ReFED is fortunate to have a Board of Directors comprised of leaders in the business, technology, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors who inform the organization’s strategic initiatives, offer technical expertise, and collectively provide a holistic analysis of the challenges and opportunities for food waste reduction. And last year, we added three new members with deep expertise spanning sustainability, public health, and manufacturing and retail. Keep reading to learn more about them.

Janine Guillot
Former CEO, SASB Foundation and Special Advisor, ISSB

Most recently, Janine served as Chief Executive Officer of SASB, the Value Reporting Foundation (VRF) and as Special Advisor to the Chair of the ISSB. She is recognized for driving SASB and the VRF to global recognition as the leaders in investor-focused corporate sustainability disclosure. Under her leadership, global investor support for the SASB Standards grew to over $70 trillion in assets, becoming the leading tool for integration of ESG factors into investment and stewardship processes. Over 2,500 companies began to use the SASB Standards to disclose sustainability performance to their investors. Janine has led a distinguished career in financial services. Prior to joining SASB, she served as Chief Operating Investment Officer for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) where her responsibilities included governance & sustainability, Chief Operating Officer for the European and Global Fixed Income businesses of Barclays Global Investors (now BlackRock), and held executive management roles at Bank of America, including Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer, Commercial and Retail and Executive Vice President, Consumer E-Commerce and Brand Development.

You can read her full bio here.

“I’m excited to join the ReFED Board and help advance its ground-breaking work on reducing food waste," says Janine. "I’m passionate about helping to create more sustainable food systems, and I’m looking forward to bringing my expertise in decision-useful sustainability information and institutional investing to the Board.”

Wendelin Slusser, MD, MS
Associate Vice Provost of the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center & Clinical Professor at UCLA’s Schools of Medicine and Public Health

Wendelin Slusser, MD, MS, serves as the Associate Vice Provost of the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center and Clinical Professor at UCLA's Schools of Medicine and Public Health. Under her leadership, Semel HCI Center is building an inclusive culture of health for UCLA's community, so everyone has a chance to thrive and flourish. Her career has been dedicated to promoting health and well-being with a keen focus on equity for children, young adults, and their families. Dr. Slusser's journey began with her international work in primary health care coordination with Save the Children in Africa, South America, and Asia, followed by her roles as a Clinical Faculty member with Wellstart International. Bringing her global experiences to local grounds, she has made significant contributions in Los Angeles through her roles as a UCLA physician, researcher, educator, and administrator. Food is central to Dr. Slusser's research such as the Fruit and Vegetable Bar Intervention study that inspired local and national policies and campaigns, including former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Salad Bar to Schools Campaign; and the Preventing Childhood Overweight through Parent Training intervention study, which was adopted by the LA County Department of Public Health. In addition to her clinical practice in pediatrics, Dr. Slusser has been instrumental in integrating nutrition education into the training of health professionals across disciplines at UCLA.

You can read her full bio here.

“I am honored to be a member of the Board of ReFED and help address the twin challenge of nourishing our children, families, and communities while caring for Mother Nature," says Wendy.

Jack Pestello
Chief Operating Officer, Branded Services, Advantage Solutions

Jack Pestello is a lifelong retailer who has worked across the manufacturing and retailing community to drive food waste solutions. He currently leads the CPG division for Advantage Solutions. Over the last 12 years, Jack held senior roles at Walmart and Big Lots, leading omni-channel merchandise teams. Prior to those roles, Jack worked and lived in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and North America, focused on driving sustainable product development and sourcing solutions. He has been and continues to passionately drive food waste and sustainability solutions across all platforms.

You can read his full bio here.

“I am so proud to work with the team at ReFED, engaging the manufacturing and retailer business sectors to develop new ideas for food waste solutions on a large scale," says Jack. "My global perspective, coupled with manufacturing expertise and retail experience, brings a broad perspective to our efforts.”

Visit our website to learn more about ReFED’s Board of Directors.