Driven by her personal story, Marci has dedicated over two decades to researching the power of food. Her journey began when her daughter, Rachel, was diagnosed with leukemia at two years old, and her husband, Michael, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Marci holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Saint Joseph and a Master’s Degree from the University of Southern Connecticut. She founded Time For Life, a nonprofit for children with cancer and their families, and explored the impact of food on health. She then ventured into private label food production, creating a brand focused on organic, nutrient-dense ingredients, and initiated educational food programs. Marci writes two columns for VIVANT Media Group: The Power of Food, and The Chef’s Table, sharing food stories and insights. Certified in integrative medicine and nutrition for mental health, Marci specializes in nutrition for conditions like depression, anxiety, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. Her mantra, “using food first to power the body and mind,” guides her as Executive Director at East End Food.

Kayla grew up on Long Island and is proud to call the North Fork her new home. In search of wilder places, she moved north towards the Adirondacks to receive a B.S in Conservation Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Her love for plants and nature led her to study permaculture, regenerative farming and herbalism in New York, Oregon, Italy and Hawaii. Eventually finding her way back home in 2016 and putting down roots in Cutchogue while working with Sang Lee Farms and giving back as a community Herbalist. Kayla is very excited to join East End Food and to support this unique local food system.

Debra Halpert is the president and CEO of Monroe East Consulting, a marketing and branding activation company that creates, plans, and facilitates programs and initiatives with companies people, products and services. Prior to launching her company 5 years ago, she was the group publisher of Niche Media leading Hamptons Magazine for over 13 years. During her tenure at Hamptons Magazine, she spearheaded the magazine’s growth in all aspects of its business functions including print and digital sales as well as its marketing platforms. Halpert lives in East Quogue, New York with her husband David Greenberg. She is the mother of three grown children Brittany, Chelsea and Julian Dankner and son in law Lee Jones and step mother of Jason and Melissa Greenberg and grandmother to Ellah and Eli Greenberg.

Cindi Crain is a freelance journalist with extensive media and travel experience. She served on the board of directors of her family’s business-media empire, Crain Communications, for many years; founded the glossy Golf & Travel magazine; and earned a master’s degree from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. She lived in Kenya for 6 years where in 2001 she founded VirginBush Safaris, a conservation-minded safari company in East Africa which she continues to manage from the East End. Cindi also proudly serves on the Transgender and Gender Non-Binary Patient and Family Advisory Council at NYU Langone Health in New York City and serves as a board member of Goat on a Boat puppet theatre in Sag Harbor.

Andrew Mintzer recently retired after spending over 30 years working in various senior executive roles in the financial technology sector. During his career in high growth public companies, he had the opportunity to work across all functions, build high performing teams, establish partnership programs and manage complex vendor and client relationships. Andrew became passionate about East End Food’s mission while volunteering in the kitchen and at East End Food Market. He currently resides in Amagansett with his wife Susan where they enjoy frequent visits from their 3 children.

Anthony Cappa has been providing executive-level management consulting services for more than 20 years. He has wide-ranging experience working with Fortune 500 corporations, nonprofits, and start-up companies. After a corporate career at IBM and Credit Suisse, he worked with several entrepreneurial ventures and served in numerous leadership positions, including CEO and CIO. He has helped organizations with strategic planning, business development, marketing, and raising investment capital. Anthony lives in Sag Harbor and is an advocate for EEFI’s important programs here on the East End. As a member of the Outreach Committee, he has used his skills to help improve marketability for EEFI products.

Sheri Sandler has a deep passion for food that originates from her family’s history in the business of sourcing and selling fish. She has served on numerous nonprofit boards to promote the arts, as well as ensuring safety and empowerment for women and girls of all backgrounds. As a member of East End Food Institute's Board of Directors, Sheri lends her wide array of talents and interests to provide healthy local food to those in need, support local farms and food producers, and grow a network of supporters to help create a better local food system.

Mark-Antonio Smith is a former educator who has taught in the elementary education setting for the past 20 years in Los Angeles, CA, and Brooklyn, NY. During this period, he was given the opportunity to integrate his experiences in agriculture to the school’s existing curriculum. Having taught in both traditional and progressive settings, his experiences have shaped his conviction that children learn more deeply through their own experiences. In 2014, he created The Nurtury For Kids, a nonprofit that strives to create an atmosphere that affords children the opportunity to choose how they interact with regenerative and sustainable agriculture while demonstrating that growing food is possible in many spaces.

A native of the New York metropolitan area, Mark Smith is the managing partner of Honest Man Company based in East Hampton. The restaurant management company operates five unique concepts in the Hamptons including one of the most eponymous restaurants in the Hamptons, Nick & Toni’s, who pioneered the farm to table movement utilizing local bounty. Additional restaurants include: Rowdy Hall, a pub/bistro venture in East Hampton, La Fondita, a Mexican taqueria in Amagansett, Townline BBQ, an authentic BBQ joint in Sagaponack and Coche Comedor, a regional Mexican cuisine restaurant in Amagansett. Honest Man also operates Honest Catering producing memorable events in the Hamptons.

Deborah Van Zijl currently works as a wealth management advisor. She had a lengthy career in banking in New York City and was a partner of a private consulting firm. Deborah earned an MBA from Wake Forest University School of Business and a BA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Originally from North Carolina, her relatives still own an over 100-year-old farm where she experienced farm to table food production firsthand with her grandparents. She currently lives in Southampton, NY with her husband Rick and has two children.