2024 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit

Name pronunciation: v uh - n EH - s uh MOO- khā'- Bee [phlegmatic pronunciation akin to 'kh' in Arabic]

​​​​Vanessa Mukhebi (she/her/hers) serves as the Communications Manager at ReFED, supporting communications execution and strategy across the organization. Before joining ReFED, Vanessa worked in the international NGO sector, creating multimedia 'edutainment' content and inclusive interventions to promote improved nutrition, climate-smart agriculture, youth empowerment, gender equity, and poverty alleviation across sub-Saharan Africa.

As a food anthropologist, Vanessa is passionate about indigenous food systems and the cultural dimensions of food security — serving as a project and teaching assistant to Prof. Stephan Palmié’s Food Cultura graduate-level research course at the Department of Anthropology, University of Chicago. 

She serves on the Auxiliary Board of Inspiration Corporation, a nonprofit offering a broad array of social services to support individuals and families in Chicago experiencing houselessness, hunger, and employment barriers. Vanessa is also a TEDx speaker.

Vanessa holds a Master of Art in Anthropology (Food) from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor in Media and Communication, Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Sydney in Australia. 

Outside of work, she's passionate about poetry, plants, kickboxing, and travelling.