Founder and President

Margarita Restrepo

Margarita is the founder and editor-in-chief of the award-winning plant-based nutrition magazine, Naked Food. She is a recipe developer, Naked Food Chef, author of the Naked Food Cookbook, and co-author of the Master Plants cookbook. Margarita is a visionary, altruist, and activist for humanity and planet Earth.  She envisioned WFPB.ORG in 2013, as part of her plan of action to change the status-quo.  Her goal is to join together human and environmental health into a self-sustainable approach to living. Margarita holds a double major in Design and Marketing and is certified in plant-based nutrition.

Chief Compliance Officer

David Albrecht

David Albrecht is an accomplished and well respected senior executive with great experience as a team leader, managing multi-disciplinary teams.  The co-owner of multiple vegan businesses, David is also an expert on tax law and compliance, and worked for several years as an analyst for the IRS. 

Chief Financial Officer

Glenn Cusano

Glenn has vast experience in the areas of leadership as well as financial and operational planning, analysis, and performance. An experienced airline finance and commercial leader, Glenn is also the Senior Vice President of Finance and Treasury for JetBlue Airlines.  Mr. Cusano is a certified public accountant and a graduate of Quinnipiac College.

Chief Marketing Officer

Joe Heller

Joe Heller is a thought leader in marketing and branding strategy purposely advocating for enterprises with humanitarian objectives. As a growth strategist, Joe’s expert and diverse background allow him to advise startups and on-going enterprises on how to expand the reach of conscious offerings to evolve into an E3 [efficient, effective and excellent] enterprise while strengthening tribal consumer influence.

Purposely didactic with the objective to enable this ‘living enterprise’ as a change agent for the greater good to create a new more compassionate worldview. Joe is a humanitarian entrepreneur and strategic advisor, angel investor, activist, and Plant-based lifestyle advocate.

Advisor

T. Colin Campbell, PhD.

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, is a scientist known worldwide by many as the “father of science” of the fast-growing nutritional plant-based movement thanks to being one of the pioneers in education and research in nutrition. His legacy, The China Study, is one of the most comprehensive studies ever conducted on health and nutrition. Through his immense work, Dr. Campbell has inspired thousands of leaders and patients around the world to change their lifestyles and implement clinical and public health programs to not only prevent but successfully reverse chronic degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis among others.

T. Colin Campbell PhD., is the Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, author of over 300 research papers, co-author of Whole: Rethinking The Science Of Nutrition, and the international best-seller The China Study. 

Advisor

Caldwell B. Esselstyn, MD.

Caldwell B. Esselstyn, MD., is a trained surgeon from the Cleveland Clinic and the St. George’s Hospital in London, author of the book Prevent & Reverse Hearth Disease, and director of the cardiovascular prevention and reversal program at The Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.

Advisor

John McDougall, MD.

John McDougall, MD., is a board-certified internist, author of 11 national best-selling books including The Starch Solution, host of the television show “McDougall M.D.,” and medical director of the 10-day, live-in McDougall Program.

Advisor

Dean Ornish, MD.

Dean Ornish MD is the president and founder of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, as well as Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.  Dr. Ornish is the author of six books, all national bestsellers.  He is a revolutionary thought leader in healthcare and medicine, proving through 35 years of research studies that comprehensive lifestyle changes can improve chronic conditions and transform lives.

Advisor

Michael Greger, MD.

A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Michael Greger, MD, is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues.  He has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, testified before Congress, and was invited as an expert witness in the defense of Oprah Winfrey in the infamous “meat defamation” trial. In 2017, Dr. Greger was honored with the ACLM Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award. He is a graduate of Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine. His latest book How Not to Die became an instant New York Times Best Seller. He has videos on more than 2,000 health topics freely available at NutritionFacts.org, with new videos and articles uploaded every day. All proceeds he receives from his books, DVDs, and speaking engagements is all donated to charity.

Advisor

Pamela Popper, ND., PhD.

Dr. Pam Popper is a naturopath, an internationally recognized expert on nutrition, medicine and health, and the Executive Director of The Wellness Forum. Dr. Popper is the author of several books; her most recent is Solving America’s Healthcare Crisis.   She is the Founder of The Wellness Forum Foundation, which offers programming in schools designed to improve children’s health through better nutrition.

Dr. Pam Popper is a straight-talking professional who is not afraid to criticize national health organizations, government agencies, medical professionals, pharmaceutical companies, agricultural organizations and manufacturing companies, many of whom have agendas and priorities that interfere with distributing truthful information and promoting public health.

Advisor

Michael Klaper, MD

Michael A. Klaper, M.D. is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. He received postgraduate training in internal medicine, surgery, anesthesiology, and orthopedics at University of British Columbia teaching hospitals in Vancouver and obstetrics at the University of California at San Francisco. He has practiced acute care medicine in Hawaii, Canada, California, Florida and New Zealand.

Far more fulfilling to him is his current practice, focusing on health-promoting food and lifestyle choices to help people prevent the need for hospitalization and surgery. He has authored numerous articles on plant-based nutrition and is authoring a book on using plant-based medicine to arrest and reverse disease.

A long-time radio host and a pilot, Dr. Klaper has served as nutrition advisor to NASA’s programs for space colonists on the Moon and Mars and on the Nutrition Task Force of the American Medical Students Association.

Dr. Klaper has been featured in several films focused on health and sustainable living, including the award winning “Diet For A New America”, “What the Health”, and “Cowspiracy.”

To improve his own health, and to minimize suffering of sentient beings, Dr. Klaper adopted a plant-based diet in 1981. He makes the latest information on health and nutrition available through his website, DoctorKlaper.com, where visitors can find the numerous videos and DVDs he has produced, as well subscribe to his free newsletter, “Medicine Capsule.”

Advisor

Will Tuttle, PhD.

Dr. Will Tuttle, visionary educator and musician, is the author of the international best-seller, The World Peace Diet. A former Zen monk and recipient of the Courage of Conscience Award, he is cofounder of The Worldwide Prayer Circle for Animals and is a vegan since 1980.

Global Ambassador

Torre Washington

Torre Washington is a professional bodybuilder, National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Coach, sprinter, and animal lover. From a young age, he became fascinated by the human body and began sculpting his own body with a dumbbell and a bench.

Torre has won numerous bodybuilding awards, including from Musclemania Pro, the Arnold Classic, the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation, IFPA PRO, the National Physique Committee, and SNBF. In 2013, he won 1st Place at the Musclemania Universe Open Bodybuilding Competition.

Global Ambassador

Derek Tresize

Derek is a four-time natural bodybuilding champion as well as a WNBF and NFF Pro Men’s Physique Athlete. He is also an A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist,  is certified in Plant-Based Nutrition, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Derek and his wife are the team behind Vegan Muscle and Fitness, where they have shared their training and nutrition tips, recipes and more since 2009. Owners of Richmond, Virginia’s only plant-based personal training studio, Root Force Personal Training, the pair seeks to promote a fit and active plant-powered lifestyle and shatter the perception that strength and athleticism can’t be achieved with a plant-based diet.

Global Ambassador

Tally Spear

Tally Spear is an acoustic folk / pop singer songwriter based in London, UK.

Global Ambassador

Matt Frazier

Matt is an author, entrepreneur, and vegan ultramarathoner, best known as the founder of the No Meat Athlete movement. Matt’s work has been featured in books including Rich Roll’s Finding Ultra, Brendan Brazier’s Thrive Foods, Seth Godin’s What to Do When It’s Your Turn, and Heather Crosby’s YumUniverse; print magazines such as Runner’s World, Trail Runner, and Canadian Running; and online publications including the Huffington Post, Forbes, Business Insider, WebMD, Shape, and Competitor. His books have been published in five languages and sold more than 80,000 copies around the world, and Sports Illustrated named The No Meat Athlete Cookbook one of its 7 Best Health & Wellness Books of 2017. Matt lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.

Global Ambassador

Xiomara Xibillé

Lecturer, writer, columnist and international consultant on issues of Integral Wellbeing, Self Development, Feminine Empowerment and Exponential Leadership.

Yoga teacher with training in Raja Yoga, Kundalini Yoga and Soul Flow.  Certified as a trainer in Ayurveda and Integrative Health at the California College of Ayurveda. Certified in Plant-based Nutrition and Detoxification at The School of Plant Nutrition’s, Fred Busch. Certified Therapist in Raw Food from the Ann Wigmore Institute of Natural Health.

Author of the book Estar Bien, wellness practices for a life in balance, of the Grijalbo Vital stamp from Editorial Penguin Random House. Columnist of Integral Wellbeing for Consciousness Magazine, European digital magazine. Producer and director of the radio program Estar Bien con Xiomy on Radio Online Colombia. Presenter and producer of Estar Bien program in TV format with Telepacifico.

Chief Strategist

Michele Lastella

Michele Lastella is a filmmaker and sustainability expert, co-author of Naked Food Magazine’s Master Plants Cookbook. He is the founder of Sustainable Media, a multimedia company focused on uncovering information through investigative research. Michele is a Reiki Master and a producer of biodynamic wine and olives. Michele is working to bring the whole food, plant-based message to Italian speakers and is the director of WFPB.ORG Europe. He is a graduate from the National Academy Of Dramatic Art in Italy, a theater and film writer, and a professor at the New York Film Academy.

Certification Director

Toni Abbruzzese

Toni has spent her entire 22-year career in the fields of product development, marketing, supply chain and operations of consumer packaged goods, particularly cosmetics, skin care and nutrition products. She is the principal of Inventive Product Group, a firm that takes concepts and ideas into finished products through positioning and product development. Toni holds a degree in Business with an emphasis on Marketing and International Business from California State University. She has also earned a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.

Director of Operations

Sig Hernandez

Sigfrido Hernández developed a passion for the animals, the land and the ocean but it wasn’t until later in life that he understood the powerful connection between food choices, human and environmental health, and the tragic fate of billions of animals. In 2006 he co-founded The Food Pharmacy to help educate the community on the best nutritional and lifestyle choices for a sustainable and healthy future for all species. His expertise is in project management, work process development, scheduling and productivity improvements. Sig holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University, a M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland and an Environmental Engineering course work from the University of Florida.

Content Editor

Denise DeSerio

Denise DeSerio is the Senior Copy Editor for Naked Food Magazine. She also assists with editing Naked Food’s media and cookbooks including the Master Plants Cookbook. Denise is an avid proponent of the plant-based lifestyle and has served as Executive Director of her local animal rights group. She has an Associate Degree in Commercial Art and also contributes her knowledge and experience with restaurant menu-writing and her love of cooking good, healthful food.

Naked Food Español & Fulfillment Director

Augusto Restrepo

Augusto is a retired chemical engineer. He is the copy editor for Naked Food en Español and he is an expert in Spanish translation and grammar.Augusto’s grandfather actually participated in the building of the original Spanish Dictionary from the Royal Academy of Language in Spain.  Augusto is also the Fulfillment Director for both Naked Food magazine and WFPB.ORG.

Culinary Medicine

Chef Niyireth Gil

Niyireth is an internationally-trained chef with extensive experience in whole food, plant-based baking as well in culinary-related aromatherapy and reflexology. She is also an expert in culinary sustainability including recycling, green product management, and composting.

She is a cooking instructor in community kitchens helping children, seniors, and animals while educating everyone about ethical and coherent consumption of food and products. Niyireth is adamant about serving others as the main purpose of life by promoting positive learning around the world.

Niyireth is a recipe developer of authentic WFPB Latin American cuisine for Naked Food Magazine and a Culinary Medicine Advisor for WFPB.ORG.

Scientific Research

Carolina Rojido, MD., MHA.

Carolina is a physician in a non-clinical career path. She has and impressive background and has worked for 9 years in cancer and geriatrics medical research in the United States and she is currently a medical writer based in the south west of France. She speaks three languages fluently.  She strongly believes the WFPB lifestyle is the best way of improving human health and protecting life on earth in general.

Christopher Levy, MD.

Christopher A Levy was born and trained in London, England, and studied medicine at St. George’s Hospital Medical School, University of London. He also has a degree in Pharmacology from King’s College, University of London. He subsequently trained emergency medicine, in which he now practices. He enjoys golf, cricket, photography, music and vegan cooking, and is passionate about teaching others how to live a healthier lifestyle.

Executive Aid

Ana Maria Perea

Ana Maria is a professional neuropsychologist graduated from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia, and the Higher Institute of Psychological Studies in Spain. She has years of experience in the coordination of work teams, management of productive indicators, strategic communication, coordination of social networks, as well as collection and comprehensive user retention to achieve marketing goals. Ana Maria is an activist for animals as well as nutrition and environmental health through a whole food, plant-based diet.

Certification

Milena Chaves

Milena is a professional psychologist. She is currently studying and practicing Mindful Eating in order to help others understand and manage the link between eating habits and emotions. She also has experience in training programs, communication, and teamwork.

She became vegan because of her love for all animals and upon learning the scientific evidence behind a WFPB lifestyle, she found a clear and solid understanding on the co-relation between the health of body, mind, and spirit.

Kris Weller, JD, PhD.

After many years of researching, teaching, and advocating on behalf of disenfranchised humans and other animals, Kris came to the realization that being the change she wants to see in the world starts with fully embracing the WFPB lifestyle as a means of self- and other-care. She’s excited to be helping make it easier for others to take this step for themselves, those they love, and the planet.

Culinary Medicine

Chef Camilo Zárate

Camilo is a professional Chef specialized in whole food, plant-based cuisine. He obtained his professional chef degree in Commercial Cookery and Catering Operations in Melbourne, Australia, and complemented his studies in Hospitality Management. Camilo’s experience extents to the Hilton Hotels as well as renowned international restaurants including Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen, Chef Harry Sasson, Takami Restaurant Group, and Abasto Restaurant

He directed the gastronomy program at the Escuela Taller De Bogotá, a foundation focused in training vulnerable young adults from the war conflict, and has volunteered with the local government educating street vendors on healthier food choices. He is the creator and founder of the restaurant Suburbio BioGastronomy, -healthy meals with fresh, local, organic, fair trade ingredients- and offers WFPB cooking classes and consulting for the hospitality industry.

He also helped transform the meals of a Montessori kindergarten into healthy ones while creating a school garden to involve children and their parents in the art of healthy eating. His main focus is enhancing people’s lives through flavorsome healthy foods and empowering them benefit from them. Camilo is a Culinary Medicine advisor to WFPB.ORG and has a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center For Nutrition Studies and eCornell.

Margot Freitag

Diana Esguerra, MD.

Diana Inés Esguerra, MD., is a surgeon from the National University of Colombia, specialized in Emergency and Intensive Care, as well as alternative therapies. She has dedicated herself to clinical practice with therapeutic success for more than 20 years, having as fundamental basis whole food, plant-based nutrition for the prevention and reversal of chronic diseases. Dr. Esguerra is an expert in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, and quantum medicine, among others. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Colombian Vegetarian Society and of the Association of Medical Researchers in Alternative Therapies (ASMIT).

Sustainability

Fabian Pulido

Fabian has 10 years of business experience in personalized service, attention to detail, and operations of international cuisine restaurants. He also creates avant-garde cocktails and functional drinks base don whole plants, fruits, and vegetables.

He is an activist for animals and the environment, especially water and marine fauna, water use and resources, and their influence in the planet.  He also spreads the plant-based lifestyle message through sport, gastronomy, and the use of ecological products and services. He is founder and partner of the Vegan Soccer Team in Bogotá, Colombia.

Matthew Sikora

Matthew Sikora is a passionate vegan educator since 2011. While teaching Computer Science at the United States Naval Academy, he created a club called “The Green Classroom” which focused on sustainable living and veganism. Matthew recently moved to Mississippi and was elected to serve on the board of Jackson, Mississippi’s Rainbow All Organic Food Co-op in 2016. Matthew has been in Computer Science and Information Technology for the past 13 years. He enjoys regular vegan tabling at street fairs and giving talks at schools.  

Education

Vanessa Marquez

Vanessa Marquez, is an entrepreneur, mother, and motivator for a plant-based, healthy, and sustainable lifestyle for the whole family. She has been traveling the world for more than 13 years, learning other cultures and experiences that lead her to live currently in Dubai with her husband and son.

She spreads the message through social networking, talks, and cooking demonstrations. She has followed a plant-based diet for more than 7 years. Suffering from autoimmune hypothyroidism, her healthy lifestyle, mind, body and spirit, has inspired her to share her experience with others.

Vanessa is a plant-based recipe developer of plant based lunch boxes for children, and she is certified in Plant-based Nutrition by T. Colin Campbell Center For Nutrition Studies.

Sophia Deluz

Sophia Deluz is an animal rights activist and the New York City Grassroots Director of The Humane League, a top-rated charity. She plans events promoting veganism in the U.S. and Colombia and delivers speeches about factory farming and how to choose a compassionate diet.She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Media from New York University and currently lives in Manhattan with her companion cat, Timoteo.  Follow her on Instagram here: @sophiadeluz

Leah Majeski

Leah Majeski is a graduate of The University of Alabama where she earned a degree in Marketing and Communications while playing for UA’s softball team all four years. Since graduating in 2007 she has continued to be involved with softball as a coach and mentor. In 2012 she changed her life to live WFPB for the environment and the animals and has never looked back. Leah has built a promotional product marketing company from the ground up and is dedicated to changing the world one organic sustainable product at a time. She believes every business can get the products they need to best promote their brand while not doing harm to the planet and all its living beings.

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ~ Maya Angelou

Sustainability

Edgar Camacho

Edgar Camacho is an ecologist, environmental administrator, and environmental law specialist. He is the director of the Green Life Ecological Foundation “Fevive” and Ambassador of the Union Project Foundation. Advisory member of the accidental animal commission of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia, and promotes in partnership with other organizations the protection and welfare of wild and domestic animals.

He is a lecturer in geo-physiology, sustainability, socio-environmental impact and strategies for pedagogy and eco-environmental communication. He practices social communication with an emphasis on environmental journalism and produces radio programs on topics of science, ecology, education, culture and environmental health.