OUR TEAM

Grassroots Leadership

We're passionate people who want to make sure you know about the world's best-kept secret to good health. Interested in joining us? Learn about how we engage volunteers in the community.

LIANNA LEVINE REISNER, Network Director & Manhattan Borough Organizer

Lianna launched Plant Powered Metro New York in early 2019 with her colleagues after a year of organizing the whole food, plant-based community and running educational events with Plant Powered Manhattan, a pod of PlantPure Communities. She continues to organize Manhattan-based events and projects, especially focusing on the Upper West Side and Harlem communities. To address her family's health challenges, Lianna had been searching for clear nutritional guidelines that were evidence-based and made sense for her husband and three children. The writings of T. Colin Campbell and his colleagues made a compelling case for whole-food, plant-based nutrition, helping her to lose 20% of her body weight, reverse endometriosis and hormonal imbalances, and heavily reduce her allergies and eczema, among many other benefits. Lianna holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell, and she is a certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator through Main Street Vegan Academy. With a Master's from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhood School of Management, she has worked as an organization development and change consultant through her practice, Partner for Change, supporting leaders to bring about positive change. She lives in the Upper West Side. Contact Lianna.

CLAUDIA ARGUETA, Long Island Community Organizer

Claudia is building the network for WFPB nutrition on Long Island. Her journey began on her 11th birthday when she decided to become a vegetarian. Fast forward to her college years: She took various nutrition courses and learned the science behind plant-based eating. Her epiphany came when learning that -- while genetics do play a role in health outcomes -- more than half can be attributed to lifestyle choices, particularly our dietary choices. Claudia hopes to empower others, particularly the Latino community she grew up in, to know that they hold significant power to dictate their health and well-being. Claudia holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell, a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Physiology and is working on a Master's in Public Health Nutrition. She also serves as a Plant-Powered Lifestyle Mentor with PPMNY. Contact Claudia.

BRYAN BARRETT, Network Operations Manager

Bryan coordinates PPMNY's internal operations including finances, human resources, and technology. He started his whole food, plant-based journey in March 2020 after watching the documentary What the Health and took a “cold turkey” approach to change his diet. He immediately saw the health benefits with his blood pressure dropping from hypertensive to normal levels within a couple of months. Bryan has dedicated a large part of his life to supporting marginalized communities through an economic development lens, working in the fields of workforce and small business development. He has now pivoted his focus to food justice, realizing that, for a community to thrive, it needs access to healthy and nutritious food. Bryan is a 2011 We Are All Brooklyn Fellow, holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship from CUNY – Baruch College, an MS in Urban Affairs from CUNY – Hunter College, and an MBA in Managerial Analytics and Finance from Mercy College. He currently lives in East New York, Brooklyn. Contact Bryan.

MITCHELL CASTELL, Long Island Regional Organizer

Mitch is building the network for WFPB nutrition in Long Island. He has been on his plant-based journey since March of 2012 after his father recommended that he read The China Study. Mitch decided he wanted to help promote the benefits of eating WFPB and contacted Nelson Campbell to help with screening his documentary, Plant Pure Nation. After helping with the NYC launch, Mitch became the ambassador to bring the movie to Long Island. Soon after, he helped form the Long Island PlantPure Pod of PlantPure Communities in 2016 and is part of the founding team of PPMNY. Mitch has since earned his certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell and is passionate in helping people regain their health, putting life in their years. Contact Mitch.

LYNN DIAMOND, Network Empowerment Coordinator

Lynn recruits and supports WFPB organizers across the metro area, connects people to opportunities, and develops or curates tools for our projects. She read Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book Eat to Live in 2012, went whole-food plant-based "cold turkey," and within weeks reversed her high blood pressure. The WFPB lifestyle enabled her to easily lose 25 pounds and maintain a healthier weight. She teamed up with Lianna in 2018 to bring the message to the wider community that a whole-food, plant-based diet leads to better health. Lynn served as a leader of Plant Powered Manhattan and is part of the founding team of PPMNY. Lynn is working toward her certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell. She is an attorney in private practice and previously had a career in marketing and journalism. Contact Lynn.

MARE GOMEZ-BOLAÑOS, Latino Community Organizer

Mare is building the network for WFPB nutrition within the Latino community. Her journey started in 2017 after watching the documentary Food Choices. She made changes to her diet and experienced health improvements immediately: lower triglycerides and cholesterol, no more hypoglycemia episodes, and regular bowel movements. She became a WFPB advocate in 2020 and hopes to continuously educate herself to better help others. She enjoys traveling abroad, meditation, and kundalini yoga. Currently, Mare works as a fashion designer in Midtown Manhattan. She is from El Salvador and lives in Sunnyside, Queens with her WFPB triathlete husband. Contact Mare.

BONNIE HEPLER, RN, Brooklyn Organizer

Bonnie is growing the WFPB community in Brooklyn. She is a Registered Nurse who has spent her nursing career in cardiac and post-op care. A long-time vegetarian, Bonnie evolved to live a WFPB lifestyle after completing a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell in 2015. Bonnie has an insatiable appetite for studying all things related to whole food, plant-based nutrition; she also completed Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Educational Institute - Nutritarian Studies certificate in 2018. Bonnie is thrilled to be a part of PPMNY. Contact Bonnie.

SARAH HOFMANN, Lower Manhattan Organizer & Lifestyle Mentorship Coordinator

Sarah is building the network for WFPB nutrition in Lower Manhattan and coordinating our Plant-Powered Lifestyle Mentorship program. After failing to alleviate her chronic migraines and other health issues with traditional medicine-based approaches, she was determined to find an alternative solution. In 2014, after watching the plant-based documentaries Forks Over Knives and Vegucated and seeing the health-improving effects of a plant-based diet, she started her plant-based journey, first cutting out just dairy, and then animal products altogether. When her migraines disappeared and her overall health improved dramatically, she became passionate about plant-based living, learning everything she could about the positive impacts of a plant-based lifestyle on human health, animal welfare, and the environment. She began searching for ways to incorporate plant-based advocacy into her everyday life. In 2018, she completed the certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell and made the leap to WFPB living, cutting out all added oils. She works for Rochester-area plant-based food company Kitchen Verde and lives in the Hudson Yards area. Contact Sarah.

ANDREW INNIS, Eastern Queens Organizer

Andrew is building the network for WFPB nutrition in the Eastern Queens/Lower Long Island area. After becoming vegetarian in 2011 for ethical reasons, Andrew read further on the positive nutritional aspects of a WFPB diet and became 100% plant-based in 2014. He went from being constantly congested and overweight to being able to breathe, feeling more energy overall, and moving even closer to a healthier weight than he had as a vegetarian. Andrew is thrilled to spread the important message of the countless benefits of a WFPB diet. He is currently a pre-med student who hopes to carry this invaluable information with him into the medical field. Contact Andrew.

VIVIAN LEE, Network Communications Manager & Morris Park Organizer (Bronx)

Vivian is building the network for WFPB nutrition in the Bronx neighborhood of Morris Park. She hopes that more Bronxites will "boogie down" with a WFPB lifestyle. Her health path started off rocky with severe calorie restrictions and excessive physical activity. She chose to eat vegetarian for the next 13 years but had no clue about eating healthfully. After hitting the proverbial wall and in a desperate search for sustainable health, she came upon a vegan diet and became intrigued. The difference she felt in mood and energy was night and day. She became enthralled with The China Study and The World Peace Diet. Her initial interest in diet and health expanded to animals and the environment. Vivian holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell, and is a certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator through Main Street Vegan Academy. She is also a certified yoga teacher and a vegan bodybuilder. She lives in the Bronx and intends to infuse WFPB in her community as a PPMNY organizer and health coach. Contact Vivian.

CAROLE LEVY, Culinary Educator

Carole has loved art and food since she was a young girl cooking with her grandmother. Her first professional culinary experience was in a vegetarian restaurant where she built a foundation for eating healthfully. After many years of working with top chefs in restaurants and bakeries, she opened a café in San Francisco and incorporated a culinary job training program as part of its mission. While her career shifted away from food to creative advertising for the film industry, she never lost her passion for cooking. In early 2019 she participated in PPMNY’s 21-Day Jumpstart Program and shifted her 23 years of vegetarian eating to a whole-food, plant-based, SOS-free lifestyle—eliminating dairy, salt, oil, and sugar. Since then she’s earned a certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell, and is a PCRM-certified Food for Life instructor. Carole’s greatest ambition is to inspire people to take chances in the kitchen by teaching individuals to cook without fear, be open to creativity, and embrace more health-minded, nutrient-dense food combinations.

JOSH ORLEAN, Long Island Organizer

Josh Orlean is building the network for WFPB nutrition in Long Island. Heart disease runs in Josh’s family. Both his father and grandfather died from heart attacks at the age of 52. In the early 70s, Josh suspected that it was a matter of luck if one did or did not die from a heart attack. At age 46, Josh attended a dinner lecture and learned about the healing power of plant-based food from Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He also discovered that plant-based foods can be delicious. However, diagnostic tests had revealed that Josh had heart disease. He read The China Study and embraced Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s guidelines for a whole food, plant-based diet. Dramatic results and a desire to share how he got them led him to pursue a certificate in Plant Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell. Being a PPMNY organizer is Josh's way of making a difference. Contact Josh.

EMANI PARSONS, Brooklyn Organizer

Emani Parsons aims to grow the WFPB community in Brooklyn. Emani is a nutritionist who has spent her career in community nutrition and nutrition education. After being a vegetarian for a year, she started her vegan journey in July 2017 for several reasons. Ethically and morally, she could not stand to watch animals tortured and tormented for “food.” She also went vegan for its many health benefits and credits the documentary What the Health? As an African American woman, Emani believes that it is extremely important to highlight healthy eating and challenge the status quo of what communities of color eat. In environments where a vicious cycle of poverty, food insecurity, and hunger exist, we must take steps to fight the cycle; one way of doing that is changing how we eat and providing outlets for healthy options within our communities. Being vegan has allowed her to see the world in a different light, develop more compassion, and gain an eagerness to share healthy eating with the world. She created @veganmani to educate and empower individuals with plant-based nutrition and features healthy plant-based baked goods. Emani holds a MS in Nutrition from Columbia University and is a certified Zumba instructor. Contact Emani.

LIAT RAZ, NYC Family Empowerment Organizer

Liat is creating a supportive environment for the city’s plant-based families, with events that provide the inspiration, knowledge, and solutions for their daily challenges. Fascinated with nutrition and how different foods affect the body, Liat built up an extensive home library of diet and nutrition books over the years. At first her interest revolved around weight-loss, but as she got older and was faced with chronic health issues like migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach ulcers, candida, chronic inflammation and more, her focus shifted to healing her body and reducing pain. Having been a steak, eggs and bacon lover and a chocoholic, the decision to become plant-based was gradual. It was watching the Forks Over Knives documentary and reading The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell, that provided the final push she needed. Now, almost symptom-free, Liat enjoys making her own nut milks and plant-full dishes , as well as alternatives to some of her beloved traditional Jewish foods. Being a mother of two growing boys, she understands the daily challenges of raising plant-based children, when surrounded by a mostly “SAD” (Standard American Diet) world. Contact Liat.

AIFRA RUIZ, Latino Community Organizer

Aifra is building the network for WFPB nutrition within the NYC Latino community. Aifra’s journey started in 2012 after watching the documentary Forks over Knives. She made some changes in her diet and saw the results immediately: no more constipation, more energy, lower cholesterol, better skin, and improved digestion. In 2017, she became a WFPB advocate and began to incorporate more physical activity into her life. Aifra is a certified Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach and has a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell. Inspired by her personal experience, she created @healthycitymom to promote and empower women to improve their health by changing their eating habits and cooking delicious plant-based food for their families. Previously, Aifra had a career in finance. She enjoys outdoor activities, exercise, and yoga. Aifra is from the Dominican Republic and lives in the Upper West Side with her husband and son. Contact Aifra.

ENRICA SACCA, Queens Borough Organizer

Enrica is building the network for WFPB nutrition in Queens. As a first generation Italian-American, Enrica was extremely driven. Her family came to the United States to make it. Within ten years, they were all sick from the standard American diet. Today, Enrica has cured herself of colitis and is dedicating her life to support individuals who are just as driven as she was -- but would love to be successful and healthy. To create balance and stability in her communities through individual and planetary health and wellness, she started the PlantPure Communities pod, Plant Powered Queens, in 2018 and is part of the founding team of PPMNY. A resident of Astoria, Enrica previously ran a specialty travel company for 20 years before moving into real estate management. She holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell, and a business degree from Pace University. Contact Enrica.

ROGIER VAN VLISSINGEN, Parkchester Organizer (Bronx)

Rogier is building the network for WFPB nutrition in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx. He was raised vegetarian since age 4, and from his late teens became increasingly omnivore, but found himself slowly drifting back to more vegetarian habits. He read Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr.'s book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease when it first came out and made a half-hearted attempt to follow it, but gave it up because he considered himself "healthy." Eventually, Rogier made a rigorous switch to a WFPB-lifestyle in 2015 and got off blood pressure medication. Rogier runs a business in the area of energy retrofitting, and he is CEO of EB-Cert(tm) Trading Exchange, which finances energy retrofit projects. He holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell. Rogier continues to voraciously read and learn about WFPB nutrition and healthcare reform, and he maintains a website focusing on nutrition and healthcare , as well as a blog covering plant-based activities in his Bronx neighborhood along Starling Avenue. Rogier holds a BA in Economics from Fairfield University in Connecticut. He is also an author, most recently, of Closing the Circle: Pursah's Gospel of Thomas and A Course in Miracles. Contact Rogier.

MYRON WHITE, Long Island Organizer

Myron White is building the network for WFPB nutrition in Long Island. His lifestyle journey began when he noticed that many members of both sides of his family were dying early, some even before their 50th birthday. The search to find the genesis and remedy led him to begin researching the fields of nutrition and lifestyle changes. Attending numerous events and conducting in-depth research led to a love of nutrition science. He quickly adopted a vegan diet, then transitioned to a whole food, plant-based lifestyle, and finally a WFPB diet without added salt, oil, or sugar ("SOS-free"). The results were the end of heart palpitations, more energy, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, loss of joint stiffness, and many other health benefits. As a compassionate lifelong serial entrepreneur, Myron is blessed with numerous contacts, friends, and personal skills. He’s very passionate about nourishing and developing the body, mind, and spirit. His primary goal is to help people learn how to get and maintain optimal health. Being an at-large organizer for PPMNY, and an active leader in various other groups and organizations in the vegan community, enables him to give back to the NY Metropolitan area. He’s proud to be a son, brother, father of four, and grandfather of two precious boys. Contact Myron.