Addi Hou

As the Director of Men's Accessories at J Crew and formerly at Ralph Lauren's high-end vintage-inspired line Double RL, Addi Hou has a taste level and expertise that is truly unique in the field of men's accessories. Having graduated with a degree in Industrial Design from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, his background has given his designs a true emphasis on functionality and durability. Since its inception, FEED organization has enlisted Addi's expertise in many of its bag developments and graphics including the now ubiquitous FEED logo. From early on, Addi worked closely with Lauren Bush in conceptualizing a strong brand identity for FEED. As a board member, Addi continues to find time to contribute to a cause he strongly believes in.

Ann M. Veneman

Ann M Veneman has a distinguished career in public service, most recently serving as the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 2005 – 2010. Veneman’s leadership and vision has been recognized both nationally and internationally. In 2009 she was named to the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women list, ranking 46th and has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.

At UNICEF Veneman directed a staff of over 11,000 people in more than 150 countries around the world. She worked to support child health and nutrition, quality basic education for all, access to clean water and sanitation and the protection of children and women from violence, exploitation and HIV/AIDS. She traveled to more than seventy countries to review the plight of children, to witness the devastation caused by natural disaster, conflict, disease and exploitation, and to advance programs aimed at improving and saving lives.

From 2001 to 2005 Veneman was Secretary of the United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDS), one of most diverse federal agencies with an annual budget of $113 billion and 110,000 employees. From 1986 to 2003, she served in various positions in the USDA, including Deputy Secretary, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, and Associate Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service. At USDA, Veneman advanced an expanded trade agenda, food protection, progressive farm policy, responsible forest policy, and stronger nutrition programs. Veneman served as Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 1995 to 1999, overseeing the state agency responsible for nation’s largest agricultural producing state.

Veneman is a member of the board of Alexion, a global biopharmaceutical company that combines groundbreaking science with a steadfast commitment to meeting the needs of patients living with severe, life-threatening and often ultra-rare diseases. She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and The Trilateral Commission and has participated annually at The World Economic Forum in Davos and the Clinton Global Initiative Forum.

Throughout her career Veneman has served on a number of advisory councils, committees and non-profit boards, particularly those involving higher education. Currently she is co-chair of Mothers Day Every Day and on the board of the Close Up Foundation and Malaria No More. She is a frequent speaker on a range of topics including poverty alleviation, empowering women and girls, food security and nutrition, and global health.

A lawyer by training, Veneman has practiced law in both California and in Washington DC. Early in her career, she was a deputy public defender. Veneman holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Davis; a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley; and a juris doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She has also been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from several universities and colleges.

Bill Miller

Bill Miller was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and went to Wilkes College, graduating magna cum laude with a dual degree in Business and Communications.

Bill's entire family had been involved in retail and he followed in their footsteps, joining the Macy's executive training program, which is considered the Harvard of training programs. He rose to the ranks of senior buyer at Macy's after which he joined FAO Schwarz, where he served many roles including the store manager of the famous Fifth Avenue store. His final role there was as the Chief Marketing Officer.

In 2000, he joined Eziba.com as its President and grew this multi-channel business until its sale to Overstock.com. In 2006, joined Barnes & Noble as GMM/ SVP of Merchandising for Gifts, Stationery and Cafe.

At Barnes and Noble, Bill championed the launch of the FEED/Read bag which was launched at Fashions Night Out 2008.

After 5 successful years there, he has started his own consulting business, Miller and Co., which specializes in retail and brand consulting for clients such as The New York Times, Jonathan Adler, Chronicle Books, and Moleskine. He is currently working ion creating the FEED NYC bag with The New York Times.

He serves on the Board of Trustees at Wilkes, where he has built a campus labyrinth and funds a scholarship, the Board of the FEED foundation and the board of Scribblepress, an innovative start up.

He lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his husband, Talbot Logan, the Vice president of Mens Wholesale marketing for Ralph Lauren, and their adorable golden doodle, Teddy.

Blake Mycoskie

Blake Mycoskie is the Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS Shoes, and the man behind the One for One movement. To date, TOMS has given over one million pairs of new shoes to children in need around the world.

Blake has always had an entrepreneurial spirit; he has created five businesses since college. His first was a successful national campus laundry service, which he later sold. Between business ventures, Blake competed in the CBS primetime series, The Amazing Race. With his sister, Paige, Blake traveled the world and came within minutes of winning the $1 million dollar grand prize.

He put this same tenacity for success into starting TOMS in 2006. When he witnessed the hardships facing children in Argentina growing up barefoot, he felt a need to help, and the One for One movement was born. He returned the following year with friends and family to hand-place 10,000 pairs of new shoes on children.

It didn’t take long for the world to take notice; TOMS was officially recognized for its unique approach to business only a year after its beginning. In 2007, TOMS Shoes was honored with the prestigious People’s Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution. And two years after that, TOMS and its Chief Shoe Giver were the proud recipients of the Secretary of State’s 2009 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) presented by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. The award celebrates companies’ commitment to corporate social responsibility, innovation, exemplary practices, and democratic values worldwide.

While running TOMS, Blake also speaks at campuses and conferences all over the country. He is passionate about inspiring people to help make tomorrow better, encouraging everybody to include giving in everything they do, from business practices to everyday decisions. His hope is to see a future full of socially minded businesses, and consumers.

Blake is an avid reader and traveler. He is 34-years-old and lives on a sailboat in Los Angeles. A favorite quote of his by Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Brian Ford

As President, Brian Forde leads Llamadas, S.A. strategic efforts to bring low-cost phone service to rural Nicaragua through a series of innovative telephony projects specifically created for the developing world. Llamadas, S.A. was recently named the Social Enterprise of the Year through the Inter-American Development Bank’s program Pioneers for Prosperity and was recognized by the US Ambassador to Nicaragua as the one of the most innovative companies in the fight against poverty. Prior to founding Llamadas, Brian taught small business classes in the mountains of Nicaragua as a Peace Corps Volunteer, empowering 11th grade high school students to become self-reliant, starting their own companies.

Brian is widely recognized as one of the top Social Entrepreneurs in Central America and has been featured by many media outlets including CNN and NPR for his efforts to alleviate poverty by lowering the cost of telecommunication. Brian graduated with a B.A. in Sociology from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Bruce D. Charash, M.D.

Dr. Bruce Charash is a graduate of Cornell University (1977), Cornell Medical School (1981) and is currently an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at NYU Medical School, and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Charash is Board Certified in both the fields of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, and is a senior attending physician at both Lenox Hill Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital. Dr. Charash is the founder and Chairman of the Board of “Doc to Dock” a non-government organization which collects medical supplies from the American medical community (doctors, hospitals, and the pharmaceutical industry) and ships them to health care providers in developing nations (throughout Africa and Haiti).

Dr. Charash is Vice President of the James R. Jordan Foundation International, which is building a women’s and children’s hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Doc to Dock has formed a partnership with the James R. Jordan Foundation in this Nairobi project, and will fill the hospital with medical supplies and equipment once the physical structure is complete.

Dr. Charash is also the founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Apple P.I.E. (Partners in Education), a non-profit initiative directed at improving science education in public schools by creating and providing teachers with a free curriculum supplement explaining their grade level science curriculum. Dr. Charash has recruited scientists in the private sector, with special communication skills, to help explain the scientific theories to the teachers, as well as to provide the relevance and practical perspective of the scientific topics.

Dr. Charash is the author of the book Heart Myths, Viking 1991, which explained many of the common misunderstandings of heart disease to the public. He has appeared on over 200 call-in radio shows and on over 30 television shows discussing public health and heart disease prevention. He has given over 800 lectures to his peers, and over 200 lectures to the public on various medical topics, including heart disease prevention and treatment.

Dr. Charash received the New York State “Outstanding Physician of the Year Award” in 2008 from the Greater New York Hospital Association.

Carol Hochman

Carol Hochman is currently President of RHH Capital & Consulting. Her consulting business specializes in working with managements in strategizing for new and existing businesses in the retail, apparel and licensing fields. Prior to her current position Ms Hochman served in the role of President and CEO of Danskin (Triumph Apparel), the 125-year-old dance and activewear company for 10 years. Her roles before that included that of Group President of Non Apparel at Liz Claiborne, Inc. for 18 years and 6 years with the May Department Stores International, supervising their import programs for their Main Floor businesses.

Ms Hochman serves on the boards of Blyth, Inc. (NYSE), the American Apparel and Footwear Association, and the Board of the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association and the Accessory Council, and serves in an advisory capacity for Solera Capital, a private equity fund. She is a Trustee of the Queens College Foundation- CUNY, of which she is an alumna and a board member of W.O.M.E.N, a mentoring program for young women in business.

Dan Stanco

Dan is Vice-Chairman of the Board of The FEED Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting hunger and eliminating malnutrition throughout the world. Dan is currently a corporate attorney in the New York office of Ropes & Gray LLP, a leading international law firm, where he represents investment banks, private equity funds, hedge funds and other leading domestic and international companies in connection with joint ventures, private equity investments, real estate transactions, commercial loans, structured finance and other general corporate and real estate matters. He also represents various other charitable foundations dedicated to hunger relief, education and health services, and was recently honored by the New York State Bar Association for his commitment and dedication to pro bono legal services.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Dan was the head of sales and business development for a start-up media and publishing company, which he helped build into a successful and thriving business. Dan also spent four years working in the music industry, doing artist management and promotions both independently and for various major record labels.

Dan holds a B.S. from New York University Stern School of Business (where he co-founded the Stern & Tisch Entertainment Business Association) and a J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. He lives in New York City and is the proud father of two little girls.

David Lauren

David Lauren is Senior Vice President of Advertising, Marketing, and Corporate Communications for Polo Ralph Lauren. In his role, he is responsible for the global advertising and marketing campaigns for the Company. In addition, David oversees the Company’s corporate and fashion communications, strategic marketing partnerships and the development of RalphLauren.com.

Prior to assuming this role, David was Chief Creative and Marketing Officer for Ralph Lauren Media, LLC, a venture between Polo Ralph Lauren and the NBC family of companies where he conceptualized the Polo.com (now www.ralphlauren.com) Web site.

Before joining Ralph Lauren Media, David was Editor-In-Chief and President of Swing, a general interest publication for Generation X.

David also serves as President of the Polo Ralph Lauren Foundation. Major corporate commitments include establishing the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in Harlem and the Star Spangled Banner Preservation Project at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. David spearheaded the G.I.V.E. (Get Involved Volunteer Exceed) campaign to promote service in the community and most recently initiated the establishment of Match Rugby, a program in collaboration with the Rugby Ralph Lauren brand to support young social entrepreneurs. Additionally, David leads the company’s Polo Volunteer initiative, a program where Polo Ralph Lauren Employees share their time and talents as volunteers with non-profit community- based organizations.

In recent years, David has been instrumental in building the Company’s sports marketing efforts by fostering partnerships with the United States Tennis Association, Wimbledon, and the United States Olympic Association.

David was the driving force behind several major new media initiatives, including the creation of interactive windows on Ralph Lauren store fronts and the launch of an m- commerce site that enables consumers to purchase products through the rapidly growing mobile channel. Ralph Lauren was the first U.S. luxury retailer to directly launch m- commerce while incorporating Quick Response (QR) codes in ads.

David holds a degree in Political Science from Duke University. He resides in New York City.

Ellen Gustafson

Ellen Gustafson is the Founder and Executive Director of the 30 Project, a new way to address global hunger and obesity and crowd-source long-term food system change. The 30 Project is hosting and inspiring dinners around the country and world to promote a new dialogue and new solutions to a better food system.

She is the Co-Founder of FEED Projects and the FEED Foundation, a company and non-profit that create good products which have helped provide over 60 million school meals to children globally. Prior to FEED, Ellen worked at the UN World Food Programme, ABC News and the Council on Foreign Relation. She has a BA from Columbia University.

Marcella Echavarria

A serial social entrepreneur with 15 years of hands-on, first-hand experience in starting businesses, establishing bridges between cultures and integrating sustainability and profitability, Marcella founded SURevolution in 2005, EGG Peace Products in 2007, and Revista G in 2000.

Marcella is a branding and marketing expert who creates leading brands and concepts from her acute intuition and strong doses of common sense. A literature and history major at Brown University, Marcella’s experience in the business world is complemented by her work in publishing in the U.S. and Latin America.

Marcella has extensive multicultural experience in India, Bolivia, Perú, Indonesia, South Africa, Swaziland, Cambodia, and Colombia, working as a consultant on product development, market trends, and branding, for UNESCO, The International Finance Corporation IFC, CHF International, Artesanías de Colombia, Technoserve, and Carana.

She is part of the Interiors Committee of The Color Association of the United States, a UNESCO board member for Design 21; She also serves on advisory boards for Nest and FEED Projects, and is part of the Committee of the Future for International Planned Parenthood.

Her articles and photos are published regularly in Indagare, Daily Candy, Hand Eye, Summus, Travesias, Semana, Avianca, ED from Chile and many other publications and blogs focused on design, fashion, sustainability, good food and new ways of defining luxury.

She is currently sharing six years of entrepreneurial experience with governments, organizations, publications, universities, and individuals who all share her passion for the handmade world.

Michelle Kydd Lee

Michelle Kydd Lee founded and currently directs the Foundation for the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), a talent and literary agency based in Los Angeles, with offices in New York, Nashville, St. Louis, London, and Beijing. The CAA Foundation, since 1995, has used the natural resources of the entertainment community to create positive social change. In her role, Michelle serves as a consultant to clients, executives and corporations on their philanthropic and pro-social initiatives. Additionally, Michelle holds the title of Director of Culture at CAA, supervising several other divisions of the agency. Michelle has served on various charitable organization boards and currently sits on the board for Points of Light, Project Rebirth, the Los Angeles Communities In Schools and the Ad Council Advisory Board.

She is a member of the 2009 class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute. Michelle lives with her husband Damon and their sons Carter and Beckett, in Santa Monica Canyon, California.

Nicole Sexton

Nicole is the Director of Administration for the Central Park Conservancy. Prior to joining CPC Nicole helped to establish the FEED Foundation as its first Executive Officer. Before moving to New York to work with FEED Nicole was a long time resident of Washington DC, She was the Executive Outreach Director for DATA and ONE, the grassroots campaign and advocacy organization committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease. At ONE, Nicole managed the organization’s grasstops/VIP relationships. Nicole was instrumental in getting the participation of key members of the ONE VOTE 08 delegation that traveled to Rwanda, a trip that led to a renewed commitment by both parties to increase foreign investment in the developing world. She also planned and executed ONE's activites during the 2008 Conventions in Denver and Minneapolis, including a World Vision partnership to build care-giver kits in the two cities.

Prior to joining ONE, Nicole served as the Director of Finance for the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2002 – 2005, raising $95 million dollars. She served as PAC Director and Corporate Donor Program Director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee from 2001- 2002, raising $15.5 million. She has worked as the Membership Director for Club For Growth, the Deputy Finance Director for Forbes 2000, McIntosh for Congress and the Event Coordinator for Goldsmith for Governor.

Nicole was born and raised in New Orleans, Lousiana. She graduated with a BA in Art History from Southern Methodist University and has completed post-graduate studies in Art History at Georgetown University. She is a a graduate of Yale University's Campaign School and is on the Women's Leadership Board of Harvard University. She is active in many charitable campaigns for animals and is on the board of the Rita Hayworth Gala committee which is commited to the fight to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. She was a White House intern in the Points of Light office serving under President George H.W. Bush. She has also written a novel, Party Favors, which is a tongue-in-cheek look at the world of political fundraising.

Peter Thum

Peter Thum is the CEO and Co-Founder of Fonderie 47. He is also the founder of Ethos Water and of the non-profit Giving Water. Peter led Ethos to become a national brand in the US, to raise more than $6 million in humanitarian water grants, and to help over 420,000 people worldwide get water access. The company was later acquired by Starbucks. Peter serves on the boards for several companies and organizations focused on service, including: The Global Fund for Human Rights; The Center for Human Rights Leadership at Claremont McKenna College; The Dean’s Council of the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service; and Impossible to Possible Ultra-Athletic Adventures.

Scott Fell

Scott has spent the past six years with Gap, Inc. in San Francisco, California. He held various Corporate positions within the company before moving on to his current role in their Online Division, where he focuses on International Finance. Prior to his tenure at Gap, Inc., Scott worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Cleveland, Ohio, and was a member of their award-winning Financial Services team. Scott's extensive retail background and financial acumen have been invaluable resources to FEED over the past few years.

Scott has a BS in Accounting and Finance from Case Western Reserve University, and is the brother of our Director of Marketing & Operations, Kristina Fell.

Shawn E. Parr

Shawn brings twenty-two years of strategic marketing, branding and entrepreneurial business-building experience to companies that run the gamut from small start-ups to Fortune 500s. After graduating from Askes College in London, Shawn began his career as Director of Sales & Marketing for a division of The Halifax. He moved to the U.S. in 1991 where he founded Bulldog Drummond, and has since built it into a nationally recognized innovation and design consultancy. Bulldog Drummond’s clients include such companies as IDEO, Nike, Adidas, Virgin, Nestlé, Clif Bar, WD-40, Pinkberry, MTV, Diageo, American Eagle Outfitters, Starbucks, Sony and World Vision to name a few. Both entrepreneurial start-ups and globally recognized brands seek out Shawn’s expertise in creating and refreshing brands, products and strategic business solutions, as well as his collaborative and transformational approach to identifying new business opportunities.

Shawn is fascinated with cultural and human diversity, the blank page, solving challenges and crafting meaningful and authentic stories. Completely focused on creating measurable change in relationships, companies and the world at large, Shawn believes if it’s broken fix it. If it’s tired, breathe new life into it. If it’s been done before do it differently. And if it’s not been done before, be the first to try. He sits on the board of The Honest Kitchen.