Raised as a farmer and educated as a food scientist, Elise brings nearly a decade of experience in the food manufacturing industry. She graduated with a Master's degree in Food Science from an agricultural hub, the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada. After graduating, she spent three years in Haiti working for non-profits fighting childhood malnutrition.

She then went on to work for Lindt & Sprungli (the beloved Lindor truffle maker) in four countries, managing production efficiency, lean management and food safety projects. She now works as an Environment Engineer at Lindt & Sprungli USA, where she leads efforts to reduce environmental impacts of chocolate production.

At Gather, she is Chair of Board's Program Committee, which reviews the impact of Gather's many programs and their alignment with the organization's broader goals. She is passionate about merging solutions for food insecurity and food waste to create effective programs. In her spare time, she likes to be outdoors doing whatever the conditions allow for - surfing, climbing, biking, skiing.