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Oran B. Hesterman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Hesterman is the inaugural president and chief executive officer of the Fair Food Foundation. A national leader in sustainable agriculture and food systems, Dr. Hesterman has published more than 400 reports and articles. He played an essential role in the establishment of the Michigan Food Policy Council. Dr. Hesterman has also made significant contributions to the funding of healthy food and farming via his leadership of the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders group. As a former farmer and an avid potter, Dr. Hesterman's eclectic and innovative experiences contribute grounded guidance to the new foundation.

Prior to coming to the Fair Food Foundation, Dr. Hesterman worked at the Kellogg Foundation for 12 years, where he envisioned and nurtured food system projects, partnerships and collaborations, national and international in scope. He also organized national and international seminars on sustainable agriculture and community-based food systems on behalf of the Kellogg Foundation.

Dr. Hesterman researched and taught forage and cropping systems management, sustainable agriculture, and leadership development in the Crop and Soil Sciences department at Michigan State University in East Lansing before going to the Kellogg Foundation in 1996. From 1987-1990, he was a fellow in the Kellogg National Fellowship Program (KNFP). Dr. Hesterman was also a fellow at the National Center for Food and Agriculture Policy in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Hesterman earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of California-Davis in plant science/vegetable crops and agronomy, respectively. He received his doctorate in agronomy and business administration from the University of Minnesota, in St. Paul.

Jean Chorazyczewski, Director of Operations

As Director of Operations at Fair Food Foundation, Jean Chorazyczewski works closely with the President to help to run the Foundation effectively and helps to create a culture that is meaningful, satisfying, inspiring, and progressive. She is responsible for managing and monitoring the daily operations of the Foundation's operational objectives, activities, policies, and initiatives, including human resources management, accounting, budgeting, contracting, information and grants management systems, office management, and regulatory compliance.

Prior to joining Fair Food Foundation, Jean worked at Enlighten, an interactive agency in Ann Arbor. Over the ten years of her tenure there, Jean held many key positions including Director of Production, Director of Project Management, and most recently Engagement Manager. Jean was an active leader in the company on issues surrounding business strategy, growth, and process and was instrumental in building a strategic platform for exceptional company-to-client satisfaction with the development of Enlighten's overall production process, making it the standard by which Enlighten works today. Jean also has extensive experience as a consultant and market researcher for a wide range of industries including financial services, utility and governmental organizations. She holds a BA in Business from Michigan State University with an emphasis in Marketing.

Growing up with an abundant backyard vegetable garden in a small suburb of Detroit, Jean appreciates how fortunate she was in having access to such delicious, fresh healthy food and how it brought family and neighbors together. Jean is passionate about connecting with people, community, and taking care of the Earth and feels very excited about being part of an organization that is focused on healthy food and making a real difference in people's lives.

Meredith Freeman, Program Manager

Meredith joins the Fair Food Foundation as a program manager. She provides strategy development and implementation, and grant making that focuses on advancing food equity in urban areas. This includes working with community-based organizations in historically excluded urban communities, policy makers, and other funders to affect change as it relates to the re-design of a food system that provides access to healthy foods for all.

After many years working to help revitalize urban communities, Meredith has seen that food access, politics, and unhealthy environments have been a constant struggle for so many communities. Meredith joins the foundation with extensive experience in nonprofit management and community development. Her experience includes work with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Citibank Global Community Relations, and Episcopal Charities of the Diocese of New York. Meredith received a BA in Psychology from Michigan State University, and a MS in Management and Urban Policy from the New School University in New York. She enjoys yoga and biking, and aims to teach her children the value of self-care and to not take their blessings for granted.

Guy Williams, Program Manager

As a program manager at Fair Food Foundation, Guy is responsible for program strategy development, implementation, and management of the Foundation's grant making efforts that focus on advancing food equity in urban areas.

Guy comes to the foundation from a career in environmental policy and grassroots activism and is well known nationally for his work as a developer of community programming and advocate for environmental justice. His experience includes twenty years of creating effective collaborations among business, government, and community interests, as well as non-profit program creation and direction. He previously served on the U.S. EPA's Common Sense Initiative, a federal advisory committee on pollution prevention. As a leader on Great Lakes water quality, Guy authored Mercury Pollution Prevention in Healthcare: A Prescription for Success and Mercury Pollution Prevention for City Wastewater Plants: A Guide for Great Lakes Communities. Guy received his B.S. from Bucknell University.

Joyce Holliman, Grants Administrator

Joyce is Fair Food Foundation's Grants Administrator. Joyce manages the grant process, working closely with all involved to assure integrity and efficiency of the foundation's efforts.

Joyce grew up in Cleveland, and understands firsthand the difficulties of not being able to find good food when it is needed. This personal commitment to the mission of Fair Food Foundation combined with more than 30 years working in for-profit companies in banking and trust management provides her the opportunity to act on her values at the Foundation. Joyce is driven to bring communities and cities together to claim a right to healthy food for everyone. In her role at Fair Food Foundation, she will be coming into contact with ideas, programs, and people that will make a big difference and that will reinforce her personal desire to guide her own family toward real, good food.

Peggy Cotterell, Special Assistant to the President

Peggy serves as special assistant to the president and CEO of the foundation. In this position, Peggy contributes a wealth of knowledge from years of management in many fields. The role she plays is challenging and stimulating and draws upon her expansive professional experience.

Peggy has operated as Executive Assistant at Southwest Counseling Solutions, Inc, Synergy Partners, LLC, The Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and various departments of the Detroit Medical Center. She is currently attending Baker College to obtain a degree in Business Administration and Human Resources. Peggy enjoys her work and studies, yet is regularly out in the community either with her family and friends or volunteering. She has been very conscious of the role that food plays in health, and how shopping for local, fresh food is a priority. However, the Fair Food Foundation has opened so many more doors about environmental justice and how everyone has a role to play to make our food system and world more just.