John Lyons is a film producer who resides in New York City. As an independent producer, he has worked on many successful films, including BOOGIE NIGHTS, PIECES OF APRIL, AUSTIN POWERS, and SISTERS. From 2003 to 2011, he was the President of Production at Focus Features, overseeing all aspects of production and marketing of popular and award-winning films. Among the films he produced, twelve won Academy Awards and fifty-five received Oscar nominations.
Board
Our Board is comprised of dedicated individuals who are deeply committed to Edible Schoolyard NYC’s mission.
John Lyons
Board Chair
Brett Williams
Vice Chair
Brett Williams directs the community and youth outreach efforts at CreativeFuture, a nonprofit coalition of over 450 companies and organizations and tens of thousands of individual members who advocate for the value of creativity in the digital age. Brett began his career in New York, and spent over a decade in independent film production. Brett has a lifelong passion for food, cooking, and education. He grew up in Texas and Singapore, and currently lives in Los Angeles with his partner and two pugs, Beverly and Carol.
Corbin Day
Treasurer
Eden Werring
Secretary
Eden Werring is a seasoned executive with eighteen years of experience in nonprofit and philanthropic management and strategy. After serving as Executive Director of various nonprofits and foundations, Eden joined Arabella Advisors as Senior Advisor in 2015. Eden is also a writer, currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Sarah Lawrence College, and is at work on her first book, a memoir. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children, one dog, six chickens, and a vegetable garden.
Alison Cayne
In January 2012, Alison Cayne opened Haven’s Kitchen, a cooking school with café and private event space in New York City. Committed to promoting good food policy and community activism, Alison is a guest lecturer at The Institute of Culinary Education and New York University Food Studies Program. A born-and-raised New Yorker, Ali lives in the West Village with her five children and their dog Ivy.
Amanda Fuhrman
Anjali Kumar
Anjali Kumar is an idea acupuncturist, lawyer, traveler, and explorer. She’s held legal positions at Google and Acumen Fund, and most recently she was the founding General Counsel and Head of Social Innovation at Warby Parker. Anjali is also a designer (her handbag line was featured in Vogue) and a writer, with an inaugural book and a comedy series in the works. She lives in New York City and Hudson, NY with her husband, Atul, and daughter, Zia.
Elizabeth Leeds
Elizabeth Leeds has worked as a consultant for nonprofits, served as Director of Development of Common Good, worked in Mozambique on a transfrontier wildlife conservation and ecotourism project, and also found herself serving as COO of an underwater treasure recovery enterprise. She is the mother of a two-year-old daughter and lives in Manhattan with her husband, Jeffrey.
David Maupin
David Maupin was born in California and studied art history at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania. He started his professional career abroad in Italy, where he met Lehmann Maupin Gallery co-founder Rachel Lehmann in 1991. For nearly two decades, Lehmann Maupin has fostered the careers of a diverse group of internationally renowned artists, both emerging and established, working in multiple disciplines and across varied media.
Fernanda Niven
Fernanda Niven is a native New Yorker with a passion for health, wellness, education, and food. Her background is at the intersection of fashion, business, and wellness, and she has held executive roles at Parasol and Vera Wang. She joined the Board of Edible Schoolyard NYC in 2010.
Karen Ratchford
Lela Rose
Lela Rose is a widely recognized fashion designer known for her unique aesthetic of juxtaposing refined elegance with modern whimsy. Born and raised in Texas and having attended school in Colorado, she is inspired by the color palette of the lush outdoors, as well as her passion for food and entertaining. Lela graduated from Parson’s School of Design in 1993, and since then, has established a fresh point of view in American fashion, continuing to redefine a sophisticated, yet modern lifestyle.
Tamyka Smith
Christine Muhlke
Christine Muhlke is the founder of Bureau X, a food and lifestyle consultancy. After years as the executive editor at Bon Appétit, she is now editor at large. She has written cookbooks with Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin, David Kinch of Manresa, and Eric Werner of Hartwood, and contributes frequently to the New York Times, Lucky Peach, Cherry Bombe, and other publications. She lives in New York City and gardens on weekends in Woodstock.