Our Team
FRANCES MOORE LAPPÉ
Cofounder,
Director
Frances Moore Lappé is a writer, speaker, and activist. She has authored or co-authored 20 books and is a recipient of 20 honorary doctorates. Her first book, Diet for a Small Planet, has sold over 3 million copies. Lappé has been a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and MIT and taught at various universities and colleges. She frequently appears in media and contributes to publications like Yes! Magazine and Common Dreams. Her works have been translated into 15 languages and are used in university courses. Lappé has won awards for her work and has been featured on Today Show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Fox & Friends, NPR, and the BBC, among others.
"A small number of people in every generation are forerunners, in thought, action, spirit, who swerve past the barriers of greed and power to hold a torch high for the rest of us. Lappé is one of those."
—Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States
Anna Blythe Lappé is the Executive Director of the Global Alliance for the Future of Food and, along with the Small Planet Institute, co-founder of the SmallPlanet Fund and Real Food Media. From 2017 to 2023, she developed and ran the Food Sovereignty Fund of the Panta Rhea Foundation. A national bestselling author, Anna has written or co-written three books and contributed to or been featured in 19 others, including Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It and Hope’s Edge. A James Beard Foundation Leadership Awardee, Anna was named one of TIME's "eco" Who's-Who and is a respected advocate for sustainability and justice along the food chain.
ANNA BLYTHE LAPPÉ
Cofounder
CORINNA (COCO) RHUM
Senior Writing Associate and Institute Manager
Corinna (Coco) Rhum (she/her) graduated with a BA in Critical Theory from Williams College. She is a passionate advocate for a more just world. Leading the fight to get Williams to publicly commit to divesting from fossil fuels, co-running a mutual aid group, and fighting for integrated public schools in New York City have been some of her most proud accomplishments. She also has a background in zero-waste policy and systems on college campuses. She loves to read and write about issues of politics and power. Her undergraduate thesis was titled “What's the Deal With All of Those Books About Fungus?: The New Discursive Project of Interconnectedness.” It explores the emergence of texts that emphasize interconnectedness between humans and the natural world. It seeks to situate these discourses in our political-economic context by discussing their relationship to neoliberal subjectivity, the rise of the therapeutic state, and changing concepts of nature. Outside of work, she loves to play ultimate frisbee, hike, bake, and make art!
RESTON KAUFMAN
Democracy Intern
Reston Kaufman (he/him) is a Democracy Intern at Small Planet Institute. He is currently a student at Wesleyan University studying for his bachelor’s degree is Social Studies and Economics. He has an interest in the ways political systems work and the varying effects of an increasingly globalized world on all different sorts of people. He also enjoys Boston sports, sit-com television, and being outside.
MADELEINE GUILIANO
Democracy Intern
Madeleine Guiliano (she/her) is a Democracy Intern at Small Planet Institute. She is pursuing a BA from Villanova University where she majors in English and minors in Sustainability Studies and Art History. With strong interests in social change and the environment, she is involved with on-campus sustainability efforts concerning waste reduction and energy efficiency. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her dogs and skiing.
SONJA COLFORD
Democracy Intern
Sonja Colford (she/her) is a Democracy Intern at Small Planet Institute. She is a student at McGill University pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics. Her interests lie at the intersection of politics, law, and the environment. As a member of the McGill Energy Journal, she writes about topics spanning many areas of sustainability. In her spare time, she enjoys music, running, and spending time with her dog.
JACK LAUB
Democracy Intern
Jack Laub (he/him) is a rising senior at UMass Amherst with a double major in Political Science and Resource Economics. He is a writing tutoring intern at UMass as well. Jack is passionate about preservation and proper application of core American values such as liberty, freedom and compassion. He keeps up to date with current events and legal disputes resulting from government action and loves to learn more about the world. In his free time, Jack loves to play sports like hockey and football, and he likes to cook, spend time outside and with friends and family.
