Sam Lyman

Sam oversees all operational aspects at the Foundation including board management, executive leadership, and cross-functional partnerships with IT, legal, and financial teams. Sam also provides strategic support for grants and programs. Sam’s professional background includes leadership roles in startups, Fortune 500 companies specializing in high-end professional equipment manufacturing, and non-profit organizations. Sam holds a Masters degree in Business Design and Innovation, bringing a unique perspective to organizational leadership and development.

Margo Sivin

Margo (she/her) is a brand strategist with 12+ years of experience at the intersection of social justice, food, and communications. She joined Newman’s Own Foundation in September 2024 and serves as the Communications and Marketing Manager, supporting internal and external communications for the Foundation. Prior to Newman’s Own Foundation, Margo led the Brand team at Hot Bread Kitchen, a beloved NYC-based nonprofit supporting women and gender expansive people, immigrants, and people of color in the food industry, where she spent 7 years growing the organization through DEI-informed storytelling, impactful mission-driven events, design and photography, and PR.  

Margo believes in the power of creating social change through food and is a lover of farmer’s markets, gardening, and cooking. She is also an organizer with Queer Soup Night, supporting grassroots community events and fundraisers nationwide. 

Margo Sivin

Rachel Agoglia

Rachel (she/her) joined Newman’s Own Foundation in June 2024 and serves as the Grants Manager, where she oversees all grantmaking processes and systems, partnering closely with the rest of the team to develop and launch successful grant programs and support the Foundation’s active grantee partners. With over 20 years of experience in the social impact sector, Rachel brings deep expertise in grants management and process improvement and is particularly passionate about leveraging technology and data systems to enable nonprofits to achieve their best work. Throughout her career, she has led high-impact technology implementations, including enterprise-wide Salesforce-based solutions, collaborative learning platforms, and custom grants management solutions. Before joining the Foundation, she served as the Director of Information Systems at the national nonprofit VentureWell.

Rachel loves puzzles and problem-solving, pasta-making, traveling with family, and spending time by the ocean.  

Emily Yu

Emily (she/her) is committed to driving innovations that ensure everyone can be healthy and thrive. A social entrepreneur, speaker, and published author with more than 20 years of experience in the social sector, Emily is changing how change is made to tackle society’s most pressing challenges. 

Emily joined Newman’s Own Foundation in November 2023 and serves as the Chief Partnerships and Program Officer, overseeing all partnership and relationship development, results management, and grantmaking functions of the Foundation. Prior to joining Newman’s Own Foundation, Emily founded AI PRIORI, a B2B and B2C SaaS platform that helps changemakers identify the most relevant information across all their documents and generate insights for greater impact. She also served as the Executive Director of The BUILD Health Challenge® and Managing Director of Partnerships at the de Beaumont Foundation. These community-led and cross-sector partnerships resulted in more than 100 new legislative policies, organizational policies, and funding opportunities.  

Honors include being chosen as a Halcyon Fellow, Center for Community Investment Field Catalyst Fellow, and a Terrance Keenan Institute Fellow. Emily earned her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and her BS from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service.  

Emily Yu

Christina Chauvenet, PhD

Christina (she/her) joined Newman’s Own Foundation in November 2023 and serves as the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Officer, leading impact measurement and data systems. Christina brings to this role 15 years’ experience in nonprofit and research work, with a focus on food policy and nutrition security. Christina has Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in Maternal and Child Health, with a Minor in Health Behavior. She has worked on a variety of aspects of the food system through farmers markets, community gardens, and school meal programs. Before coming to Newman’s Own Foundation, Christina most recently worked at the National WIC Association, where she led research and evaluation work related to WIC participant experiences, health outcomes, and policy analysis. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Farmers Market Coalition. 

Christina is a former gymnast and in her free time serves as a commentator for NCAA gymnastics meets.

Christina Chauvenet

Jackie Blackbird

Jackie (she/her), an enrolled member of the Aaniiih (Gros Ventre) Tribe and a descendant of the Nakoda (Assiniboine) Tribe, carries the Aaniiih name “Itha-Gibi-That” (Walking Woman). Jackie joined Newman’s Own Foundation in November 2023 and serves as the Indigenous Communities Officer, managing partnerships with 30+ Grantee Partners who are working to advance Indigenous food justice for kids. With a Bachelor’s in business from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, Jackie has dedicated her career to empowering Indigenous communities. Before joining Newman’s Own Foundation, Jackie served her tribe’s economic development organization and co-founded the Aaniiih Nakoda Community Foundation. Her extensive experience at Nike, Inc., spanning over 18 years, saw her spearheading the N7 Fund, empowering Tribal and First Nation communities with resources totaling more than $10M to promote sport and physical activity. Her commitment to community service is evident through her roles on the boards of the Aaniiih Nakoda Community Foundation, Montana Native Growth Fund, Native Wellness Institute, Partnership with Native Americans, and the Harlem Public School District.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Jackie finds joy in traveling, cultural ceremonies, journaling, and supporting her family’s food truck business.

Jackie Blackbird

Alex Amouyel

Alex Amouyel is the President and CEO of Newman’s Own Foundation, a private grantmaking foundation whose mission is to nourish and transform the lives of children who face adversity. She leads the Foundation’s efforts to utilize 100% of the profits from the sale of Newman’s Own products in service of this mission. Prior to this, Alex led MIT Solve as its Founding Executive Director with a mission to drive innovation to solve world challenges. She steered MIT Solve’s growth to support over 268 Solver teams and Indigenous Communities Fellows, catalyzed over $60 million in commitments, and brokered more than 600 transformational partnerships. She also navigated the organization’s response to the global pandemic, launched a Health Security & Pandemics Challenge, and expanded Solve’s work on racial equity in the United States, including launching Solve’s Indigenous Communities Fellowship and the Black & Brown Innovators Program. 

Prior to these roles, Alex was the Director of Program for the Clinton Global Initiative, and she also worked for Save the Children International and the Boston Consulting Group. Alex is a sought-after speaker and thought leader in philanthropy, impact investing, and social entrepreneurship. She earned a dual master’s degree in International Affairs from Sciences Po, Paris, and the London School of Economics, along with a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge, UK. Alex is the author of The Answer Is You: A Guidebook to Creating a Life Full of Impact.

Alex Amouyel headshot

On March 1, 2023, Newman’s Own Foundation announced Alex Amouyel had been named incoming president and chief executive officer.

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