Mara Fleishman

Chief Executive Officer | Co-Founder @ Chef Ann Foundation

About

As a food systems leader and CEO of the Chef Ann Foundation, I guide a team dedicated to transforming the $18B U.S. school food system toward freshly prepared, scratch-cooked, and locally sourced meals. We support districts in building infrastructure, training staff, and shifting procurement toward sustainable, regenerative supply chains. Our work is grounded in collaboration, uniting philanthropy, government, and industry to reimagine what school food can be. My passion lies in aligning health, climate, and education outcomes through practical, scalable solutions. Whether engaging funders, policymakers, or school food leaders, I bring strategy, storytelling, and systems thinking to every table. Let’s build a school food system that serves every child — and our planet — better.

Country

United States

City

Boulder

Industry

Health, Wellness & Fitness

Skill

Food, Merchandising, Retail, Social Media, Marketing Strategy, Event Planning, Grocery, Social Media Marketing, Marketing, Marketing Communications, Public Relations, Product Development, Competitive Analysis, Brand Development, Program Management, Trade Shows, Event Management, Integrated Marketing, Food & Beverage, Public Speaking

Experience

Chief Executive Officer | Co-Founder

Chef Ann Foundation

2015-6 - Present · 11 yrs 4 mos

Boulder, Colorado

In good company!

Executive Director | Co-Founder

Chef Ann Foundation

2013-4 - 2015-6 · 2 yrs 3 mos

Boulder CO

Founded by Chef Ann Cooper, the Food Family Farming Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization created to empower schools to serve nutritious whole food to all students. Changing the outlook of our children's future through the power of choice, food and flavors – real whole foods in schools will impact our families and our food system in a profound way. F3 supports positive change through educational training programs, direct services, a web portal and collateral resources.

Advisor Whole Journeys

Whole Foods Market

2012-7 - 2013-7 · 1 yr 1 mo

Bouler CO

Whole Journeys is an experiential travel company designed to bring people closer to the source of the products we sell in our stores. Whole Journeys provides specialized, multi-day international and domestic trips for small groups. These active adventures focus on truly engaging guests with local cultures in ‘through-the-back-door’ experiences. Regional cuisines and the culture of food are the key components, as is face-to-face interactions with producers and artisans. Small groups offer the perfect balance between structure and flexibility, activity and rest, education, personal discovery, food and fun.