Ellen Gustafson is an American

businessperson A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

social entrepreneur Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of o ...

and sustainable food system activist. She is best known for co-founding

FEED Projects FEED is an American fashion company, founded by Lauren Bush, Lauren Bush-Lauren and Ellen Gustafson in 2007. History FEED was co-founded by Lauren Bush-Lauren (granddaughter of George H. W. Bush, George H.W. Bush and wife of David Lauren) and E ...

with

Lauren Bush Lauren Bush Lauren (born Lauren Pierce Bush; June 25, 1984) is the CEO and co-founder of FEED Projects. She is also known for her previous career as a fashion model and designer. She is the daughter of Neil Bush and Sharon Bush (née Smith), gr ...

, as well as for founding 30 Project, a nonprofit that aims to look at the link between obesity and starvation rates. In addition, she has been a US spokesperson for the

UN World Food Programme The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен� ...

and founded Food Tank: The Think Tank For Food with Danielle Nierenberg.

Early life

Gustafson is born to Maura Nevin Gustafson and H. Robert Gustafson Jr. of

Berwyn, Pennsylvania Berwyn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The population was 3,775 at the 2020 census. The area is part of the Philadelphia Main Line suburbs. History At times, the village has been called Cocheltown, Reesevill ...

. Her father is on the faculty of

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer and was originally affiliated with the Epis ...

and was the president of his graduating class at

. She received her BA from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 2002, where she earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

International Politics International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the Scientific method, scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities betwe ...

, with her thesis concentrating on

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

as a global issue. At Columbia, she studied under ''

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

'' editor

Gideon Rose Gideon Rose is a former editor of ''Foreign Affairs'' and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as Associate Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs on the staff of the National Security Council from 1994 to 1995 under the ...

, which led to her work with the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...

and then as a reporter for

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

, specializing in terrorism. It is this period in her life that she credits with inspiring her to focus on the link between food and violence.

FEED Projects

In 2007, Gustafson co-founded FEED Projects along with Lauren Bush, niece of former US President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and a model who had created the "FEED 1" bag, a reversible burlap and organic cotton bag reminiscent of the bags of food distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP). The project aims to feed one child for a year per bag sold, with money from every purchase going to the World Food Programme. Her involvement with FEED led to a number of accolades, including being named as one of Fortune Magazine's Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs in 2009, Inc. Magazine's 30 Under 30 list and in the Diplomatic Courier's Top 99 Under 33 in 2009.

FEED Foundation

Gustafson is also the former

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the FEED Foundation, the

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

wing of FEED Projects, which aims to tackle

world hunger Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

and has provided 60 million

school meals A school meal or school lunch (also known as hot lunch, a school dinner, or school breakfast) is a meal provided to students and sometimes teachers at a school, typically in the middle or beginning of the school day. Countries around the world ...

to children around the world.

30 Project

Gustafson is the founder and executive director of the 30 Project. This nonprofit aims to look back at the past 30 years and discuss why obesity rates and starvation rates have risen significantly over this time. In addition, the 30 Project also engages different people and companies within the food industry in an attempt to reverse these issues. Gustafson works alongside Danielle Nierenberg at the 30 Project.

Public speaking and other work

Gustafson has spoken on subjects relating to hunger and her involvement with the FEED Projects and 30 Project. This includes speaking at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-United States Secretary of the Treasu ...

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

, the

US Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is ...

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

, and Columbia University. She has also presented a TED talk. Additionally, she founded Food Tank: The Food Think Tank, with Danielle Nierenberg.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustafson, Ellen Living people American businesspeople Year of birth missing (living people) Social entrepreneurs Columbia College (New York) alumni