Student and Alumni Advisory Board Executive Chair

Dheeraj Bandaru (He/Him), originally from Centreville, VA, is an incoming Masters student at the University of Chicago and is majoring in Computer Science. Dheeraj was an active member of Georgia Tech’s Campus Kitchens Project for the past 3 years and was the President of the organization. He has previously interned for the City of Atlanta and helped support the AgLanta program. He is excited to lead SAAB for this upcoming year and help make an impact!

Student and Alumni Advisory Board Executive Vice Chair

Yash Valia (He/His) is a rising senior at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). He is majoring in biopsychology and hopes to attend medical school one day. After finding out his dining hall wasted over 3,000 pounds of food each week, he founded the chapter at TCNJ. Despite challenges faced by COVID-19, his team was able to donate over 10,000 pounds of food in just under a year. He has been with SAAB for a year and is excited to take on the Executive Vice Chair role. In his free time, he enjoys going to the gym and traveling.

Frida Endinjok (She/Her/Ella) is a doctoral student at Oregon State University studying Public Health. She has a bachelor’s in Nutrition and Dietetics, which fuels her passion for sustainable food systems. She is part of the Zoom/Pandemic Class of 2020 with a Master of Public Health. She was one of the founding members of the Food Recovery Network chapter at California State University, Northridge. For two years, she was the president of the club helping expand the program into the community. Frida served as a Regional Outreach Coordinator in Spring 2018, co-organizing the first regional summits in Los Angeles County.

Kelsey Rogers (She/Her) is a 2017 graduate of Roger Williams University, where she studied Graphic Design, Film, and American Studies. She was the founding president of FRN at RWU and was one of seven inaugural Hassenfeld Fellows, a group of civically engaged students selected to receive leadership training and mentorship. During her time at RWU, she organized and executed a forum in partnership with the Providence Public Library and Á La Rhody, bringing together representatives from community agencies, local government, and Rhode Island colleges and universities to explore strategies for a more coordinated food recovery response in the state. Working full-time in advertising for the Boston Globe, she remains engaged in the movement by providing freelance design services to companies dedicated to fighting food waste and is an active member of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council.

Hunter Riccardelli is currently a senior at Weber State University majoring in Economics with a minor in Environmental Studies and Jazz Studies. As a Zero Waste Coordinator for the university his goals align with the mission of Food Recovery Network. He believes that access to food is one of the largest drivers of societal equity and is of utmost importance in ensuring the quality of life. Hunter is passionate about helping the community around him and is thrilled to represent Weber State nationally on the SAAB board. He hopes to continue his education in environmental economics and societal equity research. Outside of school, Hunter loves music, the outdoors, and spending time with his fiancee and dog.

Sahar Elkhodary, RDN, (she/her) is a newly Registered Dietitian Nutritionist through the Commission on Dietetic Registration. She currently works as an Event Planner at Kellogg Conference Hotel at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.. She studied in Atlanta, Georgia for 6 years; first went to Georgia Perimeter College for her core classes, and then transferred to Georgia State University to completed her Didactic Program in Dietetics. She graduated from Georgia State in 2016, and has a Bachelor’s of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics. In 2017, she completed her Dietetic Internship, which provided her the supervised practice she needed to be able to sit down for the Registration for Dietitians exam. During her time at Georgia State, she was the founding member of Panther Food Recovery Network, the first ever chapter in Georgia, helping get Georgia on FRN’s map! With all of her accomplishments, her biggest dream, is to help those struggling with food insecurity, and those with mood/eating disorders; her passion to do so is driven all thanks to joining SAAB, and having the support of her family and closest friends.

Maggie Shugerman (she/her/hers) originally from Seattle, Washington, is currently the Volunteer Coordinator for Meals on Wheels San Francisco. A graduate of University of San Francisco, Maggie co-founded and co-chaired the USF Food Recovery Network from 2015-2019. From working in restaurants, to FRN, to farmers markets, to Meals on Wheels, Maggie has a unique and robust perspective on the food system, and looks forward to continuing working to make the system more equitable.

Gal Yovel is a Junior at the University of Pittsburgh majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry and a certificate of Conceptual Foundations of Medicine. Gal has been president of Food Recovery Heroes, Pitt’s chapter of Food Recovery Network, since his sophomore year. He received the University of Pittsburgh Student Sustainability Award for his leadership as president of Food Recovery Heroes and his impact on the local Pittsburgh community.

Izzy Fuller (she/her) is a 2022 graduate of the University of Utah where she studied Urban Ecology and Environmental and Sustainability Studies. She was co-president of her campus chapter of the Food Recovery Network and the partnership liaison with the Lowell Bennion Center for Community Engagement. She currently works as an environmental planner, finding ways to stay involved in food by managing a hydroponic system at her local public library and working in a small restaurant focusing on fresh, local ingredients.

Madelyn Minor (she/her) is a student of the Great Books Program at St. John's College in Annapolis, looking forward to a future in nonprofit work and law. She revived SJC's FRN chapter in 2023 and currently leads a dedicated and hardworking team of Johnnies in an expanding Annapolis Food Recovery Network. She is very proud of the great enthusiasm her little community has shown, and is excited to make new bonds with other chapters and continue the conversation about how we can best support the people we share the earth with. Maddie enjoys reading, swing dancing, jumping in the Chesapeake Bay, and life in general.

Baylee Robichaux (She/her) is a 2023 graduate of Loyola University New Orleans in New Orleans, LA. She earned a bachelors degree in Biological Sciences with a Minor in Forensic Science. She joined the Food Recovery Network as a junior, where she later became President of the Loyola New Orleans FRN chapter in her senior year. During her time as President, the chapter was awarded Student Organization of the Year and was a Student Organization Grant recipient. She is currently working as a Scribe Ambassador through Scribe America and is working towards applying to medical school soon.

Arjun Nair (he/him) is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis majoring in Biology and minoring in History. He led the revival of the FRN chapter at his university post-pandemic and has served as an External President for the past two years. He has helped broaden outreach across the St. Louis area, and spread awareness of food waste and healthy eating practices. He was invited as a speaker at the annual ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit in 2022.

Erica Szymanski (She/Her) is a 2023 graduate of the University of Virginia. She earned a B.S. in Commerce with an IT Concentration, Business Analytics Track, and Global Sustainability minor. She joined the Food Recovery Network during her first year at UVA. Erica served as Public Relations Chair, Vice President, and eventually President of UVA's FRN chapter during her third and final year at UVA. She organized the first annual Food Justice Panel at the University, which highlighted student organizations, faculty, and staff combating food insecurity within the community. She is excited to remain in Charlottesville for her new role as a Dean's Fellow at Darden School of Business, where she is currently working on sustainability initiatives. Erica is looking forward to serving as a liaison between UVA and FRN through SAAB!

Kaylee Anderson is currently working on an Environmental Science Bachelor's degree at Weber State University due to graduate by spring of 2024. Outside of school, she spends most of her time watching tv shows or movies with her fiance. Kaylee grew up in Ogden UT and has seen many examples of food insecurity in her community over the years. More recently, she started a job at Weber State University as the Food Sustainability Coordinator. A lot of what she does consists of weekly food recoveries and working with the university on sustainable initiatives to reduce food waste and alleviate food insecurity on campus. She is also the President of WSU's chapter of the Food Recovery Network. Working with volunteers keeps her motivated to continue making change for the better of her community and planet! Kaylee is honored to be a part of SAAB and represent Weber State University on a national level!

Wenting Yu (She/Her) is a junior at Washington University in St. Louis studying psychology. She is deeply interested in how people’s stories are inextricably linked to food-ways and has explored this idea from multiple perspectives, including interning at a food magazine, taking classes on the environmental and social impact of food, waitressing at weddings, and now, becoming more involved in FRN. She has been one of the Presidents of FRN at WashU since her sophomore year, when she helped restart WashU’s FRN chapter after it fell off during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is thrilled to be a part of SAAB and hopes to use what she learns to change the narrative of food’s impact on people for the better.

Rafer Friedman, (he/him) originally from Princeton, New Jersey, lives in Washington, DC. He recently graduated from American University where he double majored in Environmental Studies and American Studies with concentrations in history, policy, food waste/recovery and sustainability. Rafer currently works on an NSF-funded research grant RECIPES, conducting independent research to create an assessment of the Washington, DC food recovery/redistribution/waste system, in order to determine successful practices and particular challenges. The project includes mapping the geographic and quantitative terrain of food recovery/redistribution in the city, using arcGIS. Rafer helped to bring FRN to American University and was the Compost Crew Coordinator in the Office of Zero Waste. He is excited to start working with SAAB and continuing to be involved with FRN.

Alli Brown (she/her) is a sophomore at Weber State University, majoring in Environmental Science with minors in Geology and Literary Editing. She was previously the FRN president for WSU’s chapter before transitioning to the Zero Waste Coordinator. She believes that it is important to consider sustainability in all realms, and that access to food is a right that everyone should have. Recovering the surplus of food on her campus opened her eyes to the problem on many college campuses when it comes to overproduction and food waste. She hopes to continue to prevent waste from ending up in the landfill and educating fellow students on the importance of doing so.