Staff
Judi Shils | Founder & Executive Director, Turning Green & Conscious Kitchen
Judi is the Founder and Executive Director of Turning Green, a globally recognized nonprofit advancing climate justice, environmental health, and youth leadership. A grassroots organizer for over three decades, Judi has launched transformative community-powered movements that shift environmental and social paradigms.
Now in its twentieth year, Turning Green leads two flagship programs: Conscious Kitchen, which reimagines school food and revolutionizes food systems with fresh, local, organic, seasonal, and nutritious (FLOSN) meals across California districts, as a model for the nation; and Conscious Campus, which empowers students in 180+ countries to drive climate solutions and advocacy, including through Project Green Challenge, an annual 30-day initiative to inform, connect and mobilize next generation activists.
Before founding Turning Green, Judi spent 25 years as an Emmy Award–winning television producer and later created pioneering multimedia platforms like The Diary Project and Celebrate Arts to elevate youth voices and creativity.
A proud mother, grandmother, and mentor to many, Judi leads with bold vision, inspired purpose, and an unshakable belief that young people are not only the future, but powerful agents of change today.
Erin Schrode | Co-Founder, Turning Green
Erin Schrode is an activist and social entrepreneur. This leading voice on sustainability, social justice and millennials recently ran an unprecedented campaign for US Congress in California. Since co-founding Turning Green in 2005, she’s developed eco-education and action platforms for millions of students and beyond. Erin speaks and consults internationally, contributes to ABC, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and Refinery29, and is featured in The New York Times, Today Show, Vanity Fair, CNN, FOX, Seventeen, Forbes, more. After Hurricane Maria, Erin led Chef José Andrés’ #ChefsForPuertoRico to serve 3.7+ million meals, while investing in local, sustainable agriculture and food systems islandwide and is now driving her non-profit’s Conscious Kitchen feeding program to serve hot, organic, nutritious meals to students, elders and vulnerable populations near her home in Marin County. This bold innovator and community organizer champions civic leadership, conscious living, and environmental stewardship on a lifelong journey to inspire and mobilize people to discover and activate passion for social impact and policy change.
Aniket Aich | Program Director
Aniket is the Program Director of Conscious Kitchen, where he leads statewide efforts to transform school food systems by expanding access to fresh, local, organic meals. Aniket brings a policy and systems lens to on-the-ground implementation. He holds a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and a Graduate Certificate in Food Systems from the Berkeley Food Institute. Previously, he supported food and impact organizations through strategy and measurement work and advanced education equity as a Teach for India Fellow and consultant at Pratham Education Foundation.
Caralee Ellis | Events & Engagement Manager
As Events & Engagement Manager for Conscious Kitchen, Caralee organizes statewide convenings and initiatives that advance the organic farm-to-school movement across California. She leads Conscious Kitchen’s events and on-the-ground programs while overseeing strategic communications that connect food service leaders, farmers, and community partners.
Caralee joined Conscious Kitchen in 2021 and has since played an integral role in expanding the program’s reach—coordinating farm-to-school procurement, managing cross-sector partnerships, and advancing the vision of 100% organic school meals for all students. She holds a B.S. in Society and Environment with a minor in Food Systems from UC Berkeley, where she focused her studies on sustainable food systems and environmental justice. Organized, adaptable, and mission-driven, Caralee is dedicated to protecting the health of both people and the planet.
Sue Waiss | Program Administrator
Sue has worked with Turning Green for eighteen years and has helped bring all of our key programs to life. She is passionate about sustainability, education, and bringing our programs to students across the country and around the world. Prior to TG, Sue worked as a Project Manager and Studio Manager in the graphic design industry and co-founded two video production companies.
Allison Erftenbeck | Project Coordinator
Allison is a sustainability specialist with a passion for climate change resilience, sustainable infrastructure, and environmental justice. Following her interests and the rising call for environmental action, she received a B.A. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies from Indiana University (IU). During her time at IU, she and her peers saw a lack of sustainable initiatives on campus and spearheaded the environmental campaign Students for a New Green World, where she held research and professional writing roles for their divestment campaign and environmental education series. Rounding out her time at IU, Allison declared a concentration in sustainable energy, resources, & climate, and added minors in earth and atmospheric sciences and business. This allowed her to gain a more holistic view on sustainability while exploring multidisciplinary issues via scientific research and writing, lab and field work, and various software applications including ArcGIS and MATLAB.
Samantha Ramey | Project Coordinator
Samantha is a restaurateur and food systems leader based in Sonoma County, California. Raised in restaurant kitchens in New York and the daughter of a wholesale butcher, she discovered farm‑to‑table and Slow Food culture while in college. Together with her husband, she co-founded the Americana Restaurant Group which consists of 3 organic and farm to table classic American breakfast and lunch diners. Samantha also serves as a Project Coordinator with Conscious Kitchen, supporting values‑aligned food procurement that connects schools, farmers, and communities. Her work focuses on food policy and advancing organic and regenerative food systems.
Victoria Reyda | Fellow
Victoria is a fellow with Conscious Kitchen, providing administrative and programmatic support for farm-to-school initiatives and organic procurement. Committed to building local, sustainable, and equitable food systems, she brings several years of nonprofit experience working to strengthen food system resilience at the community level. Her experience working on multiple farms, for a student run compost collection service, and running a farmers market has given her a firsthand view of the full journey of food. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara, where her passion for sustainable agriculture and food systems first took root.
Guillaume Pfahl | Director of Food and Nutrition
Born and raised in San Francisco, Guillaume, known widely as Chef G, has dedicated his career to bringing fresh, nourishing food to young people and their communities. As Director of Food and Nutrition for the Sausalito Marin City School District, he leads a values-driven program rooted in scratch cooking, seasonality, and deep care for students.
For the past eight years, Guillaume has also served as Conscious Kitchen’s Executive Chef, sharing his expertise with the team and with school districts across the region. Guided by FLOSN principles (fresh, local, organic, seasonal, and nutritious) he approaches food as both a philosophy and a way of life. His commitment to organic and regenerative agriculture reflects his belief that caring for the land is essential to caring for our communities. By sourcing from local farmers, he ensures students receive the highest-quality, seasonal ingredients while supporting the people who grow our food.
Board
Heidi Locke Simon | Board Chair
Former Partner, Bain & Company
Heidi recently retired as a Partner of Bain & Company, a global strategy consulting firm where she worked for 20 years. She was a leader of the firm’s performance improvement capability area and managed Bain’s marketing and client development efforts on the West Coast. Prior to joining Bain in 1993, Heidi worked in investment banking for Goldman, Sachs & Company and spent time in brand management with Colgate-Palmolive Company. Heidi earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Politics and Economics with highest honors from Middlebury College, including course work at the University of Paris. Heidi began volunteering for Turning Green with its first Search for the Cause campaign a decade ago. She has served in numerous roles, including Board Chair for several years.
Al Baylacq | Board Member
Partner, Good Earth Natural Foods
Al has co-led the growth of Good Earth Natural Foods since 1999. Since the early 1970’s, Good Earth’s mission has been to bring organic food into grocery stores in a consistent way, while supporting innovative and ethical organic growers and ranchers. Al’s dream was to be part of a marketplace that reflected the community it served. At the time he joined Good Earth, it was his intention that Good Earth would play a role as a “community hub,” while influencing and educating people and businesses far beyond its local community. Al is proud to have initiated an organic school lunch program through Good Earth in 2003. Good Earth’s school lunch program began with 4 schools, and currently is in 17 Marin County schools. Al and Good Earth’s support has been instrumental in the founding and growth of The Conscious Kitchen program.
Chuck Dietrich | Board Member
Corporate Vice President, OPG Mobile Data Applications and Growth
Chuck works for Rajesh Jha and leads the Mobile Data Labs team in San Francisco. The team builds and grows innovative, mobile-centric applications that help people to use their ambient data combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and delightful experiences to automate their valuable administrative tasks. Chuck also works on OPG and corporate strategy around the areas AI, engagement and growth. Chuck enjoys the challenges of matching user needs with product strategy and goto market models.
Chuck has over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience and was most recently the cofounder and CEO of Mobile Data Labs, acquired by Microsoft December, 2015. Mobile Data Labs is the creator of MileIQ, the top grossing finance app across both Google and Apple’s apps stores. Chuck’s entrepreneurial past also includes building a retail products company, followed by joining Salesforce.com in its inception and staying for 9 years. In the role of General Manager and Vice President, Chuck built and ran many of Saleforce.com’s channel and partner programs, including system Integrators, marketing partners, product partnerships, and Latin American distribution. Chuck also built and led the company’s mobile strategy and business unit. After Salesforce.com, Chuck was the CEO of SlideRocket, which grew quickly and was acquired by VMware in 2011.
Chuck earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the University of Utah.
Chuck has been guest lecturer at Harvard, MIT and Northwestern and presents at many technology conferences. He has served on boards of numerous early to mid-stage companies and is involved with the Pledge 1% nonprofit initiative.
Chuck grew up in New Mexico and lives in Northern California with his wife and two children. Chuck is an avid adventurer and lover of the outdoors. In his younger days he spent a lot of time ski mountaineering in the Andes, Alps and Himalaya. When not working, he and his family can be found traveling, skiing, climbing, biking and kite surfing.
Kevin Grossman | Board Member
Brand Manager | SC Johnson Lifestyle Brands
Kevin is a Brand Manager at SC Johnson Lifestyle Brands, overseeing the Method personal care product portfolio. Before joining SC Johnson, Kevin spent seven years at Clif Bar, a multi-bottom line organic food company, where he held various roles ranging from managing retailers and distributors to developing product launch and channel growth strategies. Here, Kevin began to see the many challenges and opportunities facing the K-12 school food system and how organic food companies can help drive change. Kevin also serves as a Strategy Consultant with Conscious Kitchen and holds an MBA from Berkeley-Haas.
Sean Martin | Board Member
President | CEO, Martin Consulting Group
Sean works to create organizations that thrive. He partners with leaders to develop clear strategies, build strong teams and create companies that execute with success and pride, believing that the heart of effective leadership lies in authenticity, empathy and clarity – they are at the source of successful strategies as well as thriving cultures. Sean also believe that the greatest insights, critical to any organization’s success, reside with its employees, and an advisor’s job (his job) is to help leaders relate to their people such that the power and insight of the organization can flourish. The Martin Group is the current manifestation of Sean’s 20+ years of experience. With his colleagues, Sean is passionate about helping courageous leaders see, ignite and implement major changes in their organizations – ones that enable a positive impact on the world. His approach leverages a rich combination of expertise in strategy development, organizational design and leadership development helping leaders create thriving organizations with clear and meaningful strategies brought to life by employees inspired to do their best.
Claire Veuthey | Board Member
Principal | Rizoma Ventures
Claire has worked in ESG/impact investing for 15 years, serving in product management, research, investment, and sales/business development roles in London, Toronto, Singapore, Amsterdam, and San Francisco. As Principal at Rizoma Ventures, Claire partners with investors seeking to integrate or assess environmental, social and governance (ESG) and impact in their investment processes, from due diligence to exit. Claire is particularly focused on venture and private equity investors. She also advises companies to understand and manage the impacts of their operations, and is co-authoring The Grassroots DEI Organizer Playbook, a tactical guide for early-stage, venture-backed companies on diversity & inclusion. In addition, Claire works as a Venture Partner for NextGen Venture Partners and the crowdinvesting platform Republic, and serves as a strategic advisor for several fintech startups.
She was previously Director of ESG & Impact Product at OpenInvest, one of the first venture-backed public benefit corporations. Before that, she led ESG on the Wells Fargo Social Impact Investing team, and worked in both research and sales at MSCI ESG Research and Sustainalytics. She also served as an advisor to the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board in 2017, its inaugural year. Claire holds an MBA from Berkeley-Haas, and MA From King’s College London, and a Licence from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. She speaks French and Spanish fluently; her Mandarin is a work in progress.
Neka Pasquale | Board Member
Founder | Urban Remedy
Neka is a licensed Acupuncturist, Author and the Founder of Urban Remedy. She created Urban Remedy as a natural evolution of her passion for health and healing and living a lifestyle with “food is healing” as her mantra. Growing up in the farm-to-table culture of Northern California, Neka was inspired by people who care about what they eat and who strive to eat for health as well as pleasure. In her private practice of over a decade, Neka combined acupuncture and Chinese medicine with cutting-edge nutrition and lifestyle modifications to heal, balance and create optimal health. Neka started leading wellness retreats with her patients and over and over again they described experiencing life-changing results after just a few days. Inspired by these transformations, Neka knew she had found her calling and in 2009, Urban Remedy was born.
Taylor Lee | Board Member
Head of Sales | Alec’s Ice Cream
Taylor has been in the Natural Foods Industry for over 15 years working with companies whose primary goal is to grow acreage for organic and regenerative agriculture. He currently leads Sales at Alec’s Ice Cream. Previously, he led Sales at Patagonia Provisions, the food and beverage arm of Patagonia Provisions. He spent 9 years withClif Bar & Company while leading a task force that trained and equipped the sales team to have impactful conversation around climate and clean energy with retailers to shift consumer behavior.
Taylor graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Global Economics. He currently lives in Mill Valley, CA and spends most of his free time on the trails around the Bay Area and the Sierras. He’s passionate about building and nourishing community and is currently an active member of the ALS Network.
Advisory Board
ALICE WATERS, Chef, Author, Food Activist, Founder & Owner of Chez Panisse & The Edible Schoolyard Project
Alice has been a champion of local sustainable agriculture for over four decades. In 1995 she founded the Edible Schoolyard Project, which advocates for a free school lunch for all children and a sustainable food curriculum in every public school. She has been Vice President of Slow Food International since 2002. She conceived and helped create the Yale Sustainable Food Project in 2003, and the Rome Sustainable Food Project at the American Academy in Rome in 2007. Her honors include election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007; the Harvard Medical School’s Global Environmental Citizen Award, which she shared with Kofi Annan in 2008; and her induction into the French Legion of Honor in 2010. In 2015 she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama, proving that eating is a political act, and that the table is a powerful means to social justice and positive change. Her most recent honor was her induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2017. Alice is the author of fifteen books, including New York Times bestsellers The Art of Simple Food I & II, The Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea, and, a memoir, Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook.
SUSAN GRIFFIN-BLACK, Co-founder and Co-CEO, EO Products
Susan is the co-founder and co-CEO of EO Products, the Marin-based parent company of two leading personal care brands: EO® and Everyone™. For nearly 25 years Susan has been a pioneer of the personal care industry, and has built a successful, exemplary company rooted in responsible business practices. Susan is an expert on safe, healthy personal care products and essential oils. She is involved with numerous advisory boards including Turning Green and Bay Cycle Project.
Debbie Raphael, Strategic Advisor
Debbie has spent 30 years in public service leading environmental agencies at the city, county, and state levels. She is a scientist by training and believes in combining the rigor of analytic data with the wisdom of community knowledge to craft policies and programs in service of people and the planet. Debbie was appointed by California’s Governor Jerry Brown, Director of the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control where she put in place the world-renowned Safer Consumer Products Program. She then spent 8 years under Mayors Edwin Lee and London Breed as Director of the City/County of San Francisco’s Department of the Environment where she led the City’s award-winning programs in zero waste, toxics reduction, clean energy and transportation, and green building. Debbie was named by Apolitical as one of the world’s 100 most impactful leaders on climate change. She is a strategic advisor to academic institutions, businesses large and small, non-profits, philanthropic organizations, and governments around the world. Debbie is well known for her public speaking and her inclusive approach to problem solving.
Currently, Debbie is on the advisory council for the Center for Regenerative Solutions. Their team of experts bring together cities, resource specialists, community-based organizations, scientists, innovators, land managers, and others to accelerate the implementation of regenerative, nature-based solutions that simultaneously improve the social, economic, and environmental resilience of local communities.
STEPHEN SIMON, Founder, Simon Equity Partners
Steve is the founder of Simon Equity Partners, LLC and has been a managing member since January 2007. From February 1997 to December 2006, he served as president and chief executive officer of Melvin Simon & Associates, Inc., a privately-held real estate and investment company. Steve serves on the board of directors of the Pacers Basketball Corporation. He is a director for the Herbert Simon Family Foundation and serves on the boards of the following non-profit organizations; Central Indiana Land Trust, Conscious Alliance and HeadCount.
Steve holds a degree in General Studies with a concentration in Public and Environmental Affairs from Indiana University.
ROBIN PENDOLEY, Ed.M., Strategic Consultant
Robin is a dedicated nonprofit leader and strategic thinker with over two decades of experience driving systemic change at the intersection of education, social justice, and global development. He brings a profound commitment to cultivating a more just and sustainable world by empowering the next generation of conscious leaders.
Throughout his career, Robin has pioneered innovative educational models that challenge students to engage deeply with complex global issues. He co-founded Thinking Beyond Borders, an influential educational institution specializing in gap year programs, and served as a founding board member of the Gap Year Association. His leadership extends to local community impact through his recent work around educational equity with Marin Promise Partnership and the Marin County Office of Education.
Robin’s strategic insights have been featured by Forbes and Ashoka. He holds a Master’s in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in International Development Studies from UCLA. Robin’s work is rooted in the belief that systemic equity and environmental stewardship are inseparable, a vision he continues to advance through mentorship and advocacy for a thriving, resilient planet.
JENNIFER SHERMAN, Program Director | The Alice Waters Institute
Jennifer is the Program Director of The Alice Waters Institute, whose mission is to transition agriculture in the state of California to organic-regenerative practices. She spent most of her culinary career working with Alice Waters at Chez Panisse as a cook, co-chef, and general manager, while also supporting Alice’s global projects and programs in School Supported Agriculture. Jennifer spent 10 years developing food product lines at scale for Rock Field, Japan, Ltd. She has served on the board and was the Culinary Director at The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano, a 30-acre educational farm and culinary program, and currently serves on the board of the Chez Panisse Restaurant.
BARBARA JELLISON, Executive Director, Food & Nutrition Services | West Contra Costa Unified School District
Barbara leads a team of over 240 food service leaders, serving about 30,000 students across 54 sites in a high-needs district. With 23 years of service, her background in culinary school and restaurant management drives her commitment to improving school meals. She has championed the integration of organic and minimally processed foods, now procuring roughly 50% organic ingredients, prioritizing California-grown products. Under her leadership, the district has accessed equipment and training to expand fresh, organic, scratch-cooked menu items in its central kitchen.
YADIRA MENDIOLA, Organic Farmer & Aggregator | Queen of Vegetables
Yadira owns and operates The Queen of Vegetables Organic Farms in Royal Oaks, CA — appropriately named after herself as the only woman in her family. She developed a passion for organics after going through the Agriculture & Land-Based training Association (ALBA) education program, and she was clearly able to see the difference between conventional and organic farming after tending to her first half acre of organic land. This crucial experience led her to quit conventional agriculture altogether and pursue a career in organic farming. Despite the challenges associated with organic growing, Yadira believes that providing her community with pesticide-free produce is worth it. Yadira’s biggest aspiration is to keep her community happy and healthy, and she continues to strive toward this through her role as a small organic farmer.
MARLEN TAPIA, Organic Farmer | Mimi’s Organic
Marlen works with her parents and sister to run their family business, Mimi’s Organic Farms, in Salinas, California. The Tapias are the second and third generation of agricultural workers in their family lineage. With Marlen’s family and agricultural history originating in Mexico, growing organic has always been the way. While the market can be more difficult for organic farmers than for conventional farmers. Marlen is passionate about growing organically. She loves eating her strawberries straight off the vine without worrying about chemical residues. Quality is very important to Marlen, so she uses natural remedies to combat pests and mites that can damage the growth of her super-sweet strawberries. Marlen is very proud and grateful for all her parents have done for her and her sister.
AL COURCHESNE, Frog Hollow Farm
Al is the owner of Frog Hollow Farm, a certified organic and regenerative orchard in Brentwood, California, known for its commitment to soil health, biodiversity, and high-quality fruit. Farming since 1976, Al has built a resilient operation grounded in ecological practices and long-term land stewardship. Through his partnership with Conscious Kitchen, he brings a farmer’s perspective to organic farm-to-school sourcing—working across the supply chain to support reliable, values-aligned procurement for school communities. His leadership reflects a belief that nourishing food, environmental responsibility, and strong local economies are deeply interconnected.
