As a mother of three, Mara understands firsthand the challenges parents face in ensuring their children eat fresh, healthy food. As CEO of the Chef Ann Foundation for the past decade, she has been a leading voice in the movement to transform school food. Her expertise lies in system-level change and programmatic engineering, where she analyzes complex challenges and develops actionable solutions. Under her leadership, the foundation has become the nation’s most trusted advocate and resource for helping school food programs serve more fresh, scratch-made meals.

Mara is a sought-after speaker, prolific writer, and influential thought leader on school food reform. She serves on regional and national boards, frequently presents at conferences, and is widely recognized in publications as a driving force behind reshaping America’s food landscape.