Leadership Team

Founder

Ben Simon, Executive Director

Ben S. is a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park studying government and politics and nonprofit management.  He brings four years of nonprofit experience, and 22 years of not being able to stand good food going to waste. He is also the Founder of MyMaryland.net, Co-founder of The Love Movement, and a former opinion columnist for The Diamondback. Ben likes songwriting, swimming, Indian food, long walks at 2am, and pick-up volleyball. He is excited at the amazing opportunity to scale Food Recovery Network across the country, and sees it as part of a larger movement toward a sustainable, socially just, and prosperous way of life.

Co-Founders

Komal Ahmad

Komal graduated from the University of California at Berkeley, during the spring of 2012 with degrees in International Health and Development and Global Poverty and Practice. She will be returning to her Alma Mater as a Visting Scholar and full-time researcher in Autumn 2012. Komal is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of BareAbundance, Founder and ED of Feeding Forward, and Co-Founder of the Food Recovery Network. All of these nonprofits are innovative in their approaches to improving access to healthy food and nutrition, while simultaneously curtailing hunger and food waste in America. Her food recovery initiatives are currently in full-force on 15 colleges and universities, 2 of which are present in the UK. Upon returning to Berkeley she plans to launch another non-profit, and tech start-up company, which she hopes to expand to college and university campuses nationally.

Andrew Bresee

Andrew is a senior at the University of Maryland College Park majoring in environmental science and technology and minoring in sustainability. Andrew was on the very first leadership team at UMD and helped with the expansion to the original three chapters. In spring 2012 Andrew Bresee and Ben Simon competed in the Pitch Dingman and the Do Good Challenge, winning FRN over $7,000. Andrew joined the national leadership team this same semester and has been an active member ever since.

Ben Chesler

Ben C. is a young social entrepreneur who believes in the power of dedicated people to change the world. Ben is a student at Brown University, where he is involved in a host of social ventures. Over the past five years, Ben has gained experience from his work in various fields, from political organizing to nonprofit management, having worked for multiple political campaigns and serving as Chief Financial Officer of a non-profit for three years. Currently, Ben leads the Brown University chapter of the Food Recovery Network. Ben is extremely excited to be working with the committed team members of the Food Recovery Network! When he's not working on a social venture, you can probably find Ben hanging lights in a theater, or off in the woods somewhere hiking and reconnecting with nature.

Rebecca Kagan

Rebecca is a senior at Brown University studying Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a focus on nonprofit organizations. During her time at Brown she has been involved with a variety of social action groups and social enterprises on campus. For a year, she co-coordinated Rainwater for Humanity; a Brown based student-run social enterprise that redesigned rainwater-harvesting structures in rural India. Outside of Brown, Rebecca has worked at several nonprofits, including everything from a refugee resettlement organization to a nonprofit consulting firm. When not helping to run a startup, Rebecca babysits, studies religion, and reads fantasy novels.

Nicholas Murphy

Nick (Pomona College, '13) started coordinating the Food Rescue program at Pomona College as a Sophomore, taking over from Tammy Zhu, '10, who started the program in 2008 with funds from a Strauss Public Service Grant. Food Rescue became a founding chapter of the Food Recovery Network in January 2012. Nicholas is a Molecular Biology major and plans to become a research doctor. In his free time, Nick loves to rock climb, hike and cook.

Mia Zavalij

Mia is cofounder and co-president of the Food Recovery Network chapter at the University of Maryland. She is studying Anthropology, minoring in Sustainability. Mia loves playing an active role with student groups on campus and loves seeing students play such an active role in making their community a better place. She has been involved with a 2 other nonprofits and has played multiple roles in both of them. Mia is grateful to work with such an amazing Food Recovery Network team and is looking forward to the continued growth of the organization. Her passions lie in sustainability, social justice, environmental justice alongside fighting food waste.

Founding Members

Lauren Behgam

Lauren is a student at Brown University pursuing a double concentration in Urban Studies and Environmental Studies. Lauren was an original member of Brown’s FRN leadership team and she is now a member of the national leadership team. In July of 2012, Lauren represented FRN in the first ever Banking on Youth “Changemaker” competition, where she won the grand prize and $15,000 to help grow FRN. Other than working with FRN, Lauren enjoys dancing and laughing!

Dana Del Vecchio

Dana is an engaged, socially active college student who understands the responsibility each young person has to engage with today's leading problems - and the power that can come from just one person. Her year volunteering for Americorps in 2010/2011 solidified her commitment to be part of change, and she has tried to transfer that passion and commitment into her efforts at FRN. Right now she's a sophmore at the University of Michigan - dual majoring in Political Science and Middle East and North African studies. At school, she leads the University of Michigan FRN chapter, attends weekly bible studies, and writes as a freelance writer when she can. In addition, she loves interacting with new people and striking up conversations on topics ranging from music concerts to lessons learned from life experiences. She has loved giving time to this organization, and she stands behind the mission and fellow leadership members 100%.

Communication Director

Hokuma Karimova 

Hokuma graduated with a Master's degree in Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility from EOI in Madrid, Spain. Her final thesis focused on the problem of food waste in the retail sector of Spanish supermarkets, and opened her eyes to the vast environmental problems this phenomenon is causing. Upon her graduation Hokuma was motivated to continue her work towards reducing the waste of edible food, saving the planets valuable resources and keeping people well nourished. When she has some free time, she likes to fill it with music, dancing, friends and food!