Speakers

Speaker Date Topic
Christen Cooper May 28, 2026

Career Highlights

  • Listed among the 4% of dietitians with doctorates. Achieved graduate and doctorate degrees at Teachers College, Columbia University, the oldest and most prestigious nutrition program in the nation.
  • Developed Pace University's first and only accredited MS in Nutrition program that focused on food equity and nutrition as medicine. Designed curriculum, trained the facilitators, set up the required internship program, and coordinated the process.
  • Ran food & nutrition consulting business and cultivated clients based on a reputation for producing high-quality work. Conducted professional development, market research, and other projects for companies like Quaker Oats, McCormick, and Head Start.
  • Led a market entry project for one of the nation’s top health insurance providers by adapting U.S. customer service procedures to the Brazilian market while working at Kaiser Associates.
  • Documented impressive body of research on nutrition and dietetics in top journals and published a dissertation, all within 5 years.
  • Nominated for the 2022 national award: “Outstanding Early Career Researcher” from the Society of Nutrition and Behavior.

Credentials

Education:            Ed.D in Nutrition Education | Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY | February 2017

Published Dissertation: A Home Away from Home: Exploring Preschool Teachers’ Nutrition Beliefs, Practices and Feeding Styles and Associations with Training.

Master of Science in Nutrition Education | Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY

Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science, cum laude | Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

Woodrow Wilson Prize in American Politics | Political Science Scholar in Maastricht, The Netherlands | Wellesley-in-Washington Scholar; Ford Foundation Scholar in Brazil

Certifications:      Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics | 2006 - Present

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program)

ServSafe Food Safety Exam, National Restaurant Association

Organizations:     Awards Committee Core Member, National Position | Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior | 2019 - Present

Advisory Board, Super Kids Nutrition | 2006 - Present

Member, Dietetic Educators of Health Professionals Dietetic Practice Group

Member, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Member, Public Health / Community Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Member, Research Dietetic Practice Group, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Member, Nutrition Entrepreneurs Dietetic Practice Group, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Founding Member, Academic Lead | Food for Life Council, Westchester Medical Center
Jo Lisa Blossom Jun 11, 2026

Jo Lisa Blossom is  a Jesus follower. She is grateful to be on the team at Into The Light to help children who’ve been victimized. It is a heartwrenching thing to know what some children have endured. She feels richly blessed to also know that they can, and do, overcome. She loves all of the wonderful people that she has met in her role at Into The Light. She says that It is an absolute joy to serve God alongside other believers who care about this cause. It is wonderful to lock arms with all of them as they fight to end child trafficking together.

 
Mina Chiang Jul 23, 2026

Mina Chiang is a sought-after expert in combating human trafficking and modern slavery, especially for her work in combating slavery in the scamming compounds in Southeast Asia, ending forced labour in the fishing industry, and survivor engagement and empowerment. Mina offers technical advice to UN agencies, Interpol, governments, NGOs, and the private sector through her work. She is an international speaker and has been interviewed by numerous media, including CNN, New York Times, and Sky News. Mina is the founder and Director of Humanity Research Consultancy (HRC), an award-winning, UK-based social enterprise revolutionising the fight against human trafficking by bringing in experts from the Global South. HRC provides cutting-edge research, training, and consultancy services for clients. Mina has an interdisciplinary background in engineering, sociology, anthropology, and international development.
Laura Hackney Sep 24, 2026
Laura Hackney is a human rights advocate and full-stack software engineer from Atlanta, GA. She is the CEO and Cofounder of AnnieCannons, a national organization dedicated to training, preparing, and connecting individuals who have experienced human trafficking to sustainable careers in tech. Laura helped to build AnnieCannons’ Coding Training Program and develop AC’s internal portfolio of software products. Prior to AnnieCannons, Laura managed the Program on Human Rights at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute. She also worked as the Senior Research Associate for Stanford’s Anti-Trafficking Project in the Mekong Sub-Region and was a Program Associate for the Freeman Spogli Institute’s International Policy Implementation Lab. Laura is passionate about the intersections of human rights, technology, and education. She is based in Brooklyn, NY.
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AnnieCannons is a nonprofit with the mission to train, prepare, and connect individuals who have experienced human trafficking to sustainable careers in tech. AnnieCannons' programs incorporate a unique blend of in-demand technical training alongside project-based learning, job readiness, personal and professional development, and job placement and support. This holistic approach to economic justice centers equity, accessibility, and survivor-centricity so that participants will be capable, qualified, and successful in obtaining jobs in the tech field, forever breaking cycles of exploitation.