Staff
Mike Learakos
CEO
Esmeralda Bustos
Executive Assistant
Vittoria Grandis
Strategic Operations Director
Josh Hogan
CFO
Hallie Stohler-Plaza
Alliance Director
Ryan Learakos
Business Development
Stephen Kilgore
Marketing Specialist
Anthony Martinez
Logistics Coordinator
Mikayla Garcia
Regional Program Coordinator
Amanda Bower
Account Coordinator
Theo Clayton
Community Engagement and Research Specialist
Anthony Perez
Outreach Associate
Becky Brown
Outreach Associate
Executive Committee
Joe Bonafede, Board Chair
Prinicpal, Fieldsource
About Joe Bonafede
Joe has spent his entire career in the food service and hospitality industry. He started JoJo’s Pizza Kitchen in 1989 at age 23 and grew the concept to locations in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. In 2011, he assisted his wife in launching Fieldsource Food Systems, Inc., which operates a USDA facility as a food service distribution and processing company focusing on proteins. Joe is active in his church – Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach – currently serving as Chairman of the Finance Council. He was also the former President of the Parish Pastoral Council.
Dave Coffaro, Vice Chair
Principal, Strategic Advisory Consulting Group
Bryan Allred, Immediate Past Chair
Regional President, Southeast Region US Foods
About Bryan Allred
Bryan is a strategic and highly accomplished Sales and Supply Chain Executive with an expertise in anything food related. Shortly after graduating from CEU, Bryan started with Sysco Foodservice where he spent the next two decades helping restaurants, hotels and hospitals meet supply chain demands. During his tenure with Sysco, Bryan became known as an innovator, strategist and genuine leader who was later promoted to President of Sysco Los Angeles and later Market President for the South, overseeing more than twenty billion dollars of annual revenue. After leaving Sysco in December of 2020, he joined the RaaS team, where he is now the Chief Operating Officer. Bryan has helped RaaS surge in the Retail on Demand business and has seen over 50% month-over-month growth since he started.
Bryan has received the honor of Utah’s Finest by Cystic Fibrosis in 2009 where he served on the advisory board. He currently serves on Abound Food Care’s Executive Committee as the Co-Chair, and was on the board for the California Restaurant Association, where he served as Vice Chair until December of 2018.
Maria Pitol, Treasurer
CFO, WorkCare, Inc.
Andrew Wood, Secretary
Senior Counsel, Allen Matkins Leek Gamble Mallory & Natsis
About Andrew Wood
Andrew Wood currently serves as a litigator and senior counsel with Allen Matkins Leck Gamble Mallory & Natsis, not only servicing clients within California but throughout the country. After spending his transformative years at Stanford University where he graduated in 2007 with high honors in history and received his B.A., Andrew went on to UCLA School of Law to pursue a law degree and graduate in 2011. Before attending UCLA he also served as an AmeriCorps construction member with Habitat for Humanity, building homes for underprivileged families throughout Orange County. Andrew continues to be active in his community and parish at Our Lady Queen of Angels where he serves as the current president of the pastoral council. With his extensive education and experience, Andrew brings a necessary skill set to Abound’s Advisory Board as he helps propel our mission and processes for a fruitful future.
Dr. Gregory Warren, Fund Development
Chapman University
About Dr. Gregory Warren
Gregory Warren served the residents, businesses, institutions, and visitors of the City of Orange for nearly two decades as a Senior Administrative Analyst and Administrative Manager with the Public Works and Community and Library Services Departments. Prior to his retirement, his responsibilities included, but were not limited to the management of the department’s budget, solid waste and recycling franchise, solid waste diversion programs, public education, and leadership development programs. Greg received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Minor in Psychology from Cap Poly San Lusi Obispo and his Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership with a Certificate in Organization Development and a Ph.D. in Education with emphasis in Leadership Studies from Chapman University. After completing his dissertation on the topic of Democratic Leadership Development in City Government, he retired from his nearly three-decade career in municipal government and renewed his commitment to teach as a member of the Leadership Studies faculty at Chapman University. In addition to his service as a teacher, he continues to stay abreast of solid waste and recycling challenges and legislation. Specifically, Greg has discovered a connection between his academic research on human behavior and the efficacy of effectively implementing solid waste and recycling programs.
Scott Sanders, Enhanced Procurement
Retired CEO Foodservice & Restaurants – Strategic Advisor Foodbuy USA
Board
Clarence Au-Young
Principal Consultant, Au-Young Consulting
About Clarence Au-Young
Clarence Au-Young brings over 40 years of experience in the aerospace industry, where he honed his expertise in designing and managing complex systems such as the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, as well as commercial and government aircraft programs. He has held leadership roles at companies including Rockwell International, Honeywell Aerospace, and Crane Aerospace, culminating in his position as president of a $500M global business at Zodiac Aerospace.
Clarence’s expertise spans operations, program management, process improvement, strategic planning, merger integration, contract negotiation, and financial management. In 2018, Clarence founded Au-Young Consulting to provide business management services. Recently, he pivoted his business to focus on free career coaching for individuals at the start of their careers or looking to advance, as well as offering free financial literacy classes to youth.
Clarence is also a board director for the Metacomet Group, a manufacturing firm. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Structureal Engineering from Lehigh University, a Master of Science in Control Systems from California State Univeristy, and an MBA from the University of Southern California.
Dr. Ata (Al) Baroundi
Vice President, Food Safety & QA, The Cheesecake Factory, Inc.
About Dr. Ata (Al) Baroudi
Dr. Ata (Al) Baroudi joined The Cheesecake Factory in 2008 with broad experience in the food industry as a quality assurance executive. He is an agricultural engineer with an MS degree in Food Science and Technology / Microbiology from the University of California at Davis, CA. He received his Ph.D. in Food Processing and Technology / Regulatory Affairs from The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. Dr. Baroudi served as the head of QA and Food Safety (Snacks and Dairy) for Borden Foods Company in Columbus, OH, before moving to the west coast as Vice President, Corporate QA/Food Safety and Regulatory/Environmental Affairs for the Vons/Safeway Supermarkets in Arcadia, CA. Dr. Baroudi then served as Vice President of QA and Technical Serbices, Harry & David Corporation, Medford, OR, before becoming the Cheif Scientific, Health, and Regulatory Affairs Officer at Yum! Brands in Lousiville, KY. He later founded and served as President of the Food Safety Institute, International (FS). Dr. Baroudi has lectured around the globe in conferences as a keynote speaker, conducted workshops on Food Safety, introduced HACCP program to develping countries on behalf of the U.S. government, published White Papers on HACCP, and authored many food safety articles in food magazines.
Anthony Boger
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Interfaith Federal Credit Union
Victor Cisneros, M.D.
Emergency Medicine Physician Director of Community Health Outreach Eisenhower Health
About Victor Cisneros, M.D.
Victor Cisneros, MD, MPH, CPH, FAAEM, is an Emergency Medicine faculty member at Eisenhower Health and holds academic appointments as an Assistant Professor at UC Riverside School fo Medicine and California University of Science and Medicine School of Medicine. He is the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Graduate Medical Education and the Director of Community Health Outreac at Eisenhower Health and leads initatives to improve access to care for underserved communities. A graduate of the Univeristy of California, Irvine School of Medicine, Dr. Cisneros was part of the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community (PRIME-LC), a program dedicated to training physicians to serve historically marginalized populations. He also holds a Master of Public Health (MPH), is dual board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Public Health, and completed a Research Fellowship in Population Health and Social Emergency Medicine. His research and work focus on healthcare access, food insecurity, and street medicine outreach. Dr. Cisneros is a leader in Social Emergency Medicine, spearheading programs like the Eisenhower Street Medicine Program and Mobile Care Unit, which provide on-the-ground healthcare to unhoused and underserved populations in the Coachella Valley. He has championed efforts to address food insecurity, including leading screening and intervention programs that have been implemented at UC Irvine Medical Center, CHOC, and now Eisenhower Health. His work in this psace has resulted in multiple publications and policy changes aimed at improving access to nutritional and medical resources for vulnerable patients. Beyond his clinical work, Dr. Cisneros plays an active role in national medical organizations. He serves as Chair of the Latin American Health & Education Committee within the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), where he works on advancing healthcare access for diverse populations. His career is dedicated to enhancing patient-centered care, reducing barriers to healthcare, and mentoring the next generation of physicians in social and community-based medicine.
Manuel Gonzalez
Director of Business Development, Gonzalez Northgate Markets
About Manuel Gonzalez
Manuel is the Director of Business Development for Gonzalez’ Northgate Markets. The Gonzalez family is reconized throughout Southern California as an example of the American dream, having built a dynamic and highly successful supermarket chain from their humble beginnings that started in a single location in Anaheim. Over the years, Northgate Markets has become synonymous with quality, value, and community support. Manuel is an MBA graduate of the Graduate School fo Business at Pepperdine University. In his current role, he has developed a prepared foods program that is considered an industry standard.
Scott Kleckner
Landmark Theaters, Chief Operating Officer
About Scott Kleckner
Throughout his career, Scott Klockner has mastered the art of feeding people, whether it is 150,000 fans at the Kentucky Derby or a board of directors at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Through his work with industry giants like Patina Group, Aramark, Levy Restaurants, Intercontinental Hotels, and now the Disruptive Restaurant Group, Scott has built an impressive reputation as the epitome of excellence and innovation in food service. Scott has brought that same passion and precision to Food Waste Reduction as a means of ending hunger.
Dennis Kuhl
Chairman, Los Angeles Angels
About Dennis Kuhl
Dennis Kuhl will enter his 19th season with the Angels in 2022 after joining the club on November 10, 2003. He was initially appointed as the Angels’ seventh President before a promotion to Chairman on November 14, 2009. He also oversees the Angels’ flagship radio station KLAA AM830. Dennis is actively involved in several Southern California charities. He serves as president of the “Light the Night” event which supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and is a founding board member of The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation/Lott Trophy. He also wroks with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, serving as one of the “Pink Tie Guys,” a select group of advocates speaking out to find a cure for breast cancer. In addition to his advisory board work with Abound Food Care, Dennis serves on the advisory boards of South County Outreach, Anaheim YMCA, Rivals for The Cure, Irvine Public Schools Foundation, and the Angels Baseball Foundation Board of Directors.
Mark Lowry
Director, OC Food Bank
About Mark Lowry
A Co-Founder of Abound Food Care, Mark is director of the OC Food Bank. During his tenure, the quantity of food distributed by the Food Bank has grown from two million pounds per year to over 21 million pounds annually. Over 150,000 vulnerable people now receive food from the OC Food Bank each month. As an advocate, Mark works closely with elected officials on the local, state, and federal levels on issues related to social and economic justice. He works specifically on agriculture and tax policy and improving access to federal nutrition programs.
Mark has served on the Board of Directors and as an officer of several local, statewide and national groups, including having served as President of the California Hunger Action Coalition. In 2015, Mark was named by the Orange County Register as one of Orange County’s 100 Most Influential People. In 2016, he was honored by CLUE with the Architects of Justice, building a Just and Sacred Society Award, and received the Sister Regina Fox Quiet Achiever Award from the Orange County Funders Roundtable.
Jeff Snow
California Regional Manager, DRC Emergency Services
About Jeff Snow
Jeff Snow has been an active leader in business and non-profits for more than a decade in the Orange County area. Jeff is the State of California Regional Manager for DRC Emergency Services, the nation’s leader in Natural Disaster response and recovery. Prior to DRC, Jeff spent 15 years in the solid waste & recycling industry serving as President of Rainbow Disposal, Area Municipal Sales Manager at Republic Services and Vice President at CR&R. Jeff is a recognized environmental thought leader and is noted for his leadership in Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. Jeff Snow has long been an enthusiastic and passionate supporter of making the world better – and making people better – through service to others and non-profit involvement. He is a 7-time Paul Harris Fellow at Rotary International. Jeff’s other honors include Huntington Beach Businessperson of the Year 2016, National Prayer Day Peacemaker Award from the Greater Interfaith Council in 2017, the 2017 Community Leader Spurgeon Award from Boy Scouts of America and Exploring USA, and the Spirit of Volunteerism Award in both 2017 and 2019. Jeff received his MBA and MIM from Thunderbird School of Global Management, where he also earned certificates from studies at Ecole du Commerce in Paris, France. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from California State University Dominguez Hills.
Monica White
Sustainability Manager, Edgar & Associates, Inc.
About Monica White
Monica White is the Sustainability Manager at Edgar and Associates. Monica has over 16 years of experience working in the sustainability arena where she has led teams in developing sustainability programs for a range of companies including waste haulers and processors, aerospace and manufacturing. Monica has played a leadership role in assisting companies to develop strong sustainability and environmental programs, securing grant funding and strategically achieve desired goals, including how to incorporate carbon projects into their businesses to meet their carbon reduction targets. Notably she is a strategic advisor to local governments, non-profit organizations and private enterprises on statewide solid waste regulations, such as SB 1383 and AB 901.
Alexandra Yates
Program Coordinator, Orange Coast College Food Service Management Program
About Alexandra Yates
For over 15 years, Alexandra has traveled many paths in the industry that have always led her back to her community. She has opened and operated several award-winning Orange County restaurants, and currently is the Program Coordinator and full-time Food Service Management faculty member at Orange Coast College. She owns a sustainable foods catering company as well. Alexandra has a degree from The Culinary Institute of America, and a BS and MS in Hospitality Management. She is currently working towards her Ph.D. in Hospitality Management with an emphasis in sustainability from Iowa State University.
