Meet Your SUMMIT Presenters
Your Host
An experienced RN and trainer with strong organizational and team-building skills, Meryl has her Masters degree in Nursing and holds certificates from Villanova in Project Management, the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies in Plant-Based Nutrition, Rouxbe Online Culinary School, and Fork Over Knives Plant-Based Cuisine.
Meryl has a passion for plant-based nutrition for healing. She started her plant-based journey at age 15 when she gave up eating mammals. Over years and through a lot of experimentation, Meryl came to realize that giving up all animal products was the healthiest option for her. Now, after years of formal study in nursing, human health, organizational and personal transformation and meditation practice, Meryl’s passion is still to make a difference for people through whole food plant-based (WFPB) eating.
***
“We must do what we can to transform the food environment for children everywhere that we have that power. We must also be the change we wish to see in the health of our kids.” –Meryl Fury, MS, RN, President, CEO Plant Based Nutrition Movement
Your Visionary Speakers
We are honored to have such an amazing group of innovative, purpose-driven, visionary speakers at our 6 Million SEEDS 2025 Child Nutrition Summit. We look forward to bringing you all that you will need to pick up the mantel and assist in getting the message out that helps this movement progress for the benefit of our children.
David Bowman, MD, DipABLM, FACLM
Lifestyle Medicine Physician and Pediatrician
Dr. David Bowman is a physician, double board-certified in lifestyle medicine and pediatrics. The Indianapolis native attended Howard University (chemical engineering) for undergrad and Indiana University for medical school. After residency at Children’s National in DC, the initial part of his career focused on global health and HIV, and he worked in Botswana, Uganda, Nigeria and Haiti. After his own health transformation using lifestyle medicine and his faith, he has been passionate and innovative in empowering health care providers, patients, churches, and the general public about the power of applying the pillars of lifestyle medicine in their lives.
Dr. Bowman is the Assistant Dean of Student Health and Wellness and the Director of the Spiritual Health and Wellness Center at Howard University College of Medicine. He served a term on the Board of Directors of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) 2021-24 and is the co-chair of the Health Equity Achieved by Lifestyle (HEAL) Initiative with ACLM. He is one of the first 5 Blacks to achieve the status of Fellow in ACLM.
Carolyn May Strickland, LICSW, CHWC
WhollyHealth LLC, LICSW, CHWC
Carolyn Strickland’s LinkedIn Profile
Carolyn May Strickland, daughter of Air Force parents, had the unique experience of living all over the world, attending 10 different schools before graduating high school! A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Ms. Strickland has a background in developmental pediatrics, autism, and child/adolescent psychiatry. She is also a fitness instructor at her local YMCA in Montgomery, Alabama, teaching 7-8 classes a week.
Ms. Strickland transitioned to a vegan lifestyle in June 2009 after reading “Eating Animals” by Jonathan Safran Foer and “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell. Although she had already avoided red meat for 30 years, she still consumed chicken, fish, and eggs. Initially, her reasons for becoming vegan were primarily ethical. However, as she learned more about the health and environmental benefits, her motivation expanded to encompass personal well-being, planetary health, and animal welfare. She currently teaches cooking/nutrition classes in her area.
Since 2009, Ms. Strickland has observed a gradual cultural shift toward greater acceptance of the terms “vegan” and “plant-based.” She believes these terms are becoming more mainstream and less stigmatized. Her hope is to inspire a significant portion of her community to embrace this lifestyle, leading to increased availability of vegan and plant-based options at all restaurants and the establishment of more fully vegan restaurants in her area.
A certified Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Ms. Strickland’s classes emphasize the impact of a plant-based diet on both physical and mental health. As a therapist, she understands the emotional factors that influence dietary choices and addresses these in her instruction. Ultimately, her goal is to encourage a plant-based lifestyle within her community, leading to improved physical and emotional well-being, reduced hospitalizations, and decreased healthcare expenditures on preventable conditions.
Dotsie Bausch, Executive Director, Switch4Good
Switch4Good.org Is On A Mission To Wean The World Off Dairy For Our Health, Justice, And The Planet
Following a prolific professional cycling career that produced a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, eight US national championships, two Pan American gold medals, and a world record, Dotsie Bausch now leads the nonprofit organization Switch4Good with a mission to educate professional and amateur athletes along with the general public about the health and performance benefits of removing dairy from their diets.
When Dotsie Bausch decided to make the switch to a plant-based diet, she was told she would never make it to the Olympic Games. She realized that her health and her values meant more to her than a medal and pressed forward with this diet change. As she tells it, her body quickly and unexpectedly transformed. She felt stronger, cycled faster, and experienced newfound energy. Three years later, she stood atop the Olympic podium and accepted her silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Switch4Good launched with a bold national television commercial that aired during both the closing ceremonies of the 2018 Olympic Games and the pre-and-post-show Academy Awards. Starring six dairy-free Olympians from four countries, the 30-second PSA drove home the message that dairy is not a health food—not for athletes, and not for the general public.
Since founding Switch4Good, Bausch has become a powerful proponent of a plantbased diet for athletes and non-athletes alike. She starred in the hugely popular documentary film The Game Changers (produced by James Cameron), offered commentary before the United States’ 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and continually serves as an expert on plant-based nutrition for major media outlets. Bausch is regarded as one of the top authorities on both the performance and health benefits of a dairy-free diet and was voted in 2019 by VegNews as one of the world’s Top 20 Most Influential Vegans.
Bausch speaks passionately around the world to spread her message about the positive impacts a plant-based lifestyle has on animals, humans, and the environment. Her popular TEDx Talk, “Olympic Level Compassion,” has garnered over 175,000 views, serving as a catalyst for change for thousands of people.
Audrey Lawson-Sanchez
Executive Director of Balanced
Shocked by skyrocketing rates of diet-related disease(s) – especially in children – and fed up by the food industry’s dangerous predatory tactics, educator and mom Audrey Lawson-Sanchez founded Balanced to make healthy eating easier and more realistic for children and families everywhere.
Balanced has become a leading voice in the fight for a healthier food system, with its vast network of advocates speaking up against Big Food’s influence and championing healthier food environments in schools, hospitals, universities, offices, and other critical community institutions.
Balanced’s community-led campaigns and institutional support programs have influenced nutrition policy in schools, hospitals, and offices in cities around the world, impacting the healthfulness of millions of meals annually (and we’re just getting started).
K-12 students are in their formative years and are developing a relationship with food that will stick with them through adulthood. This is our opportunity to expose, excite, and let them enjoy the bounty of foods that are delicious and nourishing! As a mother of 2 young kiddos and a Registered Dietitian, I’m passionate about nourishing our kids to fuel a brighter future.
Mary Anne Kiel, MD, FAAP, FACL,
Founder of BrioBluez, SPC
Dr. Mary Anne Kiel is a pediatrician and lifestyle medicine physician, retired Air Force Colonel after having served 21 years, and longtime health and longevity advocate. As a pediatrician during her military service, she cared for thousands of children of military families, championing prevention and health-promoting behaviors to ensure children grow into healthy adults and to strengthen the pool of new recruits into military service. Additionally, Dr. Kiel led multiple health and wellness initiatives in military medicine as a department chief and medical director, then as Chief of Medical Staff, and later as the Air Force Chief of Patient-Centered Medical Home and Chairperson of the Defense Health Agency’s Primary Care Clinical Community. A large part of her role in her later military career focused on integrating the field of Lifestyle Medicine into the Military Health System, serving as the Chairperson of the Air Force Lifestyle & Performance Medicine Working Group. Her work led a team of individuals in strengthening the skills of healthcare professionals in the area of intensive lifestyle therapeutic interventions to support military readiness and performance optimization of active-duty service members.
Currently, Dr. Kiel continues to promote Lifestyle Medicine as a foundation to health and longevity, supporting clients and families with behavior changes that help prevent, treat and reverse chronic diseases such as pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. She also works with individuals and groups to support improvements in daily activities such as sleep, nutrition, movement, avoidance of risky substances, and stress management.
Chef Kevin McGhee
Third Generation Family Founder of Urban Oak Initiative
Kevin McGee, known affectionately as Chef Kev, is a plant-forward chef, community wellness advocate, and third-generation food justice leader. A Morehouse College graduate with a degree in Banking and Finance, Kevin has merged his background in community development, micro-lending, and health equity to create impact at the intersection of food, culture, and entrepreneurship. As Executive Director of Urban Oak Initiative, he leads transformative programs that expand access to healthy food, uplift Black food entrepreneurs, and create economic opportunity in underserved neighborhoods.
Kevin is the visionary behind The Food Studio—the nation’s first 100% plant-forward shared commercial kitchen incubator—and the creator of impactful programs like Kids Can Cook, Plants Over Pills, and the Foodpreneur Program. Having personally experienced food insecurity, Chef Kev brings deep empathy, cultural wisdom, and systems-level thinking to every table he touches. His work has been featured on national platforms, and he is a sought-after speaker on food equity, legacy building, and the healing power of nutrition.
Ava Stubbe
Ava Stubbe is a compelling and dynamic young leader, known for her powerful advocacy as a high school student dedicated to animal, environmental, and food justice.
As a passionate triple-threat activist, Ava uses her voice to connect daily food choices with profound global issues, championing a shift toward plant-based living for the benefit of all beings and the planet. Her activism is rooted in her conviction that systemic change begins with compassionate decisions about what we eat.
Ava brings a unique, youth-focused perspective to the movement, inspiring peers and adults alike on topics ranging from the environmental impact of animal agriculture to the urgency of food policy reform. She has been an active voice in the community, sharing her journey and practical insights, including through collaborative platforms like “So Many Cooks in the Kitchen” where she lends her culinary skills to make dishes she enjoys eating.
A true representative of the next generation of leadership, Ava’s work empowers individuals to take action, proving that age is no barrier to driving the revolutionary change needed for a healthier, more sustainable future.
Dr. Sailesh Rao
Founder and Executive Director of Climate Healers
Climate Healers
Climate Healers Facebook Page
Dr. Sailesh Rao’s LinkedIn Profile
Dr. Sailesh Rao has over three decades of professional experience and is the Founder and Executive Director of Climate Healers, a non-profit dedicated towards healing the Earth’s climate. A systems specialist with a Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Dr. Rao worked on the internet communications infrastructure for twenty years after graduation. During this period, he blazed the trail for high speed signal processing chips and technologies for High Definition Television, real-time video communications and the transformation of early analog internet connections to more robust digital connections, while accelerating their speeds ten-fold. Today, over a billion internet connections deploy the communications protocol that he designed.
Dr. Rao received five Exceptional Contribution Awards from AT&T Bell Laboratories between 1985 and 1991, a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff award in 1990, the Intel Principal Engineer Award in 2003, and the IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2013 for his technical contributions. He is the author of 22 peer-reviewed technical papers, 50 standards contributions, 10 US patents and 3 Canadian patents. He was the co-founder of Silicon Design Experts in 1991 which was acquired by Level One Communications in 1996 and which was later acquired by Intel Corporation in 1999 for $2.2 billion.
Dr. Rao is a Human, Earth and Animal Liberation (HEAL) activist, husband, dad and since 2010, a star-struck grandfather. He has promised his granddaughter, Kimaya Rainy Rao, that the world will be largely Vegan before she turns 16 in 2026, so that people will stop eating her relatives, the animals. He has faith that humanity will transform to keep his pinky promise to Kimaya, not just for ethical reasons, but also out of sheer ecological necessity. Along with Kimaya, Dr. Rao was the co-recipient of the inaugural Homo Ahimsa award from the Interfaith Vegan Coalition in 2021. He has formally taken the Ubuntu pledge to become Homo Ahimsa.
In 2006, he switched careers and became deeply immersed, full time, in solving the environmental crises affecting humanity. Dr. Rao is the author of four books, Carbon Dharma: The Occupation of Butterflies, Carbon Yoga: The Vegan Metamorphosis, Animal Agriculture is Immoral and The Pinky Promise, and an Executive Producer of several documentaries, The Human Experiment (2013), Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014), What The Health (2017), A Prayer for Compassion (2019), They’re Trying to Kill Us (2021), The End of Medicine (2022), The Land of Ahimsa (2022), Animals – A Parallel History (est. 2024), Milked (2022), Christspiracy (2024) and I Could Never Go Vegan (2024). His work is featured in the award winning film, Countdown to Year Zero produced by Jane Velez-Mitchell and Unchained TV.
Ocean Robbins
Entrepreneur, Author, Co-founder of Food Revolution Network, Inc.
Ocean Robbins is co-founder & CEO of the million-member Food Revolution Network. He is the author of the bestsellers, 31-Day Food Revolution, Real Superfoods, and Powered By Plants. Ocean founded Youth for Environmental Sanity (YES!) at age 16, and directed it for the next 20 years. He has spoken in person to more than 250,000 people, organized online seminars and events reaching more than a million, and facilitated leadership development events for leaders from 65 nations.
Ocean has served as an adjunct professor for Chapman University, and is a recipient of the national Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service, the Freedom’s Flame Award, the Harmon Wilkinson Award, and many other honors. His TEDx talk, Eating Our Way To Happiness, has been seen by more than a million people. In 2025, he founded the nonprofit Food Revolution Alliance.
Danielle Medina, ACE, AFAA, RYT
Fit N Play Mama LLC
Email Me: info@fitnplaymama.com
Danielle Medina’s LinkedIn Profile
Danielle Medina is the founder of Fit N Play Mama LLC. Her services include nutrition and culinary medicine education, as well as mindfulness movement for mental health. Through her work with Plant Powered Metro New York’s partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H), they co-led a Plant-Based Lifestyle Jumpstart program in collaboration with Dr. Michelle McMacken, Executive Director of Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine. She has continued her work as a partner with Krishna Desai, Assistant Professor at NYP/Columbia University Medical Center, where they co-created a Culinary Medicine program designed to equip health workers, especially social workers, with lifestyle nutrition tools to support mental and physical wellbeing. Danielle has developed and produced the Healthy Living Starts Here™ video project, an educational series designed to transform healthcare waiting rooms into wellness spaces, integrating culinary medicine, mindfulness, and movement for emotional resilience.
Healthy Living Starts Here
Mindful Movements Demo Video
In addition, Danielle is the creator of the Cook N Play Summer Camp that focuses on plant-based cooking, nature exploration, and movement for children, serves as the Program Manager at Act of Random Kindness (ARK) in Brooklyn, NY, launching Nutrition for Neuro-Recovery, a new initiative addressing neurological health, food access, and nutritional healing in underserved communities and is one of the board members at Plant Powered Delaware where they focus on improving the health of Delawareans through, education, promotion and community building.
SUMMIT SCHEDULE
All times are in Central Time Zone, USA (CT)
DAY 1 - Sat Dec 6, 2025
Education
9am – 10:30pm
The Power of An Early Start
David Bowman, MD, DipABLM, FACLM, Lifestyle Medicine Physician and Pediatrician
“You are what you eat!” is true for your children, too!
Carolyn Strickland, LICSW, CHWC
WhollyHealth LLC
11am – 12:30pm
A Discussion: Supporting the FISCAL Act & Opposing Whole Milk for Kids
Dotsie Bausch, Executive Director, Switch4Good
Sheryl Allen, Nutrition Leader, Nudge to Nourish
Meryl Fury, MS, RN – PANEL MODERATOR
1pm – 2:30pm
“You are what you eat!” is true for your children, too!
Carolyn Strickland, LICSW, CHWC
WhollyHealth LLC
Food As Medicine
3pm – 4:30pm
Integrating Plant-Based Eating into Families from a Pediatrician and Lifestyle Medicine Physician
Mary Anne Kiel, MD, FAAP, FACLM, DipABLM, CPE
5pm – 6:30pm
Cooking Demonstration
Chef Kevin McGee, Third Generation Family Founder of Urban Oak Initiative
DAY 2 - Sun Dec 7, 2025
Environment
11am – 12:30pm
Activism: A Student’s Case for Food That’s Good for People, Animals, and the Earth
Ava Stubbe, Student, Plant-Based Food, Animal and Climate Activist
1pm – 2:30pm
The Move to Planet B
Sailesh Rao, PhD, Founder and Executive Director of Climate Healers
Making It Last
3pm – 4:30pm
The Food Revolution at Home: How to Raise Healthy, Engaged Children in a Fast-Food Culture
Ocean Robbins, Entrepreneur, Author, Co-founder of Food Revolution Network, Inc.
5pm – 6:30pm
Cooking Demonstration
Danielle Medina, ACE, AFAA, RYT, Certified PCRM Food For Life Instructor