2025 ReFED Food Waste Solutions Summit

Rebecca Chesney is a globally recognized food anthropologist and systems leader with 15 years of experience building a better future. Known as a rigorous researcher, master synthesizer, and creative collaborator, she drives impactful change through partnerships and innovation.

Rebecca is currently Director of Sustainability Innovation for ISS and its food service brand Guckenheimer, where she helps the company and its clients meet climate goals by reimagining workplace dining programs. Her work includes food and packaging circularity, plant-forward and biodiverse menus, and supply chain collaborations that support a regenerative food system. She represents Guckenheimer in the U.S. Food Waste Pact and is also a member of the Aspen Institute's Food Leaders Fellowship.

Before joining ISS, Rebecca was a food industry consultant with IDEO and Institute for the Future. Her projects included writing ten-year scenarios for global food security, creating a solutions challenge that engaged people from 85 countries in the first UN Food Systems Summit, and leading the Circular Economy of Food CoLab. Her work has been featured by CNN, Wired, and The New York Times, and she is a seasoned speaker and facilitator for audiences around the world.

Rebecca holds an MA in the Anthropology of Food from SOAS University of London and degrees in accounting and finance from Texas A&M University, where she was selected for the Brown-Rudder Memorial Outstanding Student Award among 11,000 graduates. A native of Texas, she has lived on three continents and is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.