Our Mission
TFFJ is striving to eradicate food insecurity, in the span of one generation, through youth-led, community-based solutions that can end the staggering cycle of diet-related disease and health complications impacting low-income communities of color.
Our Mission
TFFJ is striving to eradicate food insecurity, in the span of one generation, through youth-led, community-based solutions that can end the staggering cycle of diet-related disease and health complications impacting low-income communities of color.
OUR TEAM
Co-Founders
Founder, Triptyk Studios
Tara Swibel
President
Katherine Soll
Vice President
Chana Chenfeld
Chana Gandal Chenfeld is a graduate of Ohio State University. After graduating, she worked for two years at the UJA Federation in NYC in the New Gifts department developing techniques for soliciting new donors. Following that, Chana spent four years working in marketing for Remco Toys. Subsequently, she worked for Columbia Pictures as the Director of International Licensing for their television and motion pictures. While raising her three children, Chana worked to create Columbia Cares, the community service arm for the lower school at Columbia Prep, a NY based private school. Her involvement at Columbia continued as a member of both the diversity and social action committees which brought information to and engaged the community in issues that brought a better understanding to elevating the ethics and culture of the school. She has chaired various community-based committees and given countless hours towards raising funds for the various public and private schools her children have attended.
Board of Directors
Director of Technology Investment Banking
Credit Suisse
Kevin Beardsley
Kevin is an accomplished finance and technology professional with over 8 years of experience across financial services and electrical engineering. He is currently a Vice President in the Investment Banking and Capital Markets division at Credit Suisse, where he is involved in advising on and executing M&A, debt and equity transaction for clients in the Technology sector. Prior to joining Credit Suisse, Kevin was a Senior Engineer at Westinghouse Electric Company, where he designed computer hardware for use in nuclear power plant safety systems. Kevin is passionate about education, technology, and public health, and is eager to share his expertise in finance and engineering with Teens for Food Justice. As a member of the board, Kevin is excited to help TFFJ make the best decisions possible to pursue its mission of ensuring there is universal access to healthy, fresh, and affordable food. Raised in Pittsburgh, Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master of Business Administration degree from NYU Stern.
Director,
Global Brand Initiatives
Värde Partners
Jennifer Finer
Jennifer is an accomplished marketing professional with over 15 years of success leading large-scale marketing initiatives, high-profile event portfolios, and the associated cross-functional teams. She is currently Director of Global Event Management and Communications at Värde Partners, an alternative investment management firm. Previously, Jennifer was Director of Strategic Marketing at Brightwood Capital Advisors and Head of Event Marketing at Gerson Lehrman Group, respectively. Jennifer is a member of the Milken Institute’s Young Leaders Circle, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think-tank, focused on the power of capital markets to solve urgent social and economic challenges. Additionally, she serves on the Ambassador Circle for YRF Darca, a nonprofit organization with a mission to strengthen Israeli society by promoting social mobility in the peripheral communities through education. Jennifer received a B.A. in Communications from The University of Delaware. Jennifer’s expertise includes driving organizational growth through strategic partnerships and various marketing channels. She has an advanced skill set in integrated marketing communications including experiential marketing, branding, client segmentation, and social media. She is an industry leader in managing conference sponsorships and third-party event relationships. Jennifer also has experience developing protocols and tools that scale complex projects. She has a personal passion for public health and building awareness of critical issues facing underprivileged children in NYC.
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Bridget Alameda
Bridget is a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP with over nine years of experience in the Asset and Wealth Management industry, specializing in alternative investments. In addition to serving clients, she has served as chair and member of multiple committees that promote people strategy, connectivity, community service and corporate responsibility. Bridget received a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree in Accountancy from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University and is a licensed CPA in the state of New York. She was raised in New Jersey and has had a lifelong passion for S.T.E.M.-based learning, applications and advocacy as well as serving the community.
Agritecture
Henry Gordon-Smith.
Henry Gordon-Smith is a sustainability strategist focused on urban agriculture, water issues, and emerging technologies. Henry was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Russia, Canada, Spain, Austria, and the United States. Henry earned his BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, a certificate in Food Security and Urban Agriculture from Ryerson University in Toronto, and an MSc in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. Henry is the Founder of the popular blog Agritecture.com and Co-Founder of the Association for Vertical Farming (AVF). Two years ago, Henry launched his company Blue Planet Consulting, a boutique urban agriculture advising firm where he helps entrepreneurs with vertical farming feasibility studies, recruiting, and systems design. Henry could not be more excited about empowering the teens of today to be the food justice leaders of tomorrow with the TFFJ team!
Kreiner Dental
Ilana Mazlin
Coming Soon…
EvolveMe
Judy Schoenberg
Judy Schoenberg is a seasoned mission driven leader with two decades of professional experience in the social sector focused on research, program development, strategy and philanthropy. She is currently a leadership consultant partnering with academic, non-profit, and start-up ventures. Previously, during her fifteen-year tenure at Girl Scouts of the USA, Judy was Chief Research Executive and led the Girl Scouts Research Institute. Her work has been featured at White House events and in national media outlets. Judy has also held positions as a program officer at a national women’s foundation and as a Brooklyn legal advocate. She is passionate about social action and wellness and was a Coro Leadership New York fellow in civic participation and is a certified health coach. For over a decade, she has co-led cooking classes with students at the Storefront Academy in East Harlem. She is currently a member of board of directors at the Hannah Senesh Community Day School in Brooklyn. Judy holds a bachelor of arts (comparative literature) degree from Haverford College and a master’s in education (human development and psychology) from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. A native New Yorker, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons, and enjoys running and yoga, reading with her boys and cooking anything green.
Friends of the High Line
Mauricio Garcia
Mauricio Garcia is the Deputy Director at Cities of Service, a national nonprofit organization that supports mayors and city chief executives in their efforts to engage local communities and solve problems together. He has over a decade of nonprofit management experience leading programs and strategy for organizations focused on workforce development, financial empowerment, and community development. Mauricio previously served as Director of New York Programs at Seedco and as Director of Services at The Financial Clinic. Mauricio holds a master’s degree in public administration from the City University of New York’s Baruch College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Oakland University. He is also an alumnus of the Coro Leadership New York program.
Sternvest Capital
Randolph Stern
Randolph is the founder of Stern Vest Capital, where he has spent two decades as Managing Partner in commercial real estate private equity funds, which encompasses commercial real estate acquisitions, financing, project management, and investor relationships. Randolph was also a member of the investment committee for the Ceres Realty Fund and its managing partner, Blakely Stern Advisors. Currently, he manages two large real estate development projects in Dallas, Texas. Randolph earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Business and Horticulture from Oregon State University, began his career managing a large-scale Weyerhaeuser reforestation nursery, and moved on to the restaurant business so he is excited to be using his background in food and agriculture as a TFFJ Board Member. Randolph is an advocate for our environment and a life-long gardener, cook, and “foodie.” “I have been searching for an organization that promotes student engagement involving education and food, which fosters long term community enhancement. TFFJ is just what I was looking for to encourage healthy eating, to advance sustainability, to change lives, and to produce measurable results.”
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Adjunct Associate Professor
Fashion Institute of Technology
Valerie Soll
Valerie has been a textile conservator at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine for the past 20 years. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Fashion and Textile Studies graduate program at the Fashion Institute of Technology where she teaches collections management and basic conservation courses. With a background in dyeing and reweaving,Valerie has also taught conservation dye courses and rug workshops for FIT’s advanced conservation students. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation, and has been an instructor in an AIC sponsored Preventive Conservation workshop on Ossabaw Island, GA. Valerie received her BA from University of Oregon and her special training in rug restoration in Ankara, Turkey. As well as serving on the TFFJ board, Valerie is on the board of the Look and Listen Festival and a team leader for a New York Cares reading program.
Fuku
Alejandro Munoz-Suarez
Coming Soon!
ROAR Beverages
Alex Galindez
Coming Soon!
Staff
Gabrielle Mosquera, Deputy Director
Gabrielle Mosquera.
Gabrielle has worked at the intersection of public education and equity issues for the past 13 years. Before joining TFFJ she held development roles at PowerMyLearning and Turnaround for Children, nonprofits that provide educational technology and trauma-informed classroom practices to district-run public schools, respectively. She also worked as a Senior Director within the NYC DOE’s Office of School Design and Charter Partnerships, where she monitored and evaluated the academic, organizational, and operational performance of 23 network-affiliated and independent charter schools. Additionally, she worked in new school development at the Newark Charter School Fund, where she helped launch two charter schools, and at EdisonLearning, Inc., where she managed proposals for new and renewed charter schools as well as for supplemental education services. She currently serves as the Founding Board Chair at LEEP Dual Language Academy Charter School in Brooklyn, and is a high school mentor through the iMentor program. Gabrielle earned a BS in Journalism with honors from Boston University, and is currently earning her Executive MPA from Baruch College.
Cherech Allam, Office Operations and Finance Manager
Cherech Allam.
Cherech is an accountant with experience in both for-profit and non-profit accounting spanning more than 10 years. Her background includes working as an analyst for the largest Non-profit Media company in the Midwest, coordinating the Financial Literacy Program at Women Initiative for Self-Empowerment and leading the Non-Freight department in the US for Canadian Pacific Railway. She became excited about agriculture as part of an immigrant farming program at Big River Farms located on Marine on St. Croix, MN. She relocated from Minneapolis, MN to NYC and holds a MS in Accountancy from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Harrison Hillier, Senior Hydroponic Systems Manager
Harrison Hillier.
Harrison graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in 2013, before doing further coursework at NC State. At these institutions, he gained hands-on experience and insight into both soil-based and vertical hydroponic farming techniques. He has over four years of experience designing indoor vertical hydroponic systems and developing commercial grade methodology for crop management from seed to harvest in greenhouses and indoor farms.
Joshua Serrano, Senior Marketing and Development Manager
Joshua Serrano.
Joshua received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in May 2016. Before joining the TFFJ Team, Joshua was an Americorps Public Ally at Fair Chance, where his work focused on partner communications and new partner outreach, and a Research Assistant at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he worked on the Criminalization of Poverty Project, focused on the growing ways in which those in poverty are disproportionately targeted, marginalized, and prosecuted. He is from Brooklyn, New York and spent time as an undergraduate studying in Vietnam and Washington DC. He also is a former New Economy Maryland Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC.
Matthew Horgan, STEM Programming & School Partnership Manager
Matthew Horgan.
Matthew began as a mentor with Teens for Food Justice’s after-school program, was later hired as a part-time curriculum writer, and now works on developing STEM curriculum around urban farming, hydroponics, advocacy, and food justice. He was born and raised in Rockaway Beach, NYC, and he graduated from SUNY Binghamton University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Environmental Studies and St. Edwards University with a Professional Science Master’s degree in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development. His studies of the environmental field brought him to Upstate New York, Texas, France, Vermont, and Costa Rica. During this time, he grew excited about urban agriculture’s potential for environmental sustainability and potential to deliver healthy and nutritious food to people living in cities. He also became aware of the powerful tool writing has in depicting the environmental challenges of our time and started a blog to practice his writing skills, to raise awareness around these issues, and to explore the solutions (SustainEveryone.com). He recently relaunched his blog in recognition of the need to expose the racist systems that produce environmental injustices. The relaunch of Sustain Everyone is exploring how marginalized communities share the disproportionate number of environmental burdens (and very few environmental benefits) that contribute to poor health conditions and lower quality of life. This exploration will look at how racism, on all levels, created and upholds segregation of black and white communities historically and today (particularly in housing and education), widening disparities among people, and thwarting our mutual interest of environmental and social well-being.
Renae Cairns, Advocacy and Community Engagement Manager
Renae Cairns.
Renae is committed to working at the intersection of sustainable agriculture and equity. Renae graduated from Davidson College with a degree in anthropology in 2014. She has since worked for organizations fighting for food justice, small-scale sustainable farms, innovative food businesses as well as managed a farm-based education program for high school students and young adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Renae is excited to return to their home state and support TFFJ’s work of ending food insecurity and cultivating food justice in New York City.
Debbie Chan, Communications and Development Associate
Debbie Chan.
Debbie graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Spring 2019, where she majored in Philosophy, Digital Media & Journalism, and Sociology. As a former copy editor for the John Jay Sentinel and Executive Marketer for Student Council, she found that it is not enough to just be informed about issues and strives to change the system for the better, especially under topics about education and food. She wants to be a ripple in the waves of change around food insecurity by informing and educating others about this important issue.
Michael Sterenberg, Hydroponic Farmer-Educator, Martin Luther King Educational Campus
Michael Sterenberg.
A New York City native, Michael graduated in 2017 from Davidson College with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Upon graduating, he began working in New York’s restaurant industry, gaining service experience at some of the city’s best fine dining restaurants including Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Eleven Madison Park. Inspired by the scale, reach and influence of the top restaurants, he became passionate and curious about learning how food can be leveraged to create change in larger social and environmental contexts, leading to his discovery of TFFJ. He is very excited to be working with students on the farm, and believes it is a tremendous introduction into the world of sustainability and health. In his free time, Michael enjoys playing basketball, reading books in coffee shops, and fermenting all types of food!
Staff
Gabrielle Mosquera, Deputy Director
Gabrielle Mosquera.
Gabrielle has worked at the intersection of public education and equity issues for the past 13 years. Before joining TFFJ she held development roles at PowerMyLearning and Turnaround for Children, nonprofits that provide educational technology and trauma-informed classroom practices to district-run public schools, respectively. She also worked as a Senior Director within the NYC DOE’s Office of School Design and Charter Partnerships, where she monitored and evaluated the academic, organizational, and operational performance of 23 network-affiliated and independent charter schools. Additionally, she worked in new school development at the Newark Charter School Fund, where she helped launch two charter schools, and at EdisonLearning, Inc., where she managed proposals for new and renewed charter schools as well as for supplemental education services. She currently serves as the Founding Board Chair at LEEP Dual Language Academy Charter School in Brooklyn, and is a high school mentor through the iMentor program. Gabrielle earned a BS in Journalism with honors from Boston University, and is currently earning her Executive MPA from Baruch College.
Cherech Allam, Office Operations and Finance Manager
Cherech Allam.
Cherech is an accountant with experience in both for-profit and non-profit accounting spanning more than 10 years. Her background includes working as an analyst for the largest Non-profit Media company in the Midwest, coordinating the Financial Literacy Program at Women Initiative for Self-Empowerment and leading the Non-Freight department in the US for Canadian Pacific Railway. She became excited about agriculture as part of an immigrant farming program at Big River Farms located on Marine on St. Croix, MN. She relocated from Minneapolis, MN to NYC and holds a MS in Accountancy from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Harrison Hillier, Senior Hydroponic Systems Manager
Harrison Hillier.
Harrison graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science in 2013, before doing further coursework at NC State. At these institutions, he gained hands-on experience and insight into both soil-based and vertical hydroponic farming techniques. He has over four years of experience designing indoor vertical hydroponic systems and developing commercial grade methodology for crop management from seed to harvest in greenhouses and indoor farms.
Joshua Serrano, Senior Marketing and Development Manager
Joshua Serrano.
Joshua received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in May 2016. Before joining the TFFJ Team, Joshua was an Americorps Public Ally at Fair Chance, where his work focused on partner communications and new partner outreach, and a Research Assistant at the Institute for Policy Studies, where he worked on the Criminalization of Poverty Project, focused on the growing ways in which those in poverty are disproportionately targeted, marginalized, and prosecuted. He is from Brooklyn, New York and spent time as an undergraduate studying in Vietnam and Washington DC. He also is a former New Economy Maryland Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC.
Matthew Horgan, STEM Programming & School Partnership Manager
Matthew Horgan.
Matthew began as a mentor with Teens for Food Justice’s after-school program, was later hired as a part-time curriculum writer, and now works on developing STEM curriculum around urban farming, hydroponics, advocacy, and food justice. He was born and raised in Rockaway Beach, NYC, and he graduated from SUNY Binghamton University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Environmental Studies and St. Edwards University with a Professional Science Master’s degree in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development. His studies of the environmental field brought him to Upstate New York, Texas, France, Vermont, and Costa Rica. During this time, he grew excited about urban agriculture’s potential for environmental sustainability and potential to deliver healthy and nutritious food to people living in cities. He also became aware of the powerful tool writing has in depicting the environmental challenges of our time and started a blog to practice his writing skills, to raise awareness around these issues, and to explore the solutions (SustainEveryone.com). He recently relaunched his blog in recognition of the need to expose the racist systems that produce environmental injustices. The relaunch of Sustain Everyone is exploring how marginalized communities share the disproportionate number of environmental burdens (and very few environmental benefits) that contribute to poor health conditions and lower quality of life. This exploration will look at how racism, on all levels, created and upholds segregation of black and white communities historically and today (particularly in housing and education), widening disparities among people, and thwarting our mutual interest of environmental and social well-being.
Renae Cairns, Advocacy and Community Engagement Manager
Renae Cairns.
Renae is committed to working at the intersection of sustainable agriculture and equity. Renae graduated from Davidson College with a degree in anthropology in 2014. She has since worked for organizations fighting for food justice, small-scale sustainable farms, innovative food businesses as well as managed a farm-based education program for high school students and young adults with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Renae is excited to return to their home state and support TFFJ’s work of ending food insecurity and cultivating food justice in New York City.
Debbie Chan, Communications and Development Associate
Debbie Chan.
Debbie graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Spring 2019, where she majored in Philosophy, Digital Media & Journalism, and Sociology. As a former copy editor for the John Jay Sentinel and Executive Marketer for Student Council, she found that it is not enough to just be informed about issues and strives to change the system for the better, especially under topics about education and food. She wants to be a ripple in the waves of change around food insecurity by informing and educating others about this important issue.
Michael Sterenberg, Hydroponic Farmer-Educator, Martin Luther King Educational Campus
Michael Sterenberg.
A New York City native, Michael graduated in 2017 from Davidson College with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Upon graduating, he began working in New York’s restaurant industry, gaining service experience at some of the city’s best fine dining restaurants including Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Eleven Madison Park. Inspired by the scale, reach and influence of the top restaurants, he became passionate and curious about learning how food can be leveraged to create change in larger social and environmental contexts, leading to his discovery of TFFJ. He is very excited to be working with students on the farm, and believes it is a tremendous introduction into the world of sustainability and health. In his free time, Michael enjoys playing basketball, reading books in coffee shops, and fermenting all types of food!
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