Speakers

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Padma Lakshmi

Padma Lakshmi, an Emmy-nominated television host, producer, and food connoisseur, has made significant strides in the culinary world. She is the mastermind behind the James Beard Award-winning Hulu series, Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, which has also garnered a Critics Choice Real TV Award for Best Culinary Series and a 2021 Gotham Award for Breakthrough Series. Her prowess extends to Bravo’s Top Chef, a two-time Emmy-winning series now in its 21st season, where she served as both host and executive producer for 19 seasons. Padma’s influence in the industry was recognized in 2023 when TIME named her one of the most influential people.

As a New York Times bestselling author, Padma has penned a children’s book, Tomatoes for Neela, and edited The Best American Travel Writing. Her literary contributions also include two cookbooks, Easy Exotic and Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet, a bestselling memoir, Love, Loss and What We Ate, and The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs.

Beyond her culinary and literary accomplishments, Padma is a passionate advocate for women’s and immigrants’ rights, serving as an ACLU Artist Ambassador. She co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America (EndoFound) and was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Her advocacy work earned her the Advocate of the Year Award from the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA).

Padma’s academic pursuits have led her to a visiting scholar position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She has been honored with the Karma Award from Variety magazine and the 2016 EIHS Ellis Island Medal of Honor, further cementing her status as a trailblazer and influencer.

KROGER LEADERSHIP

Colleen Lindholz
President
Kroger Health

Jim Kirby, PharmD
Chief Commercial Officer
Kroger Health

Ann Reed
President of Cincinnati/Dayton Division
Kroger

SPEAKERS & PANELISTS

Aftab Pureval
Mayor of Cincinnati

Amy Bucher
Chief Behavioral Officer and co-director of the Behavioral Reinforcement Learning Lab (BReLL)
Lirio, Inc

Lisa Paley
President, North America
Haleon

Dr. Andrea Brookhart
Director, Population Health & Wellness
Kroger Health

Angie Nelson
Senior Vice President, Pharmacy
Hy-Vee

Ben Goodwin
Co-Founder, CEO and Formulator
OLIPOP

Carley Riley
Associate Professor in Pediatrics at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Attending Physician in Critical Care, Director of Community Systems in the Michael Fisher Child Health Equity Center, Director of the Mayerson Child Well-being Initiative at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
SAFE

Representative Robin Kelly
Congresswoman (D-IL)

Daniel O’Connor
Executive Fellow, Managing the Future of Work, Harvard Business School, Managing Partner, Rockhurst Ventures, Founder, Future Commerce Initiative
Harvard

Alpa V. Shah, MS, RD
Medical & Scientific Affairs Lead – U.S. Wellness
Haleon

Daryl Risinger
Co-Founder and President
Soda Health

Dominique Williams
Medical Director, Adult Nutrition
Abbott

Dr. Doug Flora, LSSBB
Executive Medical Director of Oncology Services, and The Robert and Dell Ann Sathe Endowed Chair in Oncology
St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Dr. Mladen Golubić, MD, PhD, FACLM
Osher Center Distinguished Professor and Medical Director at the Osher Center for Integrative Health and Family and Community Medicine
Osher Center

Ed Ferguson
Chief Sustainability Officer
Blue Triton Brands

Eden Barrett
Research fellow and dietitian in the Food Policy division at the George Institute for Global health, Sydney Australia and co-appointed at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Tufts University