategic Senior Planner at Amazon, overseeing the team responsible for corporate brand and advertising strategies for Global Prime and Non-Prime consumers.

Prior to Amazon, Kevin was Director of Strategy and Innovation at General Mills. For 15 years, Kevin led corporate and brand initiatives to discover new opportunities globally.

Kevin is an expert in the Front End of Innovation, specializing in deep ethnography, strategic mapping, consumer Jobs-to-be-Done development, design thinking, agile methodologies and new product ideation. Kevin holds both a master’s and PhD in Food Science.

Kevin writes a food industry newsletter (FoodStuff) and also hosts a food industry podcast called 3 Squares.

Lauren Sharifi is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist based in Massachusetts with a virtual private practice specializing in Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). She offers both individual and group support for adults, teens, and caregivers navigating ARFID.

Lauren is also dedicated to expanding access to neurodivergent-affirming resources and care for those with ARFID. Lauren shares educational and informational resources on neurodivergent-affirming care on her website as well as on social media. She has also facilitated a lived experience webinar series for providers on ARFID and has presented at multiple webinars and conferences.

Alice Waters is a chef, author, food activist, and founder of Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California. She has been a champion of local organic agriculture for over four decades. In 1995, with a background in Montessori education, she founded the Edible Schoolyard Project at Berkeley’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School. Applying the Montessori philosophy of learning-by-doing, the program uses an organic garden and on-site kitchen classroom to teach all academic subjects. The Edible Schoolyard Project model has been replicated in over 6,000 schools around the world.

In 2015 she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama, proving that eating is a political act. In 2022, she was awarded the inaugural Carver Carson Award for American innovation in environmental protection and agriculture from the Henry Ford Museum. In 2023, she received the No Kid Hungry Humanitarian Award from Share Our Strength in Los Angeles, and in 2024 she was honored to receive the Julia Child Award from the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Alice is the author of sixteen books including her latest, We Are What We Eat: A Slow Food Manifesto.