Host of the Awesome Vegans Podcast and Video Series on WGN Radio, Elysabeth Alfano has interviewed the leaders and influencers in the plant-based movement gathering key intel for the past two years in the food, business, environmental and political arenas. She now speaks at food festivals, summits, radio and TV stations across the country as a plant-based expert educating the mainstream public on the benefits of a plant-based diet for people, animals and the planet.
Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, is an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Dr. Barnard has led numerous research studies investigating the effects of diet on diabetes, body weight, and chronic pain, including a groundbreaking study of dietary interventions in type 2 diabetes, funded by the National Institutes of Health, that paved the way for viewing type 2 diabetes as a potentially reversible condition for many patients.
Karyn Calabrese is a renowned living-foodist and holistic health expert. Since the opening of Karyn’s Fresh Corner in 1995, Karyn’s has been dedicated to facilitating natural self-improvement. Over the past two decades, the Karyn’s dining experiences grew to include Karyn’s Raw Bistro, one of the first restaurants in the United States to feature entirely raw cuisine, Karyn’s Cooked, and Karyn’s on Green, both of which featured vegan comfort food.
Jeffrey Spitz Cohan is the Executive Director of Jewish Veg. Jeffrey became a vegetarian in 2007 and a vegan in 2011 after studying what the Torah instructs us about our dietary choices. An experienced public speaker, he worked in print and broadcast journalism for 18 years before starting a second career in Jewish communal service. Jeffrey was the Director of Community Relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh from 2005-2012, then took the helm of Jewish Veg, then known as Jewish Vegetarians of North America, in 2012.
Carol D’Anca became aware of the vast differences in dietary choices within the U.S. early in life, igniting a life-long pursuit of the study of nutrition as it relates to the prevention and reversal of disease. An honors graduate at the University of WI, she earned her Master of Clinical Nutrition Degree at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/The Chicago Medical School. After completing her internship, she became a licensed dietician/nutritionist. Currently Mrs. D’Anca is an active practitioner, author and much sought-after speaker. For more info visit wholehealthlongevity.com
Anne Dinshah coauthored Powerful Vegan Messages with her late father, H. Jay Dinshah, who is widely considered the father of the modern vegan movement in America and promoted 'dynamic harmlessness.' She is the author of Dating Vegans, boldly tackling social issues with stories from real people, insights, and recipes in a book for every vegan in relationship with a non-vegan or anyone who has a vegan friend. She is also the vice president of the American Vegan Society.
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, MD was trained as a surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and has been associated with the Cleveland Clinic since 1961. His pioneering research is summarized in his best selling Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. In July 2014 his study of 200 patients confirms an even larger group can be adherent to plant based nutrition and achieve the same significant arrest and reversal of disease. Currently he directs the Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Reversal Program at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.
Michael Greger, MD, is a physician, New York Times bestselling author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. A founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Greger is licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition. In 2017, Dr. Greger was honored with the ACLM Lifestyle Medicine Trailblazer Award and became a diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.
Robert Grillo is an activist, author and speaker for all species. He is also the founder and director of Free from Harm, a non profit dedicated to helping end animal exploitation, and Slaughter Free Chicago. As a communications professional for over 25 years, Grillo once worked on large food industry accounts where he acquired a behind-the-scenes perspective on food branding and marketing. His book, Farm to Fable: The Fictions of Our Animal-Consuming Culture, explores the powerful narratives driving our culture of mass animal consumption.
Michael A. Klaper, MD, is a vegan clinician and educator, who has authored several articles and books on veganism and medicine. Graduating from medical school in 1972, Klaper became a vegan ten years later and subsequently published three books advocating veganism. He also served as the founding director of the Institute of Nutrition Education and Research.
Vance Lehmkuhl is Director of Communications for the American Vegan Society and serves as News Editor for the organization's magazine, American Vegan. He is also a writer, speaker, cartoonist and musician who has been publishing on vegetarian and vegan topics for decades. This includes many mainstream pieces on vegan eating in Philadelphia City Paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Philadelphia Magazine, as well as more vegan-oriented articles for Vegetarian Voice, the magazine of the North American Vegetarian Society.
Plant-based for over three decades, Victoria Moran was voted “Peta’s Sexiest Vegan Over 50” in 2016, and is listed by VegNews among the Top 10 Living Vegetarian Authors. She made her reputation in the self-help and spirituality genre with books including the international bestseller, Creating a Charmed Life, as well as Shelter for the Spirit and Lit from Within, both of which earned her guest spots on Oprah. In the vegan space, she’s written books including The Love-Powered Diet, The Good Karma Diet, and the iconic Main Street Vegan.
In 1996 Sabrina Nelson was diagnosed with a rare incurable autoimmune disease. After following The McDougall Program by Dr. John McDougall, her disease went into remission. Jeff and Sabrina went on to create VegSource, one of the first vegan-oriented websites on the internet. Team Vegsource has produced events, videos, and a documentary called Processed People about diet and health. Sabrina and Jeff also pioneered the breakthrough Meals For Health program, which brings plant-based education into undeserved areas.
John Robbins is the Co-Founder and President of the Food Revolution Network. He is a best-selling author of Diet for a New America, The Food Revolution, Healthy at 100, and more. He is the recipient of the Rachel Carson Award, the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award, the Peace Abbey’s Courage of Conscience Award, Green America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and many other accolades. John and Deo Robbins have been married for 53 years. They reside in Santa Cruz, CA, and their home is run entirely on solar electricity.
Charles Stahler is Co-Director of The Vegetarian Resource Group and has been a vegan for over 43 years. He is interested in the challenges of ethical entrepreneurship and activism with kindness.
Casey Taft, PhD, is co-owner of Vegan Publishers and Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine. He’s an internationally recognized psychologist and clinical researcher in the area of family relationships and abuse prevention, winning prestigious awards for his work from the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Seth Tibbott is Tofurky's Founder, Chairman, and CEO of thirty-five years. In addition to his work in the food industry, he is the author of In Search of the Wild Tofurky: How a Business Misfit Pioneered Plant-Based Foods Before They Were Cool.
Eloísa Trinidad is a total liberation activist and organizer focusing on animal rights and human rights. She is Co-founder of Vegan Activist Alliance and Executive Director at Chilis on Wheels NY, an organization that works to make veganism accesible to communities in need. She is NYC Chapter President at Hip Hop is Green, and serves on the board of directors at Plant Powered Metro New York. Eloísa co-hosts the LIVEGAN podcast and is a core member at Animal Rebellion.
Jane Velez-Mitchell is the founder and content editor of JaneUnChained, a multi-platform social media news outlet that produces original video content on animals rights and the vegan/compassionate lifestyle. She has won four Genesis Awards from the Humane Society of the United States for her reporting on animal issues. In 2014, she was honored for fighting animal abuse by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. In 2015, she received the Nanci Alexander Award at PETA’s 35th anniversary.
Kim Williams, MD, is Chief of the Division of Cardiology at Rush University and specializes in cardiology, prevention and cardiac imaging. He has served on numerous national committees and boards including serving as the President of the American College of Cardiology, President of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Association of Black Cardiologists. He is also the founder of the Urban Cardiology Initiative in Detroit, Michigan to reduce ethnic heart care disparities.
Eunice Wong is an award-winning actor, writer, editor, teacher, and vegan activist. Her most recent book, in collaboration with Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, was What The Health, the official companion book to the documentary of the same name. She also wrote The Sustainability Secret, the official companion book to the documentary, Cowspiracy. She was a speaker at 2017’s Asheville Vegan Fest in North Carolina, and is currently at work on another vegan film/book project.