Board and Advisors

Daniel Capra is Partner and Executive Chef of Paula LeDuc Fine Catering, where for the past 22 years he and his team of chefs have been creating culinary experiences on par with the highest standards of fine dining restaurants. A native Virginian, Daniel spent time mastering his craft in Virginia Beach, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, before landing in the Bay Area. He oversees the company’s organic garden in St. Helena, incorporating produce from the garden in his seasonal menus, and works with his staff to maintain and develop environmental and sustainable kitchen practices. He has partnered with Foodwise for over a decade, as a participating chef at both Foodwise Summer Bash and Sunday Supper, as well as hosting cooking demos at Foodwise farmers markets.

Marty Cepkauskas is the Senior Director of Real Estate for the Western Properties Division of the Hearst Corporation. He is responsible for the real estate management of Hearst’s sustainable agricultural properties in California and commercial buildings in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Marty completed one of the largest agricultural conservation transactions in California with the American Land Conservancy for preserving the historic 82,000-acre Hearst Ranch at San Simeon, which received the Governor’s Environmental Award in 2006. He was also involved with the startup of the Hearst Ranch grass-fed, all-natural beef program and Hearst Ranch Wines. Marty earned a MBA from Saint Mary’s College, a MS in Construction Management from UC Berkeley, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Union College. He has worked in San Francisco since 1991, and currently lives in San Francisco with his wife, Allison.

Jamie Chan worked for 14 years at San Francisco State University (SFSU) where she served as Operations Director for the Center for Science and Math Education. Jamie received a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Administration, M.S. in systematic biology in partnership at the California Academy of Sciences and B.S. in zoology from SFSU. Her current research is focused on integrating STEM teaching, anti-racist organizational practices, and climate/food justice. As a Master Gardener, she co-founded a food security project in SF called Sisterhood Gardens and is co-owner of Fog City Gardener, a garden education firm. Jamie is passionate about gardens as places for education and social activism. Currently she serves as director of programs and partnerships at The Gardens of Golden Gate Park and adjunct professor in teacher education at SFSU. She believes public gardens tell a story about the rich biological and cultural stories of our communities and sees the potential gardens hold to shape mankind for a more sustainable future. She lives in SF with her partner and two children.

Aomboon Deasy is the General Manager/Proprietor of K&J Orchards, a family-owned farm founded in 1982 and located in California’s Central Valley. One of K&J’s first customers was The French Laundry. Today, K&J partners with over 150 restaurants in the Bay Area, working directly with chefs and owners. Aomboon also consults in manufacturing and operations across multiple industries (e.g., apparel, food, hard goods, and CPG). She also regularly participates on panels in the agriculture and horticulture industry. Born in Bangkok, Aomboon was raised in Sacramento. She received her Master’s in Project Management from USF. In her spare time, Aomboon loves cooking, photography, and enjoying local cuisine.

Sonya Dreizler is the co-founder of Choir as well as a speaker and author focused on fostering candid conversations about gender and race in financial services. In addition to her work at Choir, a diversity-tech platform focused on amplifying the voices of women and people of color in finance, Sonya is a sought after speaker for national financial services conferences, writes for Morningstar, and is the author of the acclaimed Do Better Series about sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination in financial services. A former financial services CEO with two decades of industry experience, Sonya is a respected leader, practical thinker, and consensus-builder with excellent communication skills. Sonya earned a BA from UCLA in English Literature and speaks fluent Spanish. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and their two sons and she enjoys traveling with her family, weight lifting, gardening, cooking, and shopping the farmers market.

Andrew Freeman is president of Andrew Freeman & Co., an innovative restaurant and hospitality consulting firm headquartered in San Francisco that offers marketing, public relations, and creative services to clients across the country. Prior to opening AF&Co, Andrew was Vice President of Public Relations and Strategic Partnerships for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. A dedicated philanthropist, Andrew sits on the boards of Foodwise, Dress for Success San Francisco, and The Richmond Ermet AIDS Foundation. He is a former board member of Meals on Wheels San Francisco, the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Anti-Defamation League, and was an advisor for the American Airlines LGBT committee. In 2016 and 2017, AF&Co. was named by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Top 50 LGBT-Owned Businesses in the Bay Area. Andrew is a contributor to numerous industry magazines and blogs and guest speaker at industry conferences. He resides in San Francisco with his gorgeous yorkies Tulip and Daisy.

Saeeda Hafiz is a Wellness Policy Project Manager at San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), where she is charged with creating positive behavior change in schools for staff, students, and families to improve upon overall personal wellness. Previously, she has been a nutrition coordinator and a staff wellness instructor teaching basic holistic nutrition and yoga to kids and adults for 15 years. Saeeda is the author of the award-winning book, The Healing: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Yoga. She has appeared on various radio and television programs and has been featured in several national and regional publications. She is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, with a degree in Business and Management Information Systems. She has also studied at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers and Ashrams, Whole Health Resources, and Natural Gourmet Cookery School in New York City.

Marie Trimble Holvick is the Assistant Managing Partner of the Bay Area Offices of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP. Marie specializes in employment law. She counsels employers on employment and human resources issues, conducts sexual harassment trainings, prepares employee handbooks, and presents on “best practices” for employers. Marie also defends employers in high-stakes litigation, including claims of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, wage-related claims, ADA access claims, and Labor Code 132a claims. Marie is passionate about food and wine.  She uses this passion to help defend restaurants and agricultural clients in employment-related litigation. Marie is a regular shopper at Foodwise’s Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

Nkechi Iheme is the Global Anti-bribery Compliance Lead and Corporate Counsel at Google. In her role, she is responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring Alphabet’s global anti-bribery compliance program and strategy. Nkechi is an investor in Yellow Moto Pizzeria in San Francisco, a restaurant that is dedicated to supporting farmers and sources ingredients from local farmers markets. She is of Nigerian origin, and was raised in a family where food was a means of creating, cultivating, and maintaining community. In her spare time, Nkechi enjoys traveling, hosting dinner parties, experimenting with new recipes, and collecting vintage vinyl records. Her two favorite dishes to cook are spinach lasagna and Thai shrimp coconut curry with steamed or grilled veggies. Nkechi is fluent in French, and received her undergraduate degree from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, and her JD from Howard University School of Law.

Nafis Jamal grew up in suburban Louisiana and was raised on Bangladeshi food and the occasional crawfish boil. He studied physics and electrical engineering at Stanford University, and later went to culinary school in New York. He has been Co-Founder/CTO at Mopub, Director of Engineering at Twitter, and Director of Product at Lime. Nafis is in the early stages of a restaurant concept bringing together his French culinary arts training, penchant for great local ingredients, Bangladeshi heritage, and Louisiana upbringing. 

Stacy Jed is the co-founder and Creative Marketing Director for Amuse Management Group and Bluestem Brasserie, an award-wining, modern American brasserie in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Stacy brings more than 20 years of business leadership in areas of marketing, design, and event management that span the restaurant, hotel, and tech industry. She received her degree in psychology from San Francisco State University and a degree in interior architecture from California College of the Arts. Stacy credits her love for food and the restaurant industry to her Italian roots and her family restaurants and lounge in San Francisco, including Gino’s and Station J. Stacy sits as vice president on the Board of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. She currently resides in San Francisco’s Mira Loma Park locale with her husband and business partner, Adam, and their dog, Lola.

Lee Koffler is the Chief Operating Officer of the Voleon Group. Previously, he was a leader at Orbis Investment Management and McKinsey and Company. He also engaged in fellowships at two nonprofit organizations: the International Rescue Committee and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.  He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard College and his MBA degree from Harvard Business School.

Shakirah Simley a writer, seasoned organizer, and community development and policy strategist with over 15 years of experience working on social justice, food, gender and racial equity issues. She is the Executive Director of the Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, one of SF’s oldest Black-led and serving community-based organizations, and home to some of the only permanent supportive affordable housing for transitional aged youth in SF. Shakirah has a proven track record of public service, having previously served as the inaugural Director for the Office of Racial Equity for the City and County of San Francisco, served as a legislative aide for the SF Board of Supervisors, and the leader of the Southeast Community Center in Bayview. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and a Fulbright Scholar to Italy. She serves as a Board member for the Alliance for Girls and Foodwise (formerly CUESA). She is a former food artisan and forever food justice advocate. She has been featured in local and national publications including the SF Chronicle, KQED, New York Times, Eater, Bon Appétit, and National Geographic. The daughter of a social worker and granddaughter of a Black Panther, Shakirah was born and raised in Harlem, New York. Shakirah has lived in San Francisco for over 13 years, working to change access and opportunity for low-income communities and generations of young people to come. Shakirah lives in SF with her husband and foster kittens. 

Aaron Tidman is Global Compliance Counsel for Pinterest, where he is responsible for growing a strong ethical culture, providing legal advice and strategic support, and partnering with a wide range of cross-functional teams to coordinate and implement compliance initiatives. Aaron is deeply passionate about the hospitality industry and sustainable agriculture, and is currently an investor in two Bay Area restaurants that are committed to sustainable food practices and shopping at the Foodwise farmers markets. Aaron’s also passionate about pro bono work, public service, and fighting for LGBTQ rights and women’s rights. He’s originally from Washington, DC, and moved to San Francisco in 2015 with his husband Christopher and their fat orange tabby cat. In his free time, Aaron enjoys eating out and trying new restaurants, shopping the farmers market and cooking, making his own cocktail bitters at home, reading fantasy novels, and traveling the world. Aaron earned a BA in History and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Syracuse University College of Law. 

Dilan Urun is the Managing Partner of Les Partenaires Ottomans, a real estate development consultancy firm. She has over 20 years of industry experience. She helps real estate developers, sales & marketing companies, private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds, and high-net worth individuals invest and grow their portfolios and projects. She is also an expert in fundraising, sales, and marketing in new construction developments. Dilan is in the leadership circle of Commonwealth Club of California, is a leader with SPUR, and a member of ULI, World Affairs Council of Northern California, and Global Real Estate Institute. She earned a BA in English Literature from Ege University in Turkey and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Golden Gate University. She speaks Turkish and English. She has been living in San Francisco for the past 23 years and enjoys travelling around the world, reading non-fiction, cooking, watching spy movies, and supporting startup companies in the tech industry as an angel investor.

Toyia Wortham is Executive Assistant to the Vice President/General Manager of the Western Properties Division of the Hearst Corporation. A special events project manager for almost 30 years, Toyia pairs that career with her 30+ years as a Singing Wedding Coordinator. Born and raised in San Francisco, she has been around farmers markets all her life. Growing up in San Francisco’s Cole Valley District, Toyia graduated from Lowell High School and went on to graduate from San Francisco State University earning her B.A. in Broadcast Communications Arts (BCA), where she coordinated the 1st BCA Dept. graduation and reception. She also minored in Music and has sung the National Anthem for Mayors, Governors and at various sporting events including a Giants/Dodgers Game. Toyia enjoys frequenting farmers markets whether she’s shopping for produce and local wares or performing on a farmers market stage. She loves cooking Paleo-Friendly meals for herself, friends, and family.