Board & Staff

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Alejandra was born in Mexico and raised in Sonoma County. With over eight years of experience in preparing custom orders, assisting Spanish speakers with form completion, and providing customer service, she is a perfect fit for the Food Bank team. Alejandra enjoys working with FFT because she has a passion for helping others. Knowing that she’s part of a helpful and loving organization brings her immense joy. When she’s not working, she likes to spend time with her family and take care of her animals, which include two dogs, chickens, baby goats, and birds. She also enjoys being outdoors, and whenever possible, she loves hiking and fishing.

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Amanda Wood was delighted to rejoin Food For Thought in late 2022, eager to revive the cherished Food Drive Program that was significantly impacted in 2020 due to COVID-19. She is passionate about the accessible approach of FFT’s food drives—setting up outside busy stores and encouraging shoppers to contribute our most needed items or donate $20 at the register as they exit. It’s a truly elegant strategy.

Amanda embodies the spirit of an exclamation mark, radiating warmth and enthusiasm that can be felt even from a hundred feet away. As a life long fixture in Forestville, Amanda enjoys exploring the hills to gather medicinal plants, meandering along backroads with a cup of coffee in hand, and performing handstands in virtually any natural body of water she comes across.

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A native of Forestville, Amy has a decade of experience working as a Medical Assistant at community health centers. She is currently raising 2 kids and 2 dogs while going to school, majoring in Nutrition & Dietetics. When she’s not in school, she stays active outdoors, is an avid runner, plays on multiple softball teams, and enjoys thrifting. 

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Angel is native to Sonoma County. He was first inspired to work at a community-based level while completing his dietetic technician degree at Santa Rosa Junior College while interning with non-profit programs. He’s been fortunate to live and explore a great variety of California during his educational years, completing his bachelor’s degree in Foods and Nutrition at San Diego State University and his dietetic internship through Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. 

One of his biggest joys is coming home to his toddler, Leonardo, and fiancé Jazmin. Favorite pastimes of his include cooking, trying new eateries, hanging out with the boys, reading, playing with Leonardo, and visiting family.

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Dante was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. He earned degrees in fine art and urban architecture. During his studies, he enjoyed volunteering for a variety of nonprofits that served the local community. He came to the United States in 1997 and moved to San Francisco in 2006, where he worked designing and building outdoor and garden spaces.

In 2015 Dante moved to Forestville, where he adopted a fantastic rescue dog and sweet kitty. In his spare time, he enjoys keeping in shape as a vegetarian and exploring the natural beauty all around Sonoma County. Dante says, “Working at FFT and serving our community is an honor.”

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Emily was raised in Maryland from the age of four and moved to Sonoma County in August 2023. She drove across the country with her adventurous dad and adorable, energetic rescue dog, Benji. While Emily is becoming acquainted with Sonoma County, she has family in the area to show her the beauty of Northern California. Emily spends her free time exploring around her new home with family, friends, and sweet Benji.

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Helen came to Food For Thought in 2017 as the Volunteer Program Manager after gaining several years of nonprofit and volunteer management experience at the Redwood Empire Food Bank. Helen has a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from Augustana College in Illinois and received a Master’s Degree in Food and Agricultural Law and Policy from Vermont Law School. In 2021, Helen became FFT’s Director of Community Engagement to further FFT’s community outreach and advocacy efforts, while continuing to oversee the volunteer program.

In her free time, Helen enjoys practicing yoga and exploring the many hiking trails that Sonoma County has to offer.

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John is thrilled to be part of the Food For Thought team and brings nearly three decades of cross-functional nonprofit management experience. He also founded and ran his own nonprofit consulting business for 5 years. Notable organizations John has worked at include Braille Institute San Diego, San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind, United Way, and recently, UNITE-LA as their Director of Development.

John has also taught English composition at UC San Diego, New School College of Architecture and Design, National University, and Portland Community College.

To maintain work/life harmony, John enjoys surfing, paddle boarding, kayaking, biking, hiking, camping, yoga, painting/sculpting, and cooking. John’s other side hustle is theintrepidpug.com, a line of apparel celebrating the adventures he and his pug Scooter have shared, with partial proceeds going to various pug rescues and animal shelters.

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Jonathan Rosenblum comes to Food for Thought with over 15 years of experience as a leader in nonprofit organizations. He brings a skill set comprised of strategic planning, organizational oversight, and team leadership. Jonathan received his Masters of Public Administration and has worked for a wide range of nonprofit organizations serving some of the community’s most vulnerable populations.

Jonathan returned to Sonoma County in 2015 after spending nearly 10 years living and working in New York City. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling the globe, hiking, camping, and exploring the Sonoma County coastline.

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Kristen Power is a Sonoma County native with 10+ years of hospitality experience in the wine industry. After multiple years of wildfires and a pandemic, she came to Food For Thought with a desire to be involved with the local community in a new way. Kristen’s skills focus on efficiency and growth through many aspects of event planning and marketing. Coming from a large family, logistics and communication are her strong suits; she enjoys being part of a hard-working team and rallying folks together for a memorable experience. Her other passions are music, photography, and creating good ol’ home-cooked meals with her husband, Matt.

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Joining Food For Thought in 2024, Lenore brings over 15 years of marketing and graphic design expertise. After earning her B.A. in Graphic Design and M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from Florida State University, she made her home in Sonoma County. Having volunteered with many nonprofit organizations throughout her education and career led her to an industry switch, where she is able to combine her passions and lend her skills to creating a positive impact in our community. Lenore is thrilled to be a part of the Food For Thought team and to contribute to their mission of fostering healing through food and compassion.

Outside of work, Lenore can be found learning a new creative hobby, volunteering with Cloverdale Performing Arts Center, cooking, and spending time with her partner and their cat, Squishy.

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Lisa joined the Food For Thought team in 2023. Born in Sacramento, she moved around the country with her family before returning to California and Sonoma County where her family has roots. Lisa’s career roots are in the world of music education and folk music, however she came to FFT after learning accounting in the food industry, and is delighted for the opportunity to expand that knowledge assisting the finance department at FFT. She is grateful every day for the opportunity to serve her community and to work in a place where kindness and compassion are guiding values.

In her spare time, Lisa can be found where she is most happy, on the beautiful hiking trails of Sonoma County and beyond. She also loves spending time in her neighborhood community garden, folk dancing with Apple Tree Morris, and spending time with family and friends.

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Maggie hails from the 805 Central Coast, where her interest in nutrition was sparked at a young age in the kitchen alongside her family. She delights in cooking, baking, and exploring all aspects of food. An animal lover at heart, Maggie has embraced country living in Sonoma County, where she has welcomed goats, chickens, and a horse into her life. Over the years, Maggie has accumulated diverse experience across various nutrition domains. She has contributed to programs aimed at instilling healthy habits early in life among toddlers and their parents. Additionally, she has served in hospitals, where nutrition often serves as a crucial comfort to individuals. Maggie is thrilled to join Food for Thought, eager to explore the “middle realm” of nutrition—where the desire and potential for healthy habits converge.

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Megan is a Sonoma County native who enjoys a vibrant family life with her husband and two kids. They have recently welcomed a new playful puppy into their home who’s brought them additional love, warmth, and joy.

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Michelle is delighted to be working on the “inside” after supporting FFT from the “outside” for many years.  She arrived at Food For Thought via College Oak Montessori School in Santa Rosa where she taught 3–6 year-olds.  With sustainability and healthy food in mind, she co-founded the school’s lunch program and helped develop the school’s outdoor environments.  She took a four-year detour from the school to open and manage Pick of the Litter Thrift Shop, benefitting Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County.

Michelle is grateful to live in the redwoods of Cazadero with her husband along with their adopted/found/foster-win cats and dogs.  In her free time, she enjoys hiking along the Sonoma Coast, reading and plant-based cooking.

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Nina has been working with Food For Thought since 2010 as a Registered Dietitian teaching cooking classes and helping the food bank serve the HIV clients of Sonoma County by providing nutrition expertise. Nina has a B.A. in economics from Mills College and a Master of Library and Information Sciences from San Jose State University. In 2008 she completed a B.S. in Dietetics from Kansas State University and the following year her dietetic internship at UCSF. Nina joined FFT full-time in 2018 as the Client Services Director.

In her free time, Nina loves hiking and camping around Sonoma County, sewing, and growing flowers.

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Born in Healdsburg, Oliver has always loved food, nature, and gardening. After studying cognitive science, he started volunteering and working for local vegetable farms, where he learned the trade. Oliver is also passionate about mental health and plans on returning to school to become a therapist, and he is grateful to be spending another chapter growing food.

Joining Food for Thought has been an exciting step for Oliver. He is taking on the responsibility of a diverse garden and putting his skills into practice. There’s nothing he loves more than caring for the land and sharing its bounty with others. As the Garden Manager, he is proud to do this with our wonderful volunteers and serve our Sonoma County community.

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Roberto has been with Food For Thought since 2015, starting as the part-time operations coordinator and working his way up to being the current Food Program Manager. He loves being able to evolve continuously along with FFT as the organization has grown.

Born in Jalisco, Mexico, his parents brought him to Sonoma County when he was a baby. He feels blessed to be bicultural and fluent in Spanish.

After graduating from UC Santa Cruz in 2011 with a degree in Philosophy, Roberto lived in Oakland for several years before returning to Sonoma County. He lives on a farm with his wife and their lovely Shiba Inu dog, Maki.

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Roger joined the Food For Thought team in December 2020 after the closing of the Face 2 Face’s 3 Monkeys Thrift Store. His experience at a nonprofit thrift store made him a perfect match to join the food bank. He works every day helping organize delivery routes, receiving large grocery orders, and keeping the food bank stocked and ready for our clients.

Roger is also integral in supporting the ever-changing needs of Food For Thought’s medically tailored meals programs.

He loves working in the food bank because it is a supportive environment with a great team of people who really care. In Roger’s free time, he likes being creative and enjoys drawing and making illustrations.

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Ron has served as Executive Director at Food For Thought since 1996. He brings a combination of skills to the organization, which includes previous non-profit executive management, a B.S. degree in computer science with 15 years of related work experience, and management abilities first learned at a family-run business.

Ron played an essential role in the capital funding campaign and the building project for Food For Thought’s current facility in Forestville. He has provided stable leadership by staying focused on the mission of providing excellent nutrition to people in Sonoma County affected by HIV and other serious illnesses. He is Vice Chair of the California Food Is Medicine Coalition.

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As a proud Bay Area native and current resident of Marin, Stephanie is deeply rooted in the vibrant culinary culture of Northern California. Armed with a degree in Food Science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Stephanie embarked on a culinary journey that spans over two decades.

With a career firmly anchored in food service and hospitality, Stephanie has cultivated an impressive portfolio of experience; crafting innovative menus to spearheading employee dining programs for companies like Google, Zynga, and Genentech, she has been able to combine her passion for food and knack for operations to bring thoughtful food programs to life. She’s really excited to continue her journey with FFT and support the wonderful community of Sonoma County through the power of food.

Stephanie can be found kayaking, roller skating, baking and spending time with her husband, kids and two cats. Stephanie recently embraced her creative side by joining the Fairfax Community Theater, making her stage debut in 2023.

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Tom joined Food For Thought in 2022 with a background in fundraising and research. Originally from northern England, he’s proud to work for such a vital organization in his adopted home of Sonoma County.

Having worked in the nonprofit and higher education sectors and having been a stay-at-home parent, Tom brings a wide range of perspectives and experiences as well as a personal dedication to Food For Thought’s incredibly important mission.

Outside of work, Tom is passionate about country and folk music, any kind of history, and following sports. He lives in Petaluma with his wife and daughter.

Mitch moved to the Bay Area from New York and then Washington, DC, in 1978. After completing an Internal Medicine residency in San Francisco he practiced Emergency Medicine full-time until his retirement a few years ago. He moved to Sebastopol 12 years ago and enjoys living here with his wife and English Springer Spaniel. His two daughters live in Seattle and New Orleans. He enjoys traveling, cooking, and reading.

Mitch began volunteering at Food For Thought in the food bank and subsequently in the kitchen. A chance request from FFT regarding automated electric defibrillators led to his obtaining, distributing, and training staff in the use of AEDs for multiple nonprofit enterprises in the greater Sebastopol area.

While growing up, Mitch was influenced by his mother, who loved to host large gatherings of family and friends and prepared mountains of food. The mission of Food For Thought beautifully matches the ethos she imbued in him.

Misti was born and raised in Truckee, California.  Blessed with a loving family, she was raised to be independent, fight injustice and help people and animals in need.  She moved to Sonoma County in 2001. After earning her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Planning from Sonoma State, she decided to stay because of her deep love for Sonoma County. Misti works for the Sonoma County Sheriff as the Community Engagement Liaison. .

In September 2011, Misti joined Food For Thought as a volunteer.  She works in the food bank, at food drives and at fundraisers throughout the year. She enjoys riding motorcycles, yoga, traveling, camping and being a dog mom.

Human Resources Director & Accounting Manager, Artizen, Inc. Born and raised in Northern California, Betty is a fifth generation Californian.  She has worked in the HR and Accounting fields for her entire career.  Betty moved to Sonoma county in 2005 and in her role as the human resources director for a local bank she became interested in becoming more involved in the wonderfully volunteer and nonprofit oriented communities of Sonoma county. She had the good fortune to find her way to Food For Thought, where she has been able to put her professional experience to use on the Finance committee and various other committees for several years.   Betty is proud to be involved with an organization that lets her serve the community that she loves and work with others who have such passion and compassion.

Gabriel’s family came to the Dry Creek Valley through the Bracero program in 1955 and has called Sonoma County home ever since. Raised in Windsor when there was only a blinking stop light on Arata Lane, he has seen his hometown grow exponentially. Gabriel was in the second class to graduate from Windsor High. He then obtained his Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship at Sacramento State University as well as an A.O.S from Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco. For 7 years Gabriel operated a fast-casual Mexican restaurant in Novato dedicated to food that was organic and preservative free. In recent years, he has found a new passion in insurance and financial services. It is his goal to help people have confidence in their finances.

Gabriel has worked in the Food for Thought kitchen since its inception of the program in 2017 at Twist Eatery in Forestville. He can honestly say that he hasn’t had a case of the Mondays in over 3 years.

Elisa has been both a staff member and a volunteer at Food For Thought and always left the food bank feeling better than when she arrived. She was hired as the Volunteer Program Manager at Food For Thought in 2008 and retired in January 2018.

Elisa was the volunteer coordinator at Canine Companions for Independence for five and a half years. Before that, she coordinated Artrails and was the exhibitions curator for the Sonoma County Cultural Arts Council. She was a librarian in San Francisco Public libraries, Sonoma County library system, Ursuline High School and Santa Rosa Junior College.

She was born in Noblesville, Indiana and earned her masters in Library Science from U.C. Berkeley. Elisa has one son, Andy, and in her spare time enjoys drawing, gardening, games, reading, movies and friends. She is very grateful to be a part of a compassionate, caring, fun-loving organization with great staff and volunteers.

Nancy has worked in the field of health promotion and health education for over 25 years. She earned her Masters in Public Health and Social Work at the University of Michigan. She joined Kaiser Permanente in 1997 and has been in the leadership role of Director of Health Education at the Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center since 2013.

She joined the Food For Thought Board in November 2018. She is drawn to Food For Thought’s powerful mission and is especially interested in supporting and promoting the Welcome Home and Medically-tailored Meal programs.

She was born in Northwest Florida and has been a resident of California since the age of 13. She moved to Sonoma County in 2002 with her husband to raise their two children after falling in love with the area. She loves the bountiful healthy food, natural beauty and community spirit of Sonoma County. In her free time, she enjoys dinner parties, hiking, movies and raising her German Shepard puppy.

Rodney began his professional career as a high school teacher, eventually becoming a principal. In 1983, he became involved with the newly founded Aris Project, which provided practical and emotional support to people living with HIV in Santa Clara County.

He served as a volunteer, board member and president of the board of Aris until he was invited to establish the Office of AIDS Education for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1988. In 1990, Rodney co-founded the National Catholic AIDS Network, which provided resources to individuals and organized ministries, including an annual gathering that also included Catholic service providers from around the world.

In 2004, Rodney began to volunteer at Food For Thought. He has also served as a member and chairperson of the Board Finance Committee since 2007. He was elected to serve as a member of the Board of Directors in 2016.

Evan grew up in Napa before moving to Sonoma County in 2003 and planting his community roots in Petaluma. He absolutely loves living and working in the North Bay and enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for the area with clients as a realtor with Century 21 Epic. Evan received his B.A. in Environmental Studies and Planning and worked both as a City Planner and elementary school teacher at various locations around Sonoma County before finding his true professional calling in real estate.

Evan’s passions include music, reading, sports, and giving back to the community. He was drawn to Food For Thought by its Food is Medicine mission and commitment to nutrition, and he is honored to add his unique blend of skills to the Food For Thought cause.

We recently said goodbye to our dear friend Diana. She will be remembered as a passionate, skilled, and incredibly caring member of our community.

Born and bred on the East Coast, Estelle is an attorney who spent her career in Washington, D.C., before she retired to Sonoma County in 2015. Until her retirement, for eleven years she represented organizations devoted to election law. From 2010-2015, for example, she was Legislative Director of Project Vote, a national nonpartisan organization promoting civic engagement, improved election administration, and voting rights. Throughout her 40+-year career, Estelle worked primarily for non-profit advocacy organizations devoted to progressive policy issues, including Death with Dignity, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the American Civil Liberties Union.

Estelle has volunteered at Food for Thought since she moved to Forestville in 2015. In addition to her weekly service in the food bank (until COVID, that is), she volunteers at fundraising events and serves on the Advocacy Committee. Participation in the mission of Food for Thought has been one of the most fulfilling commitments of her retirement. She is also Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Museum of Sonoma County and a member of the Board of Planned Parenthood Action Fund of Northern California—representing two more of her passions, modern art and women’s rights. A graduate of the University of Chicago and the University of Maryland Law School, Estelle is the mother of two grown daughters and two grandchildren, all of whom live in Boston.

Claudia was born and raised in Forestville, Sonoma County, where she has been actively involved in the community since middle school. Claudia first starting volunteering for Food For Thought while at El Molino High School. After graduating, she continued volunteering with FFT in whatever way she could, including taking shifts at food drives, assisting clients at the food bank on Saturday mornings and helping out at fundraising events.

Claudia is a graduate of Sonoma State University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and Planning with an emphasis in City Planning, as well as a Minor in Computer Science. More recently, Claudia was elected to serve on the Lower Russian River Municipal Advisory Council as the representative for the Hacienda District and is the Communications Specialist for the local community choice aggregator, Sonoma Clean Power.

John Andrew grew up in Texarkana, Texas and received his Bachelor of Arts in Music  from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.   He spent a year in rural Nicaragua teaching English and translating for medical mission teams before pursuing his Doctor of Medicine from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. While in medical school, he was a medical researcher for The Dr. Oz Show which provided him with an understanding of Integrative Health and inspired him to pursue his personal passion of health and wellness.

John Andrew feels privileged to support the HIV community. He began by volunteering at Food For Thought, and then as a bilingual case manager at Face to Face (HIV/AIDS service organization). In his current role of Social Work Case Manager at Santa Rosa Community Health HIV Team, John Andrew uses his medical background and ability to connect to patients with a holistic approach. John Andrew enjoys mindfulness meditation, Ayurvedic nutrition, yoga, kickboxing, nature hiking, world travel and culture. He is an activist in the LGBTQ community, an alumnus of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, and member of the 2019 Documentary Gay Chorus Deep South. The mission of Food For Thought deeply resonates with his life mission of making a positive impact on the community.

“In my view, leadership calls us to embody what we wish to share with others, and my experience working in the world of HIV has afforded me depth and insight to serve others wholeheartedly”. John Andrew joined the Board in 2021 and is excited to bring his passionate attitude and creative energy to this organization which he loves.