Team
cofounderAndrea RoseInterim BoardmemberMy name is Andrea Rose and I love animals and the planet. I have felt a connection to animals and nature for as long as I can remember. By spending time with animals, I’ve seen they have emotions, are self-aware and truly value their own lives. Because of this, I believe we have an obligation to respect, protect and care for them.
That connection has turned into my life’s mission of working tirelessly to help animals in need. I currently work as a veterinary technician where I provide care for animals at work and I care for many animals in our microsanctuary.
Because of my deep reverence for animals, I decided to help start Living With Harmony with John Pierre. In my work at the sanctuary, I help our residents, many of them with behavioral or special needs and that have been injured, abandoned or neglected, so they can live out their lives in peace and with joy and comfort. We all strive for a fulfilling life full of happiness and it’s my honor to provide this same opportunity to animals in need. In my work at the sanctuary, I also try to provide education and resources about companion animals and classroom pets and the issues they face.
In addition to working and caring for animals at the sanctuary, I use my passion and experience as an environmental educator to bring awareness to the benefits of sustainable and greener living. At Living with Harmony, we hope to also inspire people to create a positive change in their lives through their experience and connection to the community that we are trying to create.
cofounderJohn PierreNutrition and Fitness ConsultantJohn Pierre is a nutrition and fitness consultant who has devoted over 30 years to improving the lives of others through his expertise in plant-based nutrition, physical fitness, women’s empowerment, geriatrics, and compassionate living.
As a dedicated activist, John gives lectures across the nation at schools, conferences, businesses and retreats to help improve the health and well-being of others. John also teaches fun and exhilarating boot camps and offers one-on-one personal training to people of all ages. Just a few of John’s clients include Maggie Q, Ellen DeGeneres, Emily Deschanel and Pamela Anderson.
John has also been inducted into the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) Hall of Fame for his dedication to spreading the message of plant-based nutrition, peace and compassion to improve people’s lives, the treatment of animals and concerns facing our environment.
Whether it is speaking at a conference, teaching a boot camp class or donating his time and money to an organization in need, John has devoted his life to making the world a better place with every opportunity he has.
John has written two books: “The Pillars of Health”, which focuses on the four pillars of health–nutrition, mind, motion and compassion— and “Strong, Savvy, Safe,” which focuses on tools for protection and vibrant health.
board memberAllison Rivers SamsonSustainability ExpertAllison Rivers Samson is a Sustainability Expert who empowers youth and builds communities. She consults organizations, businesses, media, and producers to align actions with values and use their work for good and profit to benefit all.
Allison co-founded PWR (Plastic Waste Reduction) Coalition, is an award-winning vegan chef, author, co-creator of The Dairy Detox, Nia First Degree Black Belt instructor, and Mom.
board memberLaurie MarbasMedical DoctorLaurie Marbas, MD, MBA is double board certified family medicine and lifestyle medicine physician utilizing a whole food plant based diet for the past 7 years.
She worked with Dr. Joel Fuhrman creating a new medical model combining the power of nutrient dense foods and intensive clinical psychological therapy to treat not only food addiction but chronic disease. She currently is the Managing Editor for the Plantrician Project’s International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention and works closely with the journal’s Editor in Chief, Dr. Kim Williams. The journal is focused on plant-based research and bringing this important work to the forefront of modern medicine and the general public. She is currently bringing the message of plant based nutrition to patients in their homes via telemedicine.
She graduated from Texas Tech University School of Medicine where she was awarded the Gold Headed Cane. She also attended her family medicine residency at Texas Tech. She wrote seven books while in medical school, six of which were in a series called “Visual Mnemonics”. These books used cartoons to help memorize vast amounts of information, which helped her when she was a mom attending medical school. She is a USAF veteran having served in the Middle East and South America. She is a wife, mom of three grown children, and an avid runner.
board memberTeresa PasseyAdministrative AssistantTeresa Passey is an enthusiastic newcomer to “Planet-Based Living”. She brings her talents and experience acquired from her professional career serving in administrative and financial roles at a state university and city municipality to LWH.
She has personally benefited from the Living With Harmony concepts of love, compassion, fitness and nutrition.
Teresa is eager to share this light with others.
advisorBrenda DavisRegistered DieticianBrenda Davis, registered dietitian, is a leader in her field and an internationally acclaimed speaker.
As a prolific nutrition and health writer, she has co-authored 11 books with over 800,000 copies in print in 14 languages. Her most recent works include Kick Diabetes Essentials (2019), The Kick Diabetes Cookbook (2018), Becoming Vegan: Comprehensive Edition (2014) and Becoming Vegan: Express Edition (2013).
Brenda has been a featured speaker at medical and nutrition conferences in over 20 countries on 5 continents. She is also co-author of several peer reviewed journal articles.
Brenda is the lead clinical nutrition specialist for the diabetes intervention project in the Marshall Islands, and recently completed a lifestyle intervention demonstration program in Lithuania.
Brenda is a past chair of the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
advisorMatt TullmanEntrepreneur, Investor, AdvisorMatt has started, invested in, and advised companies in the education, personal tech, and health industries. He is now focused on ending preventable diseases through plant-based nutritionand lifestyle medicine. To this end, Matt co-founded and currently serves as CEO of Alpine Organics as well as MostlyPlants. He is also the Managing Partner of No Meat Athlete.
Before joining the plant-based movement, Matt founded The Digital Education Company, also known as “digedu,” which provided proprietary technologies to K-12 schools. Serving as the Company’s President, Mr. Tullman oversaw the growth from the first classroom deployment to serving hundreds of thousands of students in school districts nationwide. More than simply replacing textbooks with etextbooks, digedu served as a trusted partner for teachers and districts navigating the challenges of meaningfully incorporating technology into the classroom. The Company continues to catalyze the transition to impactful technology adoption, now under the banner Modern Teacher, after a successful merger in 2015.
Before starting digedu, Matt served as founding Managing Director of 7wire Ventures, a Chicago-based firm that starts, incubates, and invests growth-capital in businesses addressing the critical issue-areas of health, education, and energy. During his tenure at 7wire, Matt had the privilege of contributing to the development of a variety of businesses, including SoCore Energy, which was sold to Edison International (NYSE: EIX), and more unique ventures, like Ignite Glass Studios.
Matt is passionate about bringing ideas to life—from creating new businesses to building furniture and digital artifacts. He loves learning, designing, prototyping, and challenging himself physically. He’s also a big fan of hugs, positivity, meditation, and giving back.
advisorMike GarciaEntrepreneur & Sustainability ExpertSustainability Expert and Enviroscape founder Mike Garcia began his career in the horticultural field more than 30 years ago. After earning his college degree in Ornamental Horticulture, he earned his C-27 Landscape Contractors license and his D-49 Tree Service Contractors license. Under his leadership, Enviroscape has won numerous landscape and water feature awards at the local, state national and international levels. Some of these include awards from the California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA). Enviroscape's work has been featured in numerous magazines, such as PONDS USA and Pond and Garden Lifestyles Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. Guest appearances on the hit television shows "Extreme Home Makeover" , HGTV's "Landscaper's Challenge and A & E's hit series "Fix That Yard".
Mike holds a certification in Permaculture Design and has earned his certification as a California Naturalist.
Enviroscape's most notable pond can be found at the Science Museum in downtown Los Angeles. The Enviroscape crew built the 50 foot waterfall at the world famous Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. Enviroscape specializes in drought tolerant gardens and drip irrigation. Mike's latest passion is facilitating groups in Forest Bathing, as well as becoming a leader in the practice of creating backyard Food Forests. Mike is also certified as a Master Health Coach.
Specialties: Full-ServiceLandscape Installation and Maintenance Company, which specializes in water-saving drip irrigation and drought tolerant/native gardens, Ponds, Aeroponic and Aquaponic systems
advisorMiyoko SchinnerCEO, Entrepreneur, AuthorMiyoko Schinner is the fearless CEO/founder of Miyoko’s, a food brand combining culinary traditions with food technology to revolutionize dairy by making cheese and butter without cows. Through an innovative proprietary process that merges food science with old-world creamery methods, Schinner has successfully scaled the production of fermented cheese and cultured butter made from plants to a level that will make an impact on the looming food and environmental crisis. Under Schinner’s visionary leadership, Miyoko’s has become the fastest growing natural cheese brand in the U.S. and has replaced animal-dairy products on the shelves of more than 10,000 retailers nationwide including Target, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Kroger,and Safeway.
The pioneer of the plant-based cheese revolution, Schinner is a passionate culinarian, formerrestaurateur, best-selling author of five cookbooks, including the bestsellingThe HomemadeVegan Pantry(Ten Speed Press, 2015), co-host of the national PBS cooking showVeganMashup, and a founding board member of the Plant Based Foods Association.Schinner also co-founded Rancho Compasión, a farmed animal sanctuary in northern California that provides a home to over 70 farm animals. She starts each day feeding her herd of cows, goats, pigs, sheep, turkeys, chickens, and ducks, which she considers her daily meditation. She lives with her husband and has 3 grown children, 2 dogs, and 2 cats.
advisorRandy JohnstonEducational ConsultantRandy Johnston taught accounting and business ethics courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at five universities. Randy has left business school education to pursue creating awareness of environmental issues as well as animal and human rights issues.
His motivation to pursue this was driven by student feedback regarding topics that were covered in his ethics classes, topics which changed the lives of many students as well as the lives of many of their friends and family members.
He earned a Master of Education degree from St. Lawrence University, Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in accounting from Clarkson University, and a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University. He received teaching awards at the University of Colorado Boulder and The Pennsylvania State University.
