Our Team
Our team is comprised of hardworking volunteers who bring compassion, expertise, and drive to
A Meal with Dignity.
Board of Directors
JOY D’OVIDIO,
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Joy is a specialty food pioneer and advocate for social justice with a 20-year passion for feeding the homeless in San Francisco. She previously served as volunteer executive chef for the St. Ignatius Shelter Program. Prior to that, she co-founded a French bread company, and marketed a range of specialty foods from wine to California olive oil. Joy leverages her extensive food network and culinary skills to infuse our program with a love for fresh, organic and sustainable food. Joy holds a BA from UC Santa Cruz. She believes that “food is medicine”, that “everyone deserves great food”.
GENE D’OVIDIO,
Co-Founder
Gene is a multi-talented C-suite and Board-level strategic planner, who is currently the SVP, Business Integration & Strategy with RH, and formally the president of Intellectual Capital Partners, a private SF-based management consulting firm specializing in business growth, strategic planning, and strategic marketing. He earned an MBA from Boston University and a BS in Industrial engineering from Northeastern. In terms of our homeless crisis, Gene believes that it is “better to light one candle than to curse the darkness” - one fresh and delicious boxed lunch at a time.
JOE SWEENEY,
Treasurer
Joe is a highly successful investment manager, now President of Cornerstone Retire. Joe devotes significant time and energy to San Francisco area non-profits with a special focus on those serving children and families without significant means. He served long tenures on the boards of the Guardsmen of San Francisco (President), Catholic Charities/CYO of San Francisco, Boys and Girls Clubs of San Francisco and The Salvation Army. Joe is currently a board member of the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. In addition to his love for pinball, bridge, power pop and contemporary literary fiction, he particularly enjoys wine, serving on the board of The Wine and Food Society of San Francisco and having been the Past Grand Senechal of the Tastevin in San Francisco.
DIZ PETIT,
Social Impact Consultant
Diz is the Founder and CEO of LiquiDonate, a sustainable social impact solution for businesses and nonprofits. Diz co-founded the Civic Labs, the social impact team at Postmates to positively impact neighborhoods through community engagement and innovative technology solutions. Diz helped advance food security across the United States through the development of the FoodFight! program which allowed restaurants to send excess food to local shelters at the touch of a button.
DR. ADRIAN AURRECOECHEA,
Health Advisor
Dr. Aurrecoechea was born and raised in South Florida, with familial ties to Cuba and the Dominican Republic. He aims to work globally to care for individuals and populations having or recovering from emergencies. He has a Masters Degree in Public Health: Global Health (MPH) from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from University of California in San Francisco. His biggest strength is empathy and he dedicates himself to managing group/team efficiency, effectiveness, and relationships in challenging situations.
LAURENCE JOSSEL
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Laurence Jossel is a long-time San Francisco resident who moved here from Los Angeles to attend the California Culinary Academy. After graduating in 1991, he cooked for Roland Passot at La Folie for two years before moving to the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton where he worked as sous-chef to Gary Danko for four years. During that time Laurence studied with Madeleine Kamman at the School for American Chefs at the Beringer Winery in St. Helena.
Opening Kokkari in 1999, Laurence’s Greco-California menu was praised for its innovation. In 2000 he opened Chez Nous, a neighborhood bistro featuring small plates of the Mediterranean. There Jossel was selected as one of five Rising Star Chefs by the San Francisco Chronicle and Chez Nous was awarded three stars in a restaurant review by Michael Bauer. Of Chez Nous, Bauer wrote: “The food created by Laurence Jossel is spectacular! Every neighborhood should have a Chez Nous.”
In 2006 Jossel opened the wildly popular Nopa, which serves simple, local, generous food. He remains Chef, and recently became sole owner of the respected neighborhood eatery. With over 30 years in the food industry, twenty five of them at the top of the San Francisco food scene, Jossel brings extensive experience, culinary expertise, and a remarkable reputation to the table.
In between shopping farmer's markets, you will find Laurence at home in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood with his wife Holly, their three children, and their dogs, Sunny & Rosie.
Advisory Board
DAVID RUTAN,
Operations and Technology Consultant
David is the founder of Wizdom On Wheels, and was one of the original Mac Geniuses at various Bay Area Apple Stores. His passion is teaching people and helping them accomplish their goals with their various electronic devices. He has a passion for technology and education that is as strong as his compassion for people and animals. With more than 21 years in the tech industry, David is bringing about creative ways of using technology to help fulfill our mission.
GREGG WILCOX
Gregg, a Navy veteran with degrees in Architecture and Science, found his second career in Construction Management at San Francisco International Airport after working as a Naval Officer in the U.S.Navy, specializing in Facilities Management and Construction Contract Management. His lifelong passion for cooking, cultivated since his university days, aligns with his deep empathy for others. Volunteering for various non-profits, including Project Open Hand and Men’s Inner Journey, he brings his kindness and dedication to A Meal With Dignity (AMWD), where he has been a volunteer since its early beginnings.
CASEY HAGERMAN
Casey has managed restaurants and food operations for the past decade in San Francisco and New York. She is currently getting her MA in Integrative Health Studies at CIIS and is a collage artist. She is a student of wellness and healing modalities with a deep interest in personal development and empowerment. Previously, she interned at Larkin Street Youth Services, gathering donations of goods for local homeless youth and is now grateful to be involved with AMWD. Casey was born and raised in San Francisco, CA and currently resides across the bridge in Sausalito, CA.
MIKE LEACH,
Salesforce
Mike has over 20 years of Internet-enabled CRM experience building IT and Product Engineering teams at companies like Corillian, Roland, and Facebook. He has been an active Salesforce Partner and Consultant/Architect since 2004 with a focus on CPQ and Digital Experiences. He is a technical visionary with a blend of technology, development management, and product management skills that allow him to build agile software development teams and applications that drive growth.
KELSEY FROMAL
Kelsey Fromal is a specialist in community engagement. Previously on the Social Impact team at Postmates (acquired by Uber Technologies), Kelsey now sits on Elastic’s Corporate Social Responsibility team. She is experienced in establishing and maintaining long-term relationships with local, national, and international organizations as well as heading up focused efforts with activation and retention. In addition to being on the AMWD board, she volunteers at Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary.