BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Plant Based Nutrition Movement is a collaboration between medical practioners and passionate community members committed to amplifying the message of plant-based nutrition’s power to prevent, halt, and often even heal our most debilitating chronic illnesses. Members of our Board of Directors of PBNM have dedicated time and energy to the organization. They are leaders in the Chicagoland plant-based nutrition world and share PBNM’s mission of fighting chronic disease with plants.
As members of the Board of Directors of PBNM, each has agreed to:
- Embrace PBNM’s mission, policies, programs, and needs
- Serve as active advocates and ambassadors for PBNM and fully engage in identifying and securing the financial resources and partnerships necessary for the organization to advance its mission
- Leverage connections, networks, and resources to develop collective action to fully achieve the organization’s mission
- Give a meaningful personal annual financial donation
- Prepare for, attend, and conscientiously participate in Board meetings
- Participate fully in one or more committees
PRESIDENT/CEO
Meryl Fury, M.S., R.N.
President, CEO
After years of formal study in nursing, human health, Meryl’s passion is to make a difference for people through whole food plant-based (WFPB) eating.
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, and from Rouxbe Online Culinary School, 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 the 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 a meditation practice, Meryl’s passion is still to make a difference for people through whole food plant-based (WFPB) eating.
She is a transformational leader and a lifelong learner. Meryl’s goal is to spread the WFPB health message, with love and acceptance, universally.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Mary Anne Kiel, M.D
Board Chair
practicing pediatrician is passionate about keeping kids healthy and food as medicine is a part of it
Mary Anne Kiel, M.D., is a board-certified Pediatrician and Lifestyle Medicine Physician. She served 21 years in the U.S. Air Force caring for children of service members, as well as being a physician executive leader for treatment facilities and the Air Force Primary Care Medical Home Program, working to improve service member and veteran health through the end of her military career. Dr. Kiel leads a plant-based lifestyle and enjoys teaching others these vital skills as a Food for Life Instructor through the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, as well as being an advocate for improving the health of all individuals as an author, speaker, and owner of BrioBluez, a special purpose corporation based in Washington state. As a currently practicing pediatrician, Dr. Kiel is passionate about prevention efforts for our service members’ children and supports multiple initiatives related to improving the health of our next generation of military members.
Sharmila Vedam, CPA
Director, PBNM Treasurer
Passionate about the power of plant-based eating to heal, and sharing that information, especially with the Indian-Asian/Pacific Community.
A CPA PASSIONATE ABOUT FOOD & HEALING
Sharmila Vedam is a CPA/tax accountant by profession, but a passionate cook by choice. Due to her husband’s surprise diagnosis of a rare autoimmune disease (VKH) which caused blindness in both his eyes, he and Sharmila switched (cold tofu) to this WFPBNO (whole food plant-based, no oil) lifestyle in the fall of 2016. Her husband spent hours and hours researching this lifestyle and how it helps to reverse so many different illnesses. In the last 5 years, she has thrived recreating primarily Indian dishes as whole food plant-based zero oil versions and has mastered the zero oil cooking method. In their home (husband, herself, their daughters, inlaws/parents) everyone is very passionate about leading this lifestyle (even their college daughter cooks this way in school) and they educate/help folks to make the switch to this healthy lifestyle. They also run a private FB group https://www.facebook.com/groups/PlantBasedDESI where Sharmila shares all her creations and educational information about this whole food plant-based eating. Both she and her husband love teaching interested folks how to cook plant-based dishes without oil. Sharmila is certified in Plant-based Nutrition from T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies through eCornell, and is a PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) Food for Life instructor. She is a passionate vegan advocate and refuses to eat anything that is not vegan. Her biggest regret is not knowing about the cruelties of dairy farming earlier in her life.
Carrie Bruno
Director, PharmD, DipACLM
Experienced Pharmacist Expands Her Learning to Help More People
After spending over a decade studying and practicing pharmacy, Carrie felt she had all the tools necessary to educate people on how to manage their chronic illnesses…until she started learning about plant-based nutrition. Adopting a whole food plant-based diet was just the start of her plant-based journey. It led Carrie to become passionate about learning as much as possible about embracing a healthier lifestyle. From there, she obtained a plant-based nutrition certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. More recently, Carrie earned her certification in Lifestyle Medicine through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Carrie’s goal is to use all she has learned to truly help people prevent, treat and even reverse chronic illnesses rather than just manage them.
John Gagliardi
Director
Following his own health transformation, John’s goal is to educate and inspire others to do the same
John Gagliardi brings not only years of experience in traditional and new media, but also firsthand knowledge of the benefits of plant-based nutrition. In addition to creating and managing content for well-known catalogs and e-commerce sites, he has actively supported numerous non-profit organizations through his work with the Taproot Foundation, a volunteer organization that provides pro bono marketing services to NPOs.
A competitive runner and triathlete, John accepted his joint pain, inflammation, and frequent headaches as the inevitable effects of aging. That is until he transitioned to a mostly whole food plant-based diet. Powered by plant-based nutrition, John was amazed to find that he could train harder, recover more quickly, and require far less pain medication–he went from popping ibuprofen several times a week to just a few tablets a year. His goal is to educate and inspire as many people as possible to lead longer, happier lives through healthy eating.
Janet Pearson
Director
Janet’s passion is teaching others how to use real, whole foods to nourish and transform.
Passionate about sharing her love of cooking for flavor and for health!
“I’m Janet Pearson and I love to cook!” Janet’s passion is teaching others how to use real, whole foods to nourish and transform. Health starts with daily lifestyle choices and learning what to put on our plates. She’s studied with culinary experts, and lifestyle professionals, researched data, and read many plant-based cookbooks. Now she uses recipes as guides to create delicious meals that are economical, nutritious, satisfying, and easy to prepare.
Janet was raised in an Italian household. You could say cooking is in her blood going back to her grandmothers. One was from Poland and the other from southern Italy. One grandfather was from Yugoslavia and the other was from southern Italy and was also a farmer his entire life. Her dad was the youngest of seven, and her mom was the youngest of nine. Food was a family tradition and so was farming and cooking from scratch. She had an interest in cooking at a young age. She was canning tomatoes and making salads from dandelions that she picked from the farm at the same time her girlfriends were learning how to cook using hamburger helper and other box mixes. That was the 60s! As she raised her family, she learned cooking tips from the Food Network and copied restaurant meals which were always based on meats, cheeses, sauces, and spices (always with oils and butter).
When Janet attended Veggiefest in 2015, she listened to expert speakers and her life changed! She learned the truth about our food systems, our health, and the possibilities of disease prevention. She transitioned to a plant-based vegan diet over the next few years. She didn’t know what to do or how to do it but was determined to figure it out. Over the next two years, she enrolled in the Forks Over Knives Cooking Course, the Food Revolution Cooking Course, the Plant-Based Nutrition Course, and a Vegan Coach Cooking Course. It took a while to transfer a lifetime of cooking skills to new healthier whole-food recipes and techniques. Her one regret is that she didn’t hear about this sooner. It has been a fun adventure and now she enjoys sharing what she’s figured out with others.
Janet recently started a PBNM Group / PlantPure Communities POD in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago with the goal of sharing this life-saving information with her local community. Join her to create dishes that you enjoy so you can have the health you deserve for years to come!
Karina Kelley-Jiménez
Director
Rare Cancer Survivor, Human Rights Advocate, and Mother Using Food as a Platform for Justice and Healing
Karina Kelley-Jiménez is a public immigration advocate, strategist, mother, and wife whose journey toward plant-based living began as a personal health decision and evolved into a mission. Based in Olathe, Kansas, Karina brings her deep commitment to wellness, equity, and community empowerment to PBNM. A three-time cancer survivor, she’s worked with the ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights, and other justice-centered organizations to support medically vulnerable populations—particularly in immigration detention, with a strong focus on suicide prevention. Bilingual and justice-driven, she’s passionate about shifting culture through food and believes every plate is a platform for health, dignity, and lasting change.
At PBNM, Karina draws on her lived experience in human rights advocacy and community work to support outreach efforts and promote plant-based education. She brings a passion for wellness, justice, and accessibility, especially for families navigating complex health or social systems in general. Karina contributes by offering ideas for inclusive programming, helping make resources more accessible to Spanish-speaking communities, and supporting PBNM’s mission to reach more people through culturally relevant content and storytelling. Her perspective as a mother, survivor, and advocate helps inform how PBNM connects with everyday families—making plant-based living feel possible, empowering, and personal.