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Meet the Board and Contributing Authors

PVS Executive Board for 2011-2012

 

Victor Galli

Name: Victor Galli
Position: Co-Founder and President; Communications Director
Major/Year: Science, Technology, and Society; Individualized Concentration in Nutritional Biochemistry; Class of 2012
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Favorite Vegetable: Broccoli or Kale
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Seitan Philly Cheesesteak from Blackbird Pizzeria (and check out their website and facebook page)

“When I started my food journey in both culinary exploration and academic research, I felt that there was so much out there that if others only had exposure to, then their perspectives would shift dramatically. When I co-founded this society with Russell Trimmer, our idea was to bring the compelling and often shocking information linking food to human health, environmental issues, and ethics (in ways never mentioned in public discourse) directly to our Penn peers. I have come a long way from my primarily meat and cheese diet that I grew up with in Dallas. I hope to serve as an example to others that they can always make a change in their diet, regardless of their background.”

 

Laura MacKinnon

Name: Laura MacKinnon
Position: Events Coordinator/ Dining Liaison
Major/Year: Bioengineering; Class of 2014
Hometown: Miami, FL
Favorite Vegetable: Sweet Potato or any Winter Squash
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Vegan cheesecake from Kings Court dining hall

“I’ve been a vegetarian for four years and vegan for about three months now (yay!). I’m most interested in animal rights and having as little impact on the environment as possible. I love the challenge of vegan cooking and showing people that food can be delicious, healthy, and animal-product free.“

 

 

Ian Penkala

Name: Ian Penkala
Position: Dining and Restaurant Director
Major/Year: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Class of 2013
Hometown: Newtown, PA
Favorite Vegetable: Dandelion Greens
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Vegan Espresso Chocolate Cupcake at Green Line Cafe

“One of the first things I took care of coming to Penn was my desire to live a plant-based lifestyle. I did it primarily for health reasons based on all of the nutrition and chemistry research, and I knew there would be no other way to feel my best every day while otherwise. I went straight from omnivore to vegan with no look back. As a vegan, I have taken very seriously to running, and I am a strong proponent and spokesman of vegan athletes, particularly distance runners. I feel that science, athletics, and veganism are pertinent aspects of a conscious lifestyle.”


Russell Trimmer

Name: Russell Trimmer
Position: Co-Founder; Communications
Major/Year: Business; Class of 2012
Hometown: Lexington, VA
Favorite Vegetable: Sweet Potato
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Spicy Tofu Hoagie from Fu Wah Minimarket

“Coming from Lexington, VA, I have spent much of my childhood and early adult life with my family growing, preparing, and eating food. I originally became vegetarian when I was young, but it was only when I got to Penn, that I really started to critically analyze the food that I was eating and the choices that I made. I became vegan at the beginning of 2009 and I have loved it ever since. I am currently spending much of 2011 working on an organic, vegan farm in Maryland in order to better understand the food production process. Eventually, I would like to use my Wharton degree to be a political organizer for farmers throughout the US.”


Nikila Dandapani

Name: Nikila Dandapani
Position: Events Coordinator
Major/Year: Health & Societies and Communications
Hometown: Melbourne, FL
Favorite Vegetable: Eggplant or Pumpkin
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Literally anything from Blackbird Pizzeria

 

Though I was born and raised a vegetarian, my involvement with PVS has given me the opportunity to constantly question and educate myself about my food choices (as well as learn about so many delicious things I would have never come across otherwise!) Being involved with the organization and its mission has actually inspired me to create a vegan cooking blog, Vegephant (http://vegephant.blogspot.com/), to explore and share how just a few small changes to plant-based ingredients can make a healthier and more delicious product than its animal-based counterpart.

Nikita Singh

Name: Nikita Singh
Position: Project Manager
Major/Year: Biochemistry/2015
Hometown: Princeton, NJ
Favorite Vegetable: Spinach
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Bomb from Vegan Treats

 

“It’s absurd. I never go without my dinner. No one ever does, except vegetarians and people like that.”

-Oscar Wilde

 

 

Jennifer Preys

   Name: Jennifer Preys
   Position: Project Manager
   Major/Year: Linguistics and PPE; Class of 2015
   Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
   Favorite Vegetable: Artichoke; bok choy
  Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Goldenberg’s Original Dark
  Chocolate Peanut Chews

 

   Vegan is not who I am, it’s how I strive to live. Cutting animal
   proteins from my diet is one of the most significant personal
  decisions I’ve made, and it has yielded significant rewards in
  terms of health, happiness, and overall well-being. I’ve been
  vegan since 2009 and vegetarian since 2005.

 

Molly Armstrong

 

Name: Molly Armstrong
Major/Year: English Major, Creative Writing  Senior 2012
Hometown: Hughesville Pa
Favorite Vegetable: Avocado (yea yea, I know it is technically a fruit)
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Veggie Pirates Booty, PB and Bananas, Trader Joe’s Coconut Milk Chocolate Ice Cream (oh goodness, this list might never end)

 

You have just dined, and however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity. –Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Fate”

 

Barbara Jun

 

Name: Barbara Jun
Position: Project Manager
Major/Year: Economics 2015
Hometown: Seoul, Korea
Favorite Vegetable: Spinach
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Theo’s Coffee Dark Chocolate. All
their dark chocolates are vegan!






Julie Kozeracki

Name: Julie Kozeracki
Position: Project Manager
Major/Year: Cognitive Neuroscience / Health Care Management and Policy; Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management; Class of 2014
Hometown: Wayne, Pennsylvania
Favorite Vegetable: Edamame
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure: Dark chocolate

 

I became vegetarian at age five after a fateful field trip to a farm, and as I discovered more about the moral, environmental and health implications of how we eat, soon transitioned to veganism. In that time, I’ve learned that being conscious of what you eat is the easiest, most satisfying way to feel and live better.




Contributing Authors

 

Krystal Bonner

Name: Krystal Bonner
Contributing Author Since: February 2011
Major/Year: Communications and Public Service; Class of 2013
Hometown: Thornbury, Pennsylvania
Favorite Vegetable: Ketchup
Favorite (Not So) Guilty Pleasure:Vegan Golden Vanilla Cupcakes with Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook

“In addition to vegetarian cooking and baking, I’m greatly interested in food policy and justice. A few of my biggest role models are Michele Simon, a public health lawyer and author who has written extensively about the food industry and food politics in America, and Marion Nestle, a legendary food studies professor and writer.”

 

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