The Team

Slow Food is a grassroots movement.

Our leadership structure starts at the roots, with chapter and community leaders. Each local entity has a board, volunteers and programming that fits with that particular community, all under the framework of good, clean and fair food for all. National working groups tie Slow Food advocates interested in specific topics together with focused goals and calls to action.

National Office

The National Office supports the health and growth of the Slow Food network and serves as a national anchor and organizer for the global Slow Food movement. This all-remote team cultivates nationwide programs and a network of local chapters, hosts educational events and advocacy campaigns, and builds solidarity through partnerships.

Anna Mulè

Executive Director

Anna Mulè

Executive Director

Anna (she/her) joined Slow Food USA in 2016 after working in digital storytelling and teaching multimedia production. She began as the director of communications and campaigns before becoming executive director in 2019. In these roles, she has amplified the voices of the network, introduced national campaigns that promote biodiversity and sustainable agriculture, and developed partnerships with chefs, leaders, companies, and communities around the world. With a master's degree in ethnomusicology and journalism from Indiana University, Anna was first drawn to Slow Food by its joyful combination of food, culture and diversity. She grew up in rural upstate New York, where her family raised turkeys and made their own sausage, and has lived in Vietnam, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea. Now, she lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and young son, a lover of trains and construction vehicles. They spend their free time riding trains, biking and exploring NYC.

Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum

Farm Bill Community Organizer

Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum

Farm Bill Community Organizer

Brett Rapkin-Citrenbaum (she/her) serves as the Farm Bill Community Organizer for Slow Food USA, which means she works with chapters across the country to help them organize for a more just Farm Bill. Brett has a deep passion for farm and food policy and has worked on a number of small, CSA farms, as well as an educator about agriculture and nutrition at Title I schools. Brett also works with the North Carolina Food System Advocacy Coalition to organize around federal food and farm policy, and at Benevolence Farm, a social enterprise in Graham, North Carolina that supports formerly incarcerated women. She also enjoys watching basketball and hiking.

Brian Solem

Director of Communications

Brian Solem

Director of Communications

Brian (he/him) serves as the director of communications for Slow Food USA, which means he oversees all digital channels, marketing/PR and storytelling efforts for the national movement.  He has spent the last 13 years as a nonprofit marketing and communications leader, most recently as the senior director of communications for AIDS Foundation Chicago and the communications co-chair of Getting to Zero Illinois. Food studies and food justice work have been core elements of Brian's life over the last decade: He is the co-founder of food literary journal Graze, a former board member and board vice president of Chicago's Dill Pickle Food Co-op, and an active member and cofounder of Portage Park Mutual Aid, a mutual exchange network in his neighborhood in Chicago.

Colles Stowell

Slow Fish Strategist

Colles Stowell

Slow Fish Strategist

A seafood-loving New Orleans native, Colles is the Slow Fish North America network coordinator and a member of the Oversight Team. As network coordinator, he helps direct the network’s strategic planning efforts, long-term growth and advocacy, gatherings, webinars, and messaging. He co-manages the Rising Tide program, which brings seafood with values discussions to Slow Food communities across the country. He also serves on the Slow Food USA Farm and Food Policy Team. Colles launched the non-profit One Fish Foundation in 2015 to bring the sustainable seafood message into classrooms (from elementary to graduate school) as well as communities. The foundation’s mission: encourage people of all ages to care about where their seafood comes from, how it was harvested or grown, and the benefits of supporting community-based fisheries. He lives and works on the ancestral lands of the Wabanaki people in Yarmouth, Maine.

Dan Mueller

Equity, Inclusion and Justice Strategist

Dan Mueller

Equity, Inclusion and Justice Strategist

Dan (she/her or they/them) serves as the Equity, Inclusion and Justice (EIJ) Strategist for Slow Food USA. Dan has been in the nonprofit sector for her entire career, working with over 20 nonprofits and volunteering with both AmeriCorps and the United States Peace Corps. Her degree in Intercultural Communication and desire for cultural exchange has sent her to Belize, Jamaica and Puerto Rico to support grassroots community development initiatives in education, agriculture and sustainability. Dan is currently a graduate student at the University of San Diego, pursuing a Master of Arts in Peace & Justice at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies.

Deion Jones

Director of Network Engagement

Deion Jones

Director of Network Engagement

Deion (he/him) serves as the Director of Network Engagement for Slow Food USA, which means he leads efforts in network growth, troubleshooting, and providing tools to network leaders and members.  Food has been, and continues to be, a passion for Deion throughout his academic and professional endeavors. Both his undergraduate, from Florida Gulf Coast University, and graduate work, from University of Oregon, centered on food, focusing on sustainable sourcing and immigrant identity through food, respectively. Beyond academia, Deion dedicates his time to seeing as many corners of the food realm that he studied, from urban and rural farms and food banks with Feeding America, to public health and one of the best farm-to-table fine dining establishments in the world, Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Gabriela Hasaj

Programs Coordinator

Gabriela Hasaj

Programs Coordinator

Gabriela (she/her) is Slow Food USA's programs coordinator, which means she assists the director of programs with all aspects of the programs department, from helping to run meetings to managing timelines of overlapping projects and events. Gabriela is a first-year law student at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, where she is pursuing an advanced certificate in both environmental and international law. She hopes to build a career in the food and agricultural sector supporting communities through economic development, international cooperation, and environmental sustainability. Gabriela spent most of her childhood growing up in Vermont, where she taught snowboarding at Stratton Mountain for seven seasons. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and a Paralegal Certificate from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Through Marist’s Freshman Florence Experience, she had the pleasure of studying at the Lorenzo de’Medici Italian International Institute. She also spent a semester studying at American University in Washington, DC through the Washington Semester Program. While in DC, she interned in Representative Sean Patrick Maloney’s office on Capitol Hill. During her undergraduate years, she also worked as a Grant Manager for a local bilingual media network called ABC Latino and spent most summers interning as a Paralegal for an immigration attorney. Upon graduation, she accepted a position at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a foreign policy think tank headquartered in New York City. In addition to English, Gabriela is fluent in Polish, Spanish, Italian and French.

Makiah Josephson

Communications Coordinator

Makiah Josephson

Communications Coordinator

Makiah (she/her) serves as the communications coordinator for Slow Food USA, which means she assists the director of communications with digital channels and content for the organization. She gained a strong passion for global cuisine and world travel after exploring new countries and learning to cook different cuisines. Makiah is from Diamond Bar, California, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Communication through Southern New Hampshire University. She has spent the past five years involved in study abroad and volunteering in Europe and Southeast Asia. She joined a Swedish immigrants' organization called New to Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic and contributed her skills to their social media and marketing team. Makiah hopes to pursue a second master’s degree in gastronomy in the future.  

Mara Welton

Director of Programs

Mara Welton

Director of Programs

Mara (she/her) serves as the director of programs for Slow Food USA, which means that she cultivates, develops and hosts nationwide programs and campaigns while coordinating and collaborating with global network leaders. Food production and access has been Mara’s passion for over 30 years as a farmer/chef business owner and community organizer. She volunteered abroad with the United States Peace Corps and US AID working towards village food sovereignty. Mara is based in Vermont and has served on many local boards, most recently the board of Helping And Nurturing Diverse Seniors, connecting seniors to healthy and culturally relevant food. Mara’s 20 year career in farming brought her to Slow Food with the campaign for Biodiversity and the Ark of Taste. She served for 10 years as the Chapter President of Slow Food Vermont and Regional Councilor for Slow Food USA. She currently owns and operates a seasonal food cart celebrating her native American Southwest.

Patricia Hennessy

Development Manager

Patricia Hennessy

Development Manager

Patricia (she/her) serves as the development manager for Slow Food USA, which means she leads fundraising efforts and cultivation strategies for the organization and serves as a resource for chapters and communities. Patricia has worked in the nonprofit sector for 20 years doing program management and leading fundraising efforts focused on public health and education. For the past six years she has worked as an independent consultant on an array of projects exclusive to small and mid-scale food and farming operations helping clients on business development strategies, finances and marketing. Patricia holds a Master’s in Public Administration degree from Seattle University (2000) and in 2016 earned a Certificate in Education focused on edible curriculums from Antioch University Seattle.

Councilors

Regional councilors (known as “Governors” until March 1, 2022) coordinate the Slow Food community at regional level, with the goal of growing and energizing the chapters, members and supporters in their state. Regional councilors also help coordinate regional and state activities. Some regional councilors may have specific programmatic or thematic representations on the regional and/or national level. If you’re interested in considering this role or if you have questions about Slow Food activities, please email chapters@slowfoodusa.org.

Rocky Mountain/Southwest

Texas: Kim Aman
Arizona: Molly Beverly
Colorado: Jodi Popma
Nevada: Shirley Sandoval
New Mexico: Lissa Johnson

Pacific

California: Ian McFaul (Bay Area)
Hawaii: Laurie Carlson
Washington: Kim Abrams-Marshall

National councilor support: Shelu Patel

INTERNATIONAL COUNCILORS

USA: Bilal Sarwari
Canada: Bobby Grégoire
international-councilors@slowfoodusa.org

National Board of Directors

The National Board of Directors provides governance to the organization and proper fiduciary oversight; aligns mission and purpose that articulates the organization’s goals, means, and primary constituents served; participates in any  planning processes for SFUSA and assist in implementing and monitoring the plan’s goals; determines which programs and campaigns are consistent with SFUSA’s mission and monitor their effectiveness and clearly articulates the organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public and garner support from the community in order to enhance SFUSA’s public standing.