RAS BARAKA

Principal, Central High School (Newark, NJ)

Ras Baraka has been called “one of the most consistent, courageous, and insightful activists of his generation.” The son of revered poet-activists Amina and Imamu Amiri Baraka, Ras inherited their proud tradition of artistic excellence and community activism. A native of Newark, New Jersey and from a family who has lived in that city for over 70 years, his entire life’s work is a commitment to the empowerment of people.
Currently, Ras is the principal at Central High School in Newark. He formerly taught elementary school for ten years and coached girl’s basketball. Baraka’s love for teaching and education is matched only by his passion for political equality. One issue that Ras is passionate about is Gang Intervention and Prevention. He served as one of the key organizers and mediators of the Newark Cease Fire/Peace Initiative that took place on May 21, 2004. Ras Baraka was a founding member and served as the Chairman for the Historic 1st National Hip-Hop Political Convention held in Newark, NJ in June 2004. Having traveled the world lecturing at conferences, appearing in countless documentaries, performing and organizing poetry shows, organizing in Newark’s communities, one wonders how this generation’s closet example of Paul Robeson finds time to accomplish what he has. For Baraka politics is art, its education, and his life’s work represents a principle and passion that is rare among us.

Nutrition in Schools Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 10am -12pm

KRISTY BORAK

HealthCorps Coordinator at Kipp High School (Manhattan)

K.R. Borak is a recent graduate from UCBerkeley, where she majored in Linguistics, Art, and Pre-Medicine. At Berkeley,she competed in NCAA Division-1 Cross Country and Track and Field, and was aboth a Pac-10 and NCAA Championship finalist. After volunteering for OperationSmile, she helped found Vietnam Medical Outreach, a joint American, Canadian,and Vietnamese non-profit that provides medical care to people of remote areasof Vietnam. Concerned with the growing global Diabetes-Obesity epidemic, shejoined HealthCorps in 2009 as a coordinator. With HealthCorps, K.R. has teamedwith KIPP NYC College Prep to provide KIPP students with a comprehensive healtheducation, combining pedagogic aspects of nutrition, fitness, and medialiteracy in a course that has been described as, eye-opening, hands-on, fun, and innovative. She is the co-coach of KIPP NYC College Prep’s first-ever CrossCountry and Track teams and is currently training for her second ultra-marathon.

Creating a Healthy Environment Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 1230pm – 230pm

ANNEMARIE COLBINA

PhD – Founder and CEO, The Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health

Dr. Colbin has been called “a maverick nutritional theorist” (1986) because of her original, unconventional and practical points of view about using fresh, whole, natural, real foods as the basis for a healthy diet. Interestingly, the whole mainstream has shifted in her direction, so she is no longer such an outsider. The school she founded on her principles in 1977, known as The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, has been a major resource for people interested in a career in healthful cooking for more than 30 years. Website: www.naturalgourmetinstitute.com.

Nutrition in Schools Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 10am -12pm

MICHAEL CONARD

Assistant Director, The Urban Design Lab at The Earth Institute

Michael has directed applied and academic urban design research for over twenty five years in five continents in both the private and public sectors. His work has bridged urban and architectural design and environmental sustainability with public health, local economic develop and equal access. His most recent publication, The Carbon Studio: Bangkok (2008), addressed urban sustainable redevelopment along the Padung Lungkasem Canal Site in the historic core of Bangkok. Mr. Conard has directed numerous studios and studies at the GSAPP and at the Urban Design Lab. Some of his recent include: New York City Regional Foodshed Analysis (2009), which examines regional food production and distribution capacity; Curbing Childhood Obesity (2008), which involved design and systems recommendations to address the current epidemic; and Creating a Cultural Corridor: 125th Street (2007), a local cultural sustainability plan. His work has also been published and exhibited internationally. Mr. Conard is a registered architect. He holds an NCARB certificate, is a Fellow of the Institute for Urban Design and is a Past Fellow of the Design Trust for Public Space. His projects have received grant support from the United Hospital Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. www.urbandesignlab.columbia.edu

Creating a Healthy Environment Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 1230pm – 230pm

DIANNE M. CONNELLY

PhD, MAc (UK) – Co-founder and Chancellor of Tai Sophia Institute

Dianne is an accredited graduate school in the fields of health and wellness, holds a doctorate in the philosophy of medicine. She teaches in the Institute’s Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine, and Transformative Leadership and Social Change master’s degree programs. A practitioner of acupuncture since 1973, she is the author of Traditional Acupuncture: The Law of the Five Elements, All Sickness Is Homesickness, and co-author of Alive and Awake: Wisdom for Kids. Dianne’s abiding joy is being the mother of Blaize, Jade, and Caeli, and the grandmother of Tamar, Lennox, Rianna, Roman and Maxim. www.tai.edu

Spirituality and Mental Resiliency Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 3pm – 5pm

BETH DEFURIA

Art Therapist

Beth has practiced art therapy with children and adults since 2002. After several years on Madison Avenue as an art director creating TV and print ads, “trying to convince people they needed something external to make them happy” she decided it was time to pursue a more meaningful path, attending Pratt Institute for a graduate degree in Creative Arts Therapy. She also studies integrative healthcare and spirituality at the American Institute for Mental Imagery in NYC with Dr. Gerald Epstein, incorporating visual imagery and dream work into her practice as an art therapist – “like art therapy without art materials”. Her graduate video thesis, “HeART Therapy”, which follows a patient on his journey before and after heart transplant through art making, is used in teaching curriculums. Beth has worked in elementary schools, public housing facilities and in hospitals at bedside witnessing the amazing healing and transformative effects of art-making and creative imagery. Beth lives in NYC with her husband, Dr. Alan Gass and their daughter Lizzie.

Exercise, Music and Art Therapy for Kids Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 1230pm – 230pm

ANNE DESMOND

Executive Director, Bent On Learning

Anne oversees all aspects of the organization and manages the day-to-day operations. She has been practicing yoga since 1996 and began teaching yoga in New York City public schools in 2001 when she co-founded Bent On Learning with her partners, Jennifer Ford and Courtney McDowell. She has taught yoga to over 200 middle and high school students and co-wrote Bent On Learning’s yoga curriculum for kids in grades pre-K through 12. She also consults with parents and teachers on how to incorporate yoga at home and in the classroom to help teens face the many social, emotional and academic struggles they encounter throughout their adolescence. www.bentonlearning.org

Exercise, Music and Art Therapy for Kids Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 1230pm – 230pm

SARITA DHUPER

MD – Director of Pediatric Cardiology and Pediatric Obesity Program at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center

She is Founder of the Live Light… Live Right Program, which is a Brookdale Community partnership designed to evaluate and treat overweight children with medical risk factors by improving their lifestyle. She uses her expertise and experience in clinical science to integrate effective and culturally sensitive interventions to improve the quality of health and well being of children with obesity and cardiometabolic risk. Her focus has been risk prevention which has been a challenge within a health care system geared to treating rather than preventing disease. Her passion inspired her to establish the program in 2001 upon conducting a chart review of 1,000 children in one of the most underserved communities in the nation and finding a disproportionately high rate of obesity. She, and her staff, volunteered their time for many years while building the program which has since become a model of sustainable change which can be replicated to larger and more diverse populations. Dr. Dhuper is currently clinical associate professor of pediatrics at SUNY Downstate Health Science Center of Brooklyn and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Cardiology, and a member of The Obesity Society. She also serves as a medical consultant for ABC News on childhood obesity. In addition to addressing childhood obesity, her other specialized interest is treating children with congenital heart disease. www.livelightobesity.org

Food Thought in Underserved Communities Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 3pm – 5pm

THERESA DOLAN

Environmental Education Curriculum Coordinator

She has served as Curriculum Coordinator for Environmental Organizations, where she has designed and coordinated curriculum, led instructional development, managed and infused ecology-based education programs in underserved urban schools. Through the use of an inquiry-based approach, she has trained educators in the framework needed to provide students with opportunities to discover, form inquiries, and construct their own understanding of in-depth science content through hands-on learning opportunities. With an extensive background in implementing school-wide “Going Green” initiatives, she connects inner-city students with the environmental and organizational resources of the community to increase student achievement and cultivate environmental literacy and stewardship. Her educational philosophy maintains that partnering schools with applied and authentic ecology-based learning opportunities are key to educating students about their roles in conserving and restoring natural ecosystems. She is committed to empowering young minds to discover their own potential, break social and cultural barriers, and translate their interests into future careers.

Kids Going Green Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 10am – 12pm

SARAH FISHSTROM

HealthCorps Coordinator

Sarah holds a Bachelors degree from The University of Michigan in Sociology and Biological Anthropology. Currently she works on the Tilden Campus as a HealthCorps Coordinator. On Tilden Campus Sarah is responsible for in-class instruction, after school programming and school-wide initiatives. This fall she launched weekly morning meditation programs, an after school yoga club, and a campus wide female fitness program. This spring she’s excited to begin an after school “Going Green” club to educate students on sustainable urban living and start a campus garden. www.healthcorps.org

Creating a Healthy Environment Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 1230pm – 230pm

LYNN FREDERICKS

Founder, FamilyCook Productions

Ms. Fredericks is a guiding force behind a national educational organization promoting community empowerment through programs providing nutrition, culinary, and food systems education. The author of, Cooking Time Is Family Time and an award-winning nutrition and culinary educator, Ms. Fredericks and her team of chefs and dieticians create and train a spectrum of programs and curricula for pre-K through adult that have reached over tens of thousands of families since the late 90s. A leading public health advocate for holistic food system planning to reverse the alarming trend in obesity in the U.S. and loss of family farms, she is a founding board member of the NYC Food Systems Network, the Kellogg-funded NYC Food & Fitness Partnership, and founding Chair of the Les Dames d’Escoffier International “Green Tables” initiative. As the creator of “Teen Iron Chef,” program, Ms. Fredericks has teamed up with HealthCorps to use this innovative youth development program to inspire youth in HealthCorps schools to become change agents around health and nutrition within their school, family and beyond. www.familycookproductions.com

Kids Going Green Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 10am – 12pm

HEATH GRANT

Ph.D – Chief Education Officer, Success for Kids (SFK)

Since 1998, Dr. Grant has helped to develop and evaluate school-based programs to promote youth resiliency in the Americas and beyond. Formerly Deputy Chair of the Law and Police Science Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Dr. Grant has provided training and technical assistance to many youth prevention programs internationally. As a senior consultant and later Associate Director, he helped develop, train teachers, and expand a curriculum to foster social responsibility that has reached thousands of youths throughout Latin America. Currently the Chief Education Officer of the Success for Kids (SFK) program, Dr. Grant ensures that this program maintains the highest quality as it expands to such diverse regions throughout Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. He is the author of Building a Culture of Lawfulness, 2006 and Law Enforcement in the Twenty-first Century, 2007. www.sfk.org

Spirituality and Mental Resiliency Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 3pm – 5pm

TARA GUBER

Founder, YogaEd

Tara’s life and work reflect her three primary passions: family, education and spirituality. She is the mother of four children; and is dedicated to the importance of a strong, collaborative family relationship and a quality education as the foundation for a fulfilling personal and professional life. In 2001 Tara founded Yoga Ed., an organization dedicated to the development of health and wellness education programs and materials that utilize the physiological, emotional and educational benefits of yoga and creative play. Tara acted as founding member of the board of directors of The Accelerated School, the internationally recognized charter public school in South Central Los Angeles, named “Elementary School of the Year” by TIME magazine. The Accelerated School housed the pilot program of Yoga Ed.’s nationally recognized yoga curriculum for schools – creating a model to export to other public schools. For eight years, prior to founding Yoga Ed., Tara served as co-founder and President of EDUCATION FIRST!, a non-profit organization that utilized the resources of the entertainment industry to address the crisis in American education. www.yogaed.org

Spirituality and Mental Resiliency Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 3pm – 5pm

ANNA HAMMOND

Executive Director, The Sylvia Center

Ms. Hammond has been the architect of many successful educational programs for children and young adults, in both academic and community environments. She came to The Sylvia Center in 2009 with a mission to transform the way children eat by creating and implementing farm-to-table programs with a focus on the table – what happens to vegetables after we grow and harvest them. She is particularly interested in issues of access regarding food – who gets to eat what; good food as a choice, not a privilege; putting basic cooking skills back into children’s lives so that they can choose to eat well. Most recently, Anna worked as a political speechwriter and community organizer in New York City and Rockland County. Prior positions include deputy director for education, programs, and public affairs at the Yale University Art Gallery (2003-2008), and director of writing services for the Museum of Modern Art (1997-2002). She has published numerous articles and essays, directed over a dozen public art projects, and co-written a non-fiction children’s book about a community project intended to integrate children with diverse backgrounds in a neighborhood in the South Bronx.

KidsFood Thought in Underserved Communities Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 3pm – 5pm

ALEXANDRA JAMIESON

Author, Chef, Certified Holistic Health Counselor

Alexandra has been seen on Oprah, The Final Word, 30 Days and The National Health Test with Bryant Gumble. She was even featured in the award-winning documentary Super Size Me. In her two books, Living Vegan for Dummies (Wiley, 2009) and The Great American Detox Diet (Rodale, 2005), Alex offers remarkably sane – and tasty – advice on how to detox, live healthfully and feel fantastic. Alex now commands a matchless repertoire of nutritional wisdom and food savvy. She is a professionally trained healthy gourmet chef, having studied at New York City’s Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts. Alexandra studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is accredited by Columbia University’s Teacher’s College and by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Alex also traveled the world, visiting over 20 countries, premiering Super Size Me, an Oscar-nominated documentary, acting as a messenger for the power of holistic nutrition and healthy detoxing. A healthy and energetic vegan herself, Alex lives in New York City with her family and a lively boy cat named Sue. She is currently working on her next book and proves that living a healthy life is most definitely far from boring. www.nutritionforempoweredwomen.com

Nutrition in Schools Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 10am -12pm

STEPHEN JOSEPHSON

MD – Clinical Psychologist

Stephen specializes in anxiety/stress management and behavioral medicine. He holds Diplomates in both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Behavioral Psychology, and is an Associate Professor at both Cornell University Medical Center-New York Hospital and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He has done extensive work in the application of mindfulness techniques to sleep disorders, human sexuality and depression. His recent projects have included Optimism Training Seminars conducted in a number of New York City private schools such as Brearley and Trinity. Stephen lectures widely to groups of parents, children and mental heath professionals as well as sitting on a number of advising boards (e.g. HealthCorps, Beth Israel Continuum Center for Health and Healing, etc).

Spirituality and Mental Resiliency Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 3pm – 5pm

SARKIS KALASHIAN

HealthCorps Coordinator

Sarkis works in Brooklyn, NY. He attended UC Berkeley where he studied Philosophy and Political Science. At Berkeley, he was a research assistant at the Center for Studies in Higher Education, working in conjunction with Harvard Law School’s Civil Rights Project and Berkeley Law School’s Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity and Diversity. His research at the institute helped inspire his interests in educational equality and food justice.

Creating a Healthy Environment Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 1230pm – 230pm

TERRI KENNEDY

PhD – President, Power Living Enterprises, Inc

A lifestyle company focused on wellness and empowerment. In addition to corporate workshops, she has led a variety of community-based initiatives including free yoga classes, faith-based health literacy programs, and culturally-relevant nutrition workshops. She is a National Spokesperson for the American Heart Association, on faculty at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and serves on the board of Yoga Alliance, the organization that sets standards for yoga teaching. In 2002, she founded the first yoga studio in Harlem. Her latest initiative, the Wellness Empowerment Network, is bringing together community partners to create a new space as a model for healthy and green living. She has an MBA from Harvard, a Ph.D. in World Religions, and training in Holistic Health, Fitness and Yoga. She is a sought-after speaker and has worked with organizations ranging from Deloitte Financial Advisory Services to the National Institutes of Health. Author of three books and a relaxation CD, she has been featured in media from CNN and Prevention to the cover of Yoga Journal and Oprah’s book Live Your Best Life! She is a Young Global Leader for the World Economic Forum and an Ambassador for HealthCorps. www.drterrikennedy.com

Food Thought in Underserved Communities Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 3pm – 5pm

YONG KIM CEDRO

Founder, Forever Yong Fitness

Yong was born to dance and get the party started! She began to study dance when she was 8-yrs-old and has been teaching in the fitness industry for over 25 years. She has been a fitness trainer throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia and incorporates her multi-cultural appreciation and experience to everything she does. She loves people and they are inspired by her energy, passion, and unique flair. Yong has been a catalyst for positive transformation in many lives. Yong’s original choreography has been adopted by many other Zumba instructors and choreographers around the globe. She is certified in Zumba Basic and Level II – and is truly in a class of her own. www.foreveryongzumba.com

Exercise, Music and Art Therapy for Kids Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 1230pm – 230pm

CRAIG KING

Filmmaker, Philosopher, Father, Chef and Founder/CEO, Craig King Enterprises/Here We Grow Pantry

Craig has been at the forefront of the healthy food revolution for more than 20 years. As the personal chef for some of the biggest names in the natural food business (Steve Demos, White Wave/Silk, John Mackey, Whole Foods, Michael Gilliland/Libby Cook, Wild Oats), as well as a Who’s Who of Hollywood, Craig brings a deep understanding of food and its evolution to his pantry project (“7Eleven Meets Whole Foods in the Hood”). He recently created and directed “Here We Grow!”, a documentary film highlighting our troubled food system. He consults with corporations to make their endeavors greener and healthier. He is currently developing a new television series where he guides the viewers across the street and around the world visiting folks who are making a difference in how we eat and grow food. www.craig-king.com

Food Thought in Underserved Communities Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 3pm – 5pm

JERUSHA KLEMPERER

Program Manager, Networks and Partnerships at Slow Food USA

It is a non-profit educational organization that is working towards a good, clean, and fair food system. She spent five years at Population Council, an international non-profit that performs reproductive health research and implementation around the globe. Also a writer of all kinds of things including book reviews, plays and blog posts, she is the editor of the Slow Food USA blog and a contributor to the Huffington Post, Civil Eats and her personal blog eathere2 (http://www.eathere2.blogspot.com).

Food Thought in Underserved Communities Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 3pm – 5pm

ERIC KOMOROFF

Founder, COMMUNITY of UNITY

Since 2001, over 30,000 youth around the world have been touched by COMMUNITY of UNITY programs. In North America, over 200 schools have engaged its professional development workshops, support services, and materials. A recognized leader in the fields of youth development, urban education, school culture, youth spirituality & empowerment, and relationship building, Eric is a collaborator/presenter/trainer to organizations including A Better Chance, BOOST Conference, The Institute for Student Achievement, Northside Center for Child Development, The New York City Department of Education, Union Seminary, Face2Face, Auburn Theological Seminary, The YMCA, The Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, The Center for Mindfulness: The University of Massachusetts Medical School, Hoops 4 Hope (South Africa & Zimbabwe), The Genesis Society, and Big Brother Big Sister. He hosts a weekly internet radio show YOUTH EMPOWERED, and sits on the Educational Advisory Board of Newsday Newspaper, the Alumni Board Task Force at The Bank Street College of Education, the Advisory Boards of New Design High School & The Urban Assembly Academy of Law & Justice. Additionally, Eric has taught School Culture Development and Advisory Program Development at The Bank Street College of Education, and “Authenitic Parenting” at The A-HA! Learning Center. www.communityofunity.org

Creating a Healthy Environment Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 1230pm – 230pm

JEAN MCTAVISH

Principal, Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School

During 8th grade study hall, the girl who stole a car and consequently spent time in juvenile detention fascinated Jean. She was living in a group home at the time. In her sophomore year of high school, two of her classmates committed suicide. In an effort to confront her own fears for herself and for her friends, she spent time working through this experience with a social worker. We created a peer-counseling program that still exists in the school today. My fascination with the human condition led her to major in Cultural Anthropology as an undergraduate at New College. She holds a M.A. in Anthropology and Education, an M.A. in Special Education, and “A.B.D.” in Education Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University. During her 23-year career with the New York City Department of Education, she has worked to help the kids who have been pushed aside or pushed out of the school system to complete high school.

Creating a Healthy Environment Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 1230pm – 230pm

ANNIE NOVAK

Founder and Director of Growing Chefs

It is a field-to-fork food education program; the children’s gardening program coordinator for the New York Botanical Gardens, and co-founder and farmer of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in partnership with Goode Green and Broadway Stages. Annie has worked with the Greenmarket, Slow Food, and Just Food advocating and growing urban agriculture throughout NYC. A lifelong vegetarian, Annie has spent many years traveling and investigating different ways people grow and eat their food around the world, from chocolate in West Africa to potatoes in Peru. She has appeared (talking about plants and food, of course) in New York Magazine, the Today Show, Edible Brooklyn and the Martha Stewart Show. She has farmed in nine countries and four boroughs. www.GrowingChefs.org

Kids Going Green Panel – Thursday, 10am – 12pm

JAMES O’BRIEN

Principal and Founder – Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School

As principal and founder of Brooklyn Community Arts & Media High School (BCAM), James partnered with the Institute for Student Achievement (ISA) and assembled a staff of like-minded educators to create the new school in 2006. With a challenging college-preparatory, inquiry-based curriculum that relates to real life issues, and multiple opportunities for exploration and expression through the arts, BCAM stimulates students’ intellects and excites their imaginations while providing them with marketable skills. BCAM brings together partnership with family and community, performance-based academics, and professional training in media and arts as an effective model to prepare teenagers for success in the 21st century. www.bcamhs.org

Exercise, Music and Art Therapy for Kids Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 1230pm – 230pm

LISA OZ

Author, Actress, Producer, Co-host of The Dr. Oz Show on Oprah Radio, Sirius and XM

Lisa is co-author of five “New York Times” best-selling books including “YOU: The Owner’s Manual” series and author of the forthcoming US: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships that Matter Most.

Spirituality and Mental Resiliency Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 3pm – 5pm

MICHELLE PAIGE PATERSON

First Lady of the State of New York

First Lady Paterson has a M.S. in Health Services Management from the Milano Graduate School in New York City and a B.A. from Syracuse University. First Lady Paterson began a career that focused on people’s health by working with both hospitals and healthcare providers. As the Director of External Affairs and Corporate Contributions for HIP (Health Plan of New York) she worked with community organizations, agencies, and corporations on issues such as healthcare and education. First Lady Paterson’s community service activities include assisting victims of domestic violence. She spent three years as an on-call volunteer at the St. Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital where she counseled injured domestic violence victims in the emergency room about the services provided by hospitals and the state government. She is currently the Director of Integrative Wellness at Emblem Health, formerly HIP, where she focuses on evidence-based programs that promote healthy living, with a concentration on childhood obesity and stress-related ailments. First Lady Paterson’s public service efforts include working to turn the fitness challenge that she created for her home community of Harlem into a statewide initiative called “Healthy Steps to Albany: First Lady’s Challenge”. The program challenges middle school students to lead healthy lifestyles through exercising more and eating healthy foods. Through the collaboration and cooperation of New York state schools, state agencies and community organizations this program aims to foster positive healthy changes in our children’s lives. First lady Paterson met her husband David Paterson in 1982 and the two were married ten years later. The Governor and First Lady now live in Harlem, where they have raised their two children, Ashley, aged 21 years, and Alex, aged 15 years. www.state.ny.us/governor/firstlady/index.html

Nutrition in Schools Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 10am -12pm

JOY PIERSON

Owner, Candle Café, Candle 79

Joy is a nutritional counselor, is passionate about healing through great food. She met Bart Potenza in 1988 and they began developing foods and menus tailored to the nutritional needs of their ever-growing devoted customer base. They have since created Candle Cafe, Candle 79, a growing catering and wholesale business, and their best-selling Candle Cafe Cookbook. Joy serves as a board member of the NY Coalition for Healthy School Food, Wellness in the Schools, and the Green School Alliance. Joy’s quest is to educate people on farm fresh, plant-based options that are beneficial to their health and the well being of the planet and future generations. Our mission- food fresh, from farm to table! www.candlecafe.com

Kids Going Green Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 10am – 12pm

AKIIMA PRICE

Head of Education and Programs, New York Restoration Project www.nyrp.org

Kids Going Green Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 10am – 12pm

MACHELLE (MACHE) SEIBEL

MD – Professor, University of Massachusetts Medical School and Founder, HealthRock

Dr. Seibel spent 19 years at Harvard Medical School, and is currently a Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He has written or edited 11 books, over 200 scientific articles, and is past editor-in-chief of a medical journal. He’s also received multiple national awards for consumer education, medical writing, music composition, research, and a Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Texas Medical Branch. In 2009 the Texas City Independent School District inducted Dr. Seibel into their Hall of Honor. He is repeatedly voted by his peers into Best Doctors in America. Dr. Seibel founded HealthRock® (www.healthrock.com), using songs and entertainment to reframe health education by making learning to stay well fun and easy to remember. He has written 12 music CDs and performs nationally as DocRock™. HealthRock is the recipient of eHealthCare Leadership, iParenting Media, Parents’ Choice Approved and Creative Child Awards including CD of the Year. Dr. Seibel has been an invited speaker to the US DHHS, the CDC, and schools, meetings and organizations across the United States. His motto is “It’s better to stay well than to get well.” www.HealthRock.com

Exercise, Music and Art Therapy for Kids Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 1230pm – 230pm

BARNABY SPRING

Principal, EBC High School for Public Service (Brooklyn, NY)

Barnaby Spring joined the NYCDOE in 1997 as a Drama/Performing Arts Licensed Instructor to implement a curriculum focusing in developing literacy and life skills of students through storytelling, personal narrative and oral history. During this time he deepened his own yoga and meditation practice by completing a teacher training program with Cyndi Lee, founder and director of Om Yoga, and becoming a student of the secular, nonsectarian mediation practices introduced to the West by the Tibetan meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche known as The Shambhala Training. As a Dean of Students in a Brooklyn high school he developed and implemented a yoga curriculum that introduced students to healthy practices of yoga asanas, breathing techniques, mindfulness and awareness concentration exercises and overall wellness. He currently is in his fourth year as a New York City high school principal and his second year as the principal of East Brooklyn Congregations High School of Public Service: Bushwick. He has assisted in the introduction of yoga programs to other New York City schools and has sat on the Board of Directors of The Lineage Project – a yoga/mediation program offered to incarcerated and at-risk youth.

Nutrition in Schools Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 10am -12pm

CLYDE VALENTÍN

Executive Director and Co-Founder, Hip-Hop Theater Festival

Clyde was born and raised in Sunset Park, Brooklyn and is the producer and executive director of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival (HHTF), a unique arts organization dedicated to bringing new and diverse audiences to the theater. HHTF produces its Festivals and other productions in major urban markets around the United States including New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago and San Francisco. Over the last nine years HHTF has grown into one of the most influential outlets showcasing Hip-Hop performing arts in the country and has become a major contributor to the cultural life of participating cities. In addition to critical acclaim and positive response from audiences, HHTF was recently recognized with a special award from the Words, Beats and Life as an outstanding non-profit organization representing the Hip-Hop generation. In 2004, it was recognized by the New York Regional Association of Grantmakers as an outstanding grantee of the Nathan Cummings Foundation for “its innovative approach to addressing socio-political issues in New York City and beyond through the arts”. www.hhtf.org

Exercise, Music and Art Therapy for Kids Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 1230pm – 230pm

BRIAN WANSINK

Ph.D. Stanford 1990

John S. Dyson Endowed Chair in the Applied Economics and Management Department at Cornell University, where he is Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. In 2007, he was granted a leave of absence to accept a two-year appointment as Executive Director of the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. There, he led the revision of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for America and the promotion of the Food Guide Pyramid. Wansink is a Fulbright Senior Specialist in food marketing and nutrition. In addition to writing the best-selling Mindless Eating, he is author of the books Marketing Nutrition, Asking Questions, and Consumer Panels. His award-winning academic research on food has been published in the world’s top marketing, medical, and nutrition journals. It has been presented, translated, reported, and featured in television documentaries on every continent but Antarctica. http://www.foodpsychology.cornell.edu/ http://mindlesseating.org/

Nutrition in Schools Panel – Wednesday, March 10th, 10am -12pm

ALAN WHERRY

Book Publisher and Specialist, Sahaja Meditation

Alan has thirty-three years experience of interest in the power of mental silence, in human development, and in innovative and creative thinking began while working as a Sales Trainer for Procter and Gamble in the 1960s. He now coordinates a group of volunteers who teach Sahaja Meditation in high schools across the USA in partnership with Healthcorps. After Procter and Gamble, Wherry served as a director of Bantam and then Penguin Books in the UK. He was a co-founder of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, the original publisher of the Harry Potter books and a literary publishing house that has published many top, prizewinning authors. In 1997, he founded Bloomsbury in New York. Amongst many books and projects Wherry created, the first book he published, You Can Do The Cube, was written by a thirteen-year-old boy. It sold two millions copies, topped the New York Times and the UK Bestseller lists, was translated into 47 languages and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, was the fastest selling paperback in history before Harry Potter. www.ydig.us

Spirituality and Mental Resiliency Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 3pm – 5pm

KIM WILEY-SCHWARTZ

Educator, Teaching Artist and Afterschool Advocate, Livable Streets Education

Kim has worked with at-risk youth for the past 20 years. Her work with Livable Streets Education brings progressive urban design and livability ideas to help students “go green” by changing the built environment around them. Kim first combined Arts, Education and Advocacy while living in Indonesia after the 1999 overthrow of Suharto. Through music and drama, she emboldened ex-patriot students to work for better education for Indonesian children. A music-theatre specialist (from way back) and professional development expert, Kim has worked with The Metropolitan Opera Guild, TADA! Youth Theater, Project Ikat, Partnership for After School Education (PASE) and the 92nd Street Y and has worked in over 50 public and independent schools in New York – as well as 20 international schools. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband Andy and her two bike-savvy children, Isaac and Nora. She is a proud graduate of Hampshire College. www.streetseducation.org

Kids Going Green Panel – Thursday, March 11th, 10am – 12pm