Mim Michelove - CEO / President

Co-founder of Healthy Day Partners in 2012. She is nationally recognized for her work as one of the environmental consultants for the Encinitas Union School District, the creator of the Ocean Knoll Farm, the architect behind Encinitas’ pioneering Farm to School program, and as Founding Director of EUSD Farm Lab and DREAMS campus. Mim has helped to elevate and integrate school garden education, strengthen school garden grant programs, and has served on numerous associations, task forces, and committees to help improve community wellness and to create a healthy and just local food system.

Julie Walker - Past Board Chair

Julie's passion revolves around keeping local agriculture viable and is particularly interested in fostering opportunities in agriculture for children and young adults.
Past President for the San Diego County Farm Bureau, also chairing multiple related committees both local and state. Walker received the prestigious Farmer of the Year award, recognizing her years of service to the ag community.  Holds a BA in Education from San Diego State University. Julie has also co-owned and successfully operated Obra Verde Growers, an agricultural business located in Valley Center, CA, for over 40 years. Specializing in drought-tolerant plant varieties perfectly suited to a Mediterranean climate, she is well-versed on the challenges and opportunities open to local farming today.

Rama Moorthy - treasurer

Rama Moorthy is a business professional in San Diego, currently managing energy efficiency and resiliency customer programs at SDG&E. Having grown up in India, she witnessed how childhood hunger and lack of access to fresh food can have lasting impacts on individual development and society at large. Rama believes that fresh local food should be accessible to everyone, especially children, regardless of family resources. Her personal goal is to contribute her time and resources to initiatives that improve the quality of life for the young and vulnerable in our San Diego community, which is why the mission of Healthy Day Partners immediately resonated with her. She attended a farm school course a few years ago and that inspired her to set up an organic vegetable and fruit garden in her backyard. Rama, her husband and two high school children are committed to environmental stewardship, love to hike and travel extensively to national parks and other nature destinations.

Sydney Guastucci is a fourth year Sustainability major and Food Studies minor at San Diego State University with a passion for food justice, sustainable agriculture, and soil health. This month, she’ll be starting an internship with the City of San Diego where she’ll be supporting education and outreach initiatives related to the 1383 (compost) bill. Sydney fervently believes in the power of community engagement and empowerment, which is one of the reasons she immediately resonated with Healthy Day Partners’ mission. Sydney also believes that homegrown food is the way of the future and that reconnecting with our food is key to reducing local hunger and meeting our sustainability and zero waste goals. She is excited and proud to continue working with an organization that affects the changes her generation wants to see.

Lisa Deaderick

Lisa is a writer with the San Diego Union-Tribune, where she writes about social justice issues and people working to contribute to their communities. Her personal life includes a commitment to justice work, particularly around food accessibility and availability. Since volunteering in areas of food policy and legislation, and with community gardening projects, she joined Healthy Day Partners in the summer of 2022 to continue the work of eliminating food insecurity and increasing the availability of healthy cultural foods to marginalized communities.

Advisory Board Members

Teresa Arballo Barth

MARJORIE FOX

Kelly Hartford

DAPHNE MILLER M.D.

CHUCK SAMUELSON

Jon Lycett

Christopher Bush

Miriam Levy