Our Team

President

Thomas has been a lifelong admirer of animals, was raised meat-free and later became a professional advocate in 2014. He has since worked in various initiatives such as corporate outreach, federal state and regulatory advocacy, promotion of Meatless Mondays, leafleting across North America, public speaking, campaigning, community organizing, and more for the animal protection movement.

Secretary

Richa studied electrical engineering at George Mason University and currently works as an electrical engineer. Richa has devoted much of her time to help make the world a better place for animals. Multiple animal protection organizations have awarded Richa with the distinct honor of volunteer of the year. Richa is married to her first love Alex Sonifrank. Her daughter also urges everyone to create a compassionate world for all beings.

Treasurer

Alexandra graduated from the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Determined to help animals with her financial background, Alexandra worked as an international accounting manager for animal advocacy organizations. Alexandra most recently was the Executive Director and Treasurer of a local rabbit rescue. Alex has a passion for cooking and has worked at one of the best plant based restaurants in the mid-Atlantic.

Advisor

Aashish is a leader in the transformational and leadership movement and uses those skills to fulfill his commitment to increasing the scope of the animal protection movement by bringing in new people into it. He has created a partnership with a parent group that's bringing a plant based menu to over 400,000 students. Additionally, he creates "win, win" partnerships between restaurants and organizations that allow the restaurants to access the growing demand of plant based meals. His passion is bringing fun and effectiveness to the movement by training activists to create big partnerships.

Advisor

Plant-based dietician and biomedical scientist, with a postgraduate degree in Hematology and Clinical Analysis.Certified to provide care by the Brazilian Vegetarian Society; she is a member of this organization’s Health and Nutrition Department. Danielle assists individuals in managing Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases. She is a speaker at universities throughout Brazil. She assists the Meatless Monday campaign, where she conducts training sessions to provide diverse audiences with information on how to replace animal products with plant-based options on their plates.

Advisor

Danni is a vegan chef, plant-based nutrition coach, author, and educator. Her brand, DAM Good Vegan is an educational platform dedicated to inspiring and encouraging individuals to choose a plant-based vegan diet for optimal health & overall well-being. She is passionate about making vegan food simple, affordable, and DAM Good! She serves on the board as the Director of Talent, Professionals, and Experts with Preciously Organic Coop, and is the chapter leader of Hip Hop is Green, an international organization that promotes health & wellness by infusing it into hip hop.

Advisor

Gavin aka "Hannibal The Boss" is the host of The Shop on Ryze95.com Radio. Gavin has been a vegan for over 17 years and the reason for choosing plant-based eating was based solely on the documented diseases associated with the consumption of meat, and reading a book, “Why Humans Shouldn’t Eat Meat." Upon embarking on his journey, Hannibal encountered the harsh economics, as a single parent, of eating healthy and the cost associated with eating healthy. Owing to his profession as an Accountant, he started analyzing the cost of not eating healthy, from prescriptions, to co-pays, and high insurance premiums, and concluded that it cost more to not eat healthy than to eat healthy.

Advisor

John Oberg is a social media professional, influencer and animal advocate dedicated to making the world a kinder place for animals by utilizing the power of social media. He recently launched his own independent project for animals through Patreon. Prior to that, John served as Director of New Media and Director of Communications for various organizations in the animal advocacy movement. In both of these roles, John oversaw social media for the organizations which led to a tenfold increase in following in both; as well as over 1 billion views of content posted to these pages respectively.

Advisor

Lauren is the Digital Outreach Manager for NutritionFacts.org, an NPO that strives to deliver unbiased, evidence-based information on optimal nutrition for health to the public. Her background is in digital advertising (with experience in SEO, email strategy and data analysis), and her passion lies in healing through plant-based nutrition. She currently resides in Cape Town, South Africa, where she earned her degree in Commerce, at the University of Cape Town.

Advisor

Manny Rutinel is an attorney from Yale Law School and politician serving as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives for the 32nd district. He assumed office in October 2023. Manny has worked as an Economist for the US Army Corps of Engineers, which included a several month work detail at the Institute for Water Resources as well as a deployment to Puerto Rico as a First Responder after Hurricane Maria. In 2018, Manny interned in farm animal protection movement. Manny holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and minors in Chemistry and Philosophy from the University of Florida. He also holds a Master of Science in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Advisor

Natalie achieved her masters in Public Administration at Virginia Tech University to help animals and the environment by influencing policy.

Advisor

Radhika Gupta graduated from University of Maryland - College Park with a degree in Mathematics and Economics. She was the Co-President of the animal activist club at UMD and worked as an Outreach Intern for a Non-Profit Animal rights organization. In her free time, Radhika works to promote a plant-based life lifestyle through social media efforts and through outreaching events. Radhika works as a Data Analyst for a small advisory firm.

Advisor

Sammy Fries has a background in digital marketing and is an experienced campaigner in animal welfare, plant-based foods, and digital content. He earned his degree in advertising from Florida State in three years. Sammy’s experience spans SEO, blogging, e-mail, mobile marketing, and paid ads. He has acted as a consultant and worked for various socially conscious organizations. Sammy also served as an Engagement Manager for Vox’s Future Perfect section which discussed about big issues through the lens of Effective Altruism. He's happy to bring these skills to help us more effectively reach more people.

Advisor

Sophia Deluz is an animal rights activist and a New York City Grassroots Coordinator building community for the voiceless. She plans events promoting plant-based eating in the United States as well as in Colombia by founding the Vegfest Bogota. Sophia delivers speeches about factory farming and how easily enjoy 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.