Meet OUR BOARD
HFHK is guided by an exceptional Board of Directors. Made up of professionals from a wide range of industries, the Board members bring their experience and knowledge to ensure the organization meets its mission.
LISA HOFFMAN
BOARD CHAIR
Lisa Hoffman, Ph.D., is Director of Global Development Biology & External Partnerships at FMC Agricultural Solutions. She has worked in the agricultural field for over 20 years finding innovative solutions to help farmers manage their crop pests. As a lover of food, gardening and science outreach, she fell in love with the HFHK mission. She is active in both education and community outreach. Lisa has a B.S. in Agriculture and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology. Lisa served as Vice-Chair for Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids from 2021-2022.
THALIA PAPPAS, PHD
VICE CHAIR
Thalia Pappas, PhD, spent 21 years of her career in DuPont Agricultural Products as a researcher and regulatory manager. Subsequently she was a consultant for the DE Dept. of Agriculture in an advocacy role focused on pollinator protection to benefit agricultural production and environmental health. She feels school vegetable gardens teach students how to make healthy eating an enduring part of a healthy lifestyle.
MALINA ROBBINS
TREASURER
Malina Robbins brings her passion for healthy living and eating, along with her banking expertise as Vice President within WSFS Bank’s Commercial Lending Group. Malina received her Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the University of British Columbia and has a Master’s degree at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
NANCY MERCANTE
SECRETARY
Nancy Mercante had a career in corporate communications for major companies in the financial, pharmaceutical and telecommunications industries . She joined the Board in 2020 to help spread the good news about HFHK’s mission and impact on kids. Nancy has a bachelor’s in mass communication from the University of South Florida and master’s from the University of Wisconsin. She’s still trying to master the art of vegetable gardening.
NATALIE MCKENNEY
GOVERNANCE CHAIR
Natalie McKenney is a Registered Dietitian/ Nutritionist with a passion for good food. In her work and personal life she has seen the impact that growing fresh vegetables can have on children’s interest in eating healthy food. She believes that this experience can have a lasting effect on their relationship with food throughout their lives. She was Board Chair from 2021 to 2023.
MICHELLE AXE
Michelle Axe, MS, CHES has 12 years of experience in program development, evaluation, and analytical skills, both qualitative and quantitative. Her passion for food is medicine programming is both personal and professional.
As a Program Manager for Christiana Care’s Department of Community Health, Michelle’s career is focused on food initiatives targeted to help community members manage their chronic conditions through healthy eating and behavior change. Through HFHK, she is committed to serving Delaware’s next generation through the transformative power of food.
CAITLIN CUSTER-HUFE
Caitlin Custer-Hufe is Corporate & Community Investments Program Manager for Corteva Agriscience. She connects with the HFHK mission because she’s been gardening for over a decade and experiences the magic herself every time her seeds sprout and grow into plans.
She serves on several Boards, including Meals on Wheels Delaware and the Human Services Graduate Degree and Behavioral Science Undergraduate Degree Advisory Boards of Wilmington University. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in Administration of Human Services from Wilmington University. She loves that HFHK teaches children where their food comes from and involves them in the growing process through hands on activities and curriculum. She joined the Board in 2023.
GARY LINARDUCCI
Gary is an attorney who focuses his practice on representing disabled individuals applying for Social Security disability benefits. His peers voted Gary as a Top Attorney for Social Security Disability for the past 13 years. Gary received a business degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a law degree from Delaware Law School and a tax degree from Villanova University. He has served on many boards, including the Red Clay Consolidated School District, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, and Delaware Greenways. Gary doesn’t like to eat salads but knows how important it is for kids to eat a healthy diet and loves to see kids working hard in a garden growing their own food.
SVETLANA LISANTI
Svetlana Lisanti is the former President of Bio Medical Resources Group. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Modern Languages from City University of New York – Brooklyn College as well as a degree in French Language and Literature from University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Svetlana speaks French, Russian and Spanish.
TERENCE MHORA
Terence Mhora, PhD., is a Global R&D Scientist at FMC agricultural solutions, a position that helps him in his quest to contribute towards alleviating global food insecurity. Terence’s inspiration comes from childhood experiences, where he witnessed the effects of a bad harvest but also the delicious food that came from his family’s efforts. While his current job contributes at the global level, he also strives to contribute to his local community, where he hopes his role in HFHK will help children to understand agriculture and enjoy fresh garden crops that they too can produce.
SHERYL MURPHY
Sheryl Murphy is an educator with 31 years of classroom wisdom under her belt, most of it spent shaping young minds in Delaware. Her journey with Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids (HFHK) began modestly as the building science chair, through which she worked with HFHK to establish a school garden at her own school.
Now, as a K-12 Science Curriculum Specialist, Sheryl is thrilled to lend her expertise to HFHK's mission of "veggie-cating" more schools in both her district and the First State. She is excited to be a member of HFHK’s board, and is ready to “dig in” and continue to support HFHK. Here's to planting the seeds of nutritious knowledge and watching them grow into healthy habits!
EMILY PILLING
Emily Pilling has more than 20 years of Human Resources experience. She is Director of Financial Wellbeing at Comcast NBCUniversal, based in Philadelphia. In this role, Emily is responsible for the strategy and design of Comcast’s disability and leave program. She has a Bachelors in Sociology and minor in Economics from Bucknell University.
Emily is inspired by HFHK’s mission. She grew up with a small backyard garden and still gets excited when picking the first ripe tomato each summer. She loves that gardening is woven into concepts that kids are learning throughout their curriculum and offers a life-long skill they can share with their families. Emily joined the Board in 2023.
ROBERT (BOB) SABATINII
Bob Sabatini has spent more than 20 years in the Human Resources and Talent Acquisition field across multiple industries such as Consulting, Procurement & Supply Chain, and Pharmaceutical. He currently works at Price WaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services as a Human Resources Deals manager. In this role, he supports mergers and acquisitions for Fortune 500 clients across multiple HR areas. He earned his Bachelor of Science and MBA from Penn State University in Business Management with a focus on Human Resources. He is a graduate of Salesianum High School in Delaware.
Bob and his family have a passion for teaching children to eat healthy and for how growing your own food can be fun, educational, and rewarding. He loves the mission of HFHK and being a part of helping to educate students and families across Delaware. Bob joined the Board in 2023.
MISSY SCHARADIN
Missy brings over 18 years of management experience to the Board. Her passion for Arranging themes and bringing them to life is not unlike the work one does in the garden.
As the Delaware Operating Officer for Brown Advisory LLC, she focuses on serving clients through her work in strategic planning, technology, people and process.
Through HFHK, she is committed to harvesting the balance of her passion for youth education, where her career began and helping the organization meet the goal of having a garden in every school by staying dedicated to the mission. She selfishly wants to exceed that goal and bring gardens to her district in Pennsylvania!
FRAN TACCONE
Fran is a Ph.D, RDN/LDN with a passion for prevention and health. She believes that nutrition is the foundation of health and everyone has a right to healthy food and healthcare. She has a lifetime career in nutrition services, community health, education and development at home and abroad. As a practicing health professional and community development professional, she understands the challenges and progress needed to not only screen, test and treat diabetes, obesity, cancer and other diseases but prevent them by improving access to healthy foods and promoting their consumption and a healthy lifestyle. Fran soon became one of the founding Board Members and is Chair Emeritus of HFHK.