Board of Directors
(Independent Voting Members as of July 1, 2011)
Mr. Andrew Jacobson, President
With over 25 years in the natural products industry and founder of Epiphany!, Mr. Jacobson is no stranger to taking the helm of leadership. He started his career working at this parents' health food store, then took his hands-on experience and created impressive results first as Director of Sales for Tree of Life, then as President of Westbrae Natural Foods, also as the President of natural products group and then personal care at The Hain Celestial Group, and most recently President and CEO of Cyanotech. Mr. Jacobson has also served as Director of the National Natural Foods Association.
Gillian Christie, Secretary/Treasurer
Ms. Christie has been an extremely valued, passionate supporter of Nourish America for the past four years and brings to Nourish America her extensive 30 years experience in marketing and public relations and her commitment to global betterment. As CEO of
Christie Communications, Christie and her teams of brandbuilding experts across the country have helped start-ups to global brands create success while building reputations for ethical business and philanthropy. Christie has earned several awards for her personal social work including the Top 100 Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet. In addition, Christie has advanced her company's social mission by creating a Global Betterment Sector providing innovative programs in Africa, South East Asia and the U.S.
Rakesh M. Amin
Mr. Amin is both a registered pharmacist and an attorney and serves as Managing Member at Amin Talati. For the past 16 years, Rakesh has practiced Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), U.S. Customs, Drug Enforcement Act (DEA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and related Federal and State regulatory, advertising and litigation matters. Amin regularly provides legal counsel regarding food, dietary supplement, drug, cosmetic, medical device and biotechnology laws, including various product approval and pre/post marketing requirements, good manufacturing practices, advertising, labeling, health claims, import/detention issues, inspections, regulatory enforcement and complaint matters. Amin also practices patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, maintenance and licensing of intellectual property, as well as intellectual property and false advertising litigation. Lastly, Amin helps companies with licensing, business contracts and commercial litigation.
Laura Setzfand
Ms. Setzfand comes to Nourish America from the beauty and personal care industry and is an award-winning expert in sales and marketing management and product development with over 12 years of experience. She currently serves as Vice President of Sales for
Wisdom Natural Brands and has served as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Nature's Gate, a leading natural beauty brand, with complete responsibility for branded P & L, global sales, distribution, retail expansion, marketing, product development and education. Prior, she worked with the Hain Marketing Group, and Jason Natural Products as Director of Marketing, also she was the Director of International and Trade Marketing for TIGI Linea, and Product Manager of Matrix Essentials division of Bristol Meyer Squibb as well as Director of Marketing for Berlin Packaging. Laura is fluent in three languages, holds a BA in International Relations from Tufts University and a MA in International Economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Gary Tomchuck
Former President of Nourish America, Mr. Tomchuck has 24 years of experience in innovative marketing, business development, sales, technology and management. As CEO of
Ethical Markets Media he led the launch of the first national weekly television series reporting on issues of redefining success in terms of sustainability and social consciousness and in 1995, founded Awareness Marketing, a consulting firm specializing in integrated health, personal growth and natural products. Tomchuck has served as Director of CSRwire, a corporate social responsibility newswire service. In addition, he was a cofounder of BroadcastHealth.com; a leader in producing video for webstreaming and broadcast and was responsible for their production, content and business development. He served as COO of Passionate Living Media, a television, print, radio and internet media company. Tomchuck has also organized, produced and promoted major events such as the Healthy Living Expo.
, Nourish America. All Rights Reserved.