Nutrition and Food Studies

Founder, HealthBarn USA, author Appetite for Life, HarperOne, and Director, HealthBarn Foundation.  Stacey works 24/7 with a team of trained educators on innovative teaching techniques in the field of nutrition education.  Her proprietary curricula teach families about how-to live a healthy lifestyle through cooking, organic gardening and learning why natural foods are best for their bodies.

Gerri Cristantiello is the owner of GC Business Services LLC, a full service association management firm founded in 2002. Her clients are nonprofit trade organizations involved in the food ingredients industry. A number of her clients include the regional sections of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) — New York, Central New Jersey, Philadelphia, Dogwood (NC), and the Southeast (GA, SC, AL) as well as the National Seasoning Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Flour Distributors. Gerri has over 35 years of experience in non-profit trade associations where she held various positions from Programs & Communications Manager to Member Services and Marketing Director. She has also worked for several privately owned small businesses handling administrative, financial, marketing, and sales functions and volunteers on numerous efforts both personally and professionally.

Gerri holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Montclair State University. She also graduated with merit and Dean’s List from Gibbs College and has taken several educational courses, among them an Entrepreneur Program from Bergen Community College.

Marc is Managing Principal of Meyers Consulting, LLC.  He has experience working in New Technology and Ingredient Research for large, multi-national food, functional food and dietary supplement companies.  He has also worked for ingredient suppliers focused on Microencapsulation delivery technologies for food ingredients, flavors and other bioactives. He also has an extensive background in Hydrocolloid Technology.  As part of his consulting, he also is an Expert Witness on numerous cases related to food and supplements. Marc has worked for Wrigley’s, Mars and Mondelēz focused on New Technology and Ingredient Research roles for chewing gum and other confectionery applications.  He has over 35 patents in confection innovation.  He has also been successful in New Technology consulting with companies ranging from small start-ups to major global organizations. Marc has a PhD in Food Science from Rutgers and a BS in Food Science from Penn State.  He is a Certified Food Scientist as recognized by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).

Marc co-founded AeroFarms, the world leader for indoor vertical farming. Recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies and by Time Magazine for Best Inventions in Food, AeroFarms is a mission-driven company and Certified B-Corporation focused on growing the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity. Dedicated to improving our food systems, Marc has been recognized by Produce News for their Vanguard Awards for the Top 35 Innovators Ever Who Have Shaped the Produce Industry and by Eating Well magazine as one of their American Food Heroes.

With his B.A. from Columbia College and M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, Marc is on the Boards for Produce Marketing Association, CEA Food Safety Coalition, and Chefs Collaborative, and is a member of the FDA Romaine Advisory Task Force, Food Systems Advisory Council for the Culinary Institute of America, United Fresh’s Marketing & Merchandising Council, and Columbia University Alumni Advisory Group.

Andy Reichgut is a seasoned executive with 27 years of experience in CPG Brand Management, most recently focused on building healthy food companies that are good for people and the planet. He is currently CEO for dr. Praeger’s, a leading natural frozen foods brand, acquired by Vestar Capital Partners in 2021. Before joining dr. Praeger’s, Andy spent the past 8 years building emerging natural brands, including Violife Vegan Cheese and Veggies Made Great.

Prior to taking on these entrepreneurial ventures, Andy worked at large CPG companies including Pinnacle Foods, M&M Mars and Reckitt Benckiser.

Craig Shelton has over 40 years of experience in science-based cooking and teaching in the hospitality business. He trained in eight of the world’s greatest restaurants, including “El Bulli”, “Jamin”; “Ma Maison”, “L’Auberge de l’Ill”, “Le Pré Catelan”, “Bouley”, “Le Bernardin”, and “La Côte Basque. Chef Shelton has earned countless awards as Chef-Owner of his own restaurants including a James Beard Best Chef medal, NY Times 4-Stars ratings on four separate occasions, a 5-Star Forbes rating, the Relais & Châteaux Grand Chef title; and Number One Top Restaurant in America in 2004 from GQ. Mr. Shelton is also an instructor at Princeton University in the Princeton Environmental Institute, where he teaches a freshman seminar on the interrelationships between public policy, agriculture, diet-related disease and anthropogenic climate change. Mr. Shelton began his expertise in this area while an undergraduate of Yale where he earned his degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. He is a co-founder of the think tank, Princeton Center for Food Studies, the founder of King’s Row Coffee, and a co-founder of Aeon Holistic Agriculture, Inc.