NZWC - Speakers

Speakers

Keynote: Dr. Tammara Soma, Research Director and Co-Founder of the Food Systems Lab and Assistant Professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University

Dr. Tammara Soma MCIP RPP is an Assistant Professor at the School of Resource and Environmental Management (Planning program) at Simon Fraser University and Research Director of the Food Systems Lab. Originally hailing from Indonesia, she conducts research on issues pertaining to food loss and waste (FLW), food system planning, food access, and the circular food economy. Dr. Soma is a Co-editor of the Routledge Handbook of Food Waste, and co-founder of the International Food Loss and Food Waste Studies group, a global network of food loss and waste researchers and practitioners. Dr. Soma was selected as a committee member of the US National Academies of Sciences and co-authored the consensus study A National Strategy to Reduce Consumer Food Waste. In 2021, the Food Systems Lab was recognized as one out of the four women-run projects that are redefining agriculture by the Canadian Organic Grower.

Erin Nichols, Senior Project Manager, City of Vancouver, Circular Food Innovation Lab

For over 25 years Erin Nichols has worked in the small business and non-profit sectors to optimize the local food system. She’s a Founder of the Vancouver Farmers Markets, was the Promotions Supervisor at SPUD, and the Food Quality and Sustainability Manager at a food bank. Now, at the City of Vancouver, she is the Senior Project Manager with Solid Waste Strategic Services, where her work to address wasted food is guided by the City’s Zero Waste 2040 strategy. Rather than piling solutions onto an already too complex food system, she is interested in getting to root causes.

Jonathan Rodrigue, CEO, Still Good

Jonathan Rodrigue is the co-founder and CEO of Still Good, a proudly carbon-negative circular economy company whose mission is to upcycle ingredients - primarily grains and cereals - to reduce food waste. Jonathan has an extensive background in implementing innovative sustainable food and responsible sourcing programs in partnership with large corporations, retailers, and social enterprises. With over 15 years of experience in business development, his expertise in the field has led him to envision a new model for the agri-food industry where the circular economy and responsible consumption are emphasized. While leading Still Good since 2017, his innovations in the circular economy have won multiple recognitions. Jonathan has been a guest speaker and panelist showcasing food waste reduction and sustainability initiatives on numerous occasions in addition to receiving PMI Montreal's Elixir award as the project manager of a national initiative to reduce food waste at retailers.

Rebecca Tran, Managing Partner, The Station Food Hub

Rebecca Tran is the co-founder of The Station Food Hub Company, a purpose led business located in Newport Station, Nova Scotia. She believes in re-localizing the food system and the power of institutional procurement. The mission of The Station is to connect local farms, food, and people using a business model that creates value from diverted food waste, food by-products, and surplus food. This business model has been recognized as an innovation solution in Canada’s Food Waste Reduction Challenge. Rebecca grew up in Nova Scotia and studied Nutrition at Acadia University. She is a registered dietitian and has a Masters in Health Administration from the University of British Columbia. She has worked as a public health dietitian in both Vancouver and rural Nova Scotia for 18 years and her area of expertise is in community food security, the food system, and improving the food environment through larger system change.