Kristen Lee
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Kristen Lee (They/Them)
Director of Business Initiatives
Austin, TX
Kristen Lee serves as the Director of Business Initiatives, leading ReFED's work on the voluntary, pre-competitive collaboration of the U.S. Food Waste Pact. They first came to food loss and waste work by supporting a student garden at Florida State University and organizing food recovery efforts at UC Santa Cruz.
After working in higher education, Kristen transitioned to sustainability in corporate foodservice operations, first with Aramark on the Nike WHQ account and, most recently, with Compass Group on the Google Food Program in the Bay Area.
Outside of work, Kristen has taught as an adjunct lecturer at Santa Clara University on food industry innovation and sustainability. They enjoy bike commuting, ocean swimming, foraging for wild edibles and mushrooms, and cycling long distances to raise money for climate action and justice organizations with Climate Ride.
Connect with me about
Sustainability; Food recovery; Food service sustainability; Waste management
Awards and Honors
UC Santa Cruz Simplification and Innovation STAR Award recipient (2020)
Associations
Santa Clara University, Leavey School of Business, Adjunct Lecturer (2024); UC Santa Cruz Diversity & Inclusion Certificate Program, Graduate (2020); Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, Mentor (2018–2021); Bike Santa Cruz County, Board Chair (2020–2021), Board Member (2017–2019); UC Santa Cruz Sustainability Certificate Program, Instructor (2016–2021)
Fun Facts
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish (beginner)
Favorite Food: Tacos
Favorite Quote: "Pain pushes until vision pulls.” - Michael Bernard Beckwith
Food They Struggle the Most Not to Waste: Vegetables, particularly leafy greens
ReFED's work is made possible with generous support from and in partnership with our funders.