LEADERSHIP

DELANCEY PRINCE

FFL BOARD PRESIDENT - NUTRITIONIST

Delancey Prince, RDN LD is a registered media dietitian, communications specialist, and writer. She currently serves as the Nutrition Communications and Project Manager for the Dairy Council of Nevada, where she engages in creative problem-solving in the field of commodity and food marketing. Prior to her time as a dietitian, Delancey worked as a contracted host for the Volley Inc. podcast show “The Nutrition Nerd”, with over 550 episodes featured on Google Home and Alexa. Other organizations she has worked with include Sur La Table, Intelligent Beverages, The Cleveland Clinic, Universal Studios, and The US Department of Veterans Affairs.

MARIA PALAPA

FFL BOARD SECRETARY

Maria is currently a student at the University Nevada of Las Vegas pursuing her degree in Public Health. Her passion is to educate, inform, and empower our communities to have opportunities for a healthier, better life. She has previously served as part of the team for Flavors of the Heart (FOTH) and Teens Cook with Heart (TCWH) at the American Heart Association (AHA). Her experience at the AHA has led her to pursue a career focusing on health education public safety. She is a CPR educator passionate to teach everyone the importance of learning the skills to save a life.

Coming from a family of many lifelong chronic diseases and diabetics, she is motivated to change the course of habits for the younger generations in her family. As a mother, she is devoted to instilling healthy habits for her son as he learns about food.  

Chef Ed Shortsleeve

FFL BOARD MEMBER - NEXT-GEN PROGRAM CHAIR

With over 25 years of experience in the food service industry, Chef Shortsleeve brings a vast array of industry knowledge to East Career and Technical Academy. Over the years, Chef has been involved in various hotels and restaurants in cities such as Providence, Seattle, Las Vegas and New York City (Times Square). He also worked for small ship cruise company as the Executive Chef where he spent many months traveling from Canada to the Caribbean and learning about local cuisine. He uses these experiences in his everyday teaching to relate culinary education to real-life situations to better help students understand the connection between them both.Chef is a graduate of the prestigious Johnson and Wales University earning his Associates Degree in Culinary Arts. He also earned his bachelor’s degree in Culinary Management from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and most recently completed the MBA program from Argosy University in August of 2015. He has spent over 15 years in the education field at the post-secondary level teaching students and incorporates many of the same techniques at the high school level. Chef's philosophy on education is the belief that all students have potential to reach new heights each day. He feels that it is his responsibility to show students how to reach those new heights and students must take the initiative to reach those new heights.

DR. Yoojin Lee-Sedera

NATUROPHATIC DR. - SPEAKER

Your body has its own power of self-healing and Dr. Lee-Sedera helps support each individual to restore their optimal health with most comprehensive wellness approaches, by bringing the natural medical perspective of East and West together. 

Using her blueprint, you harness your simple, self-care practices and changes of habit.  These practices cover the 5 essential keys to resolving the underlying stressors that lead to the breakdown of health including your nervous system, your endocrine system, detoxification, nutrition and fitness. 

With her help, many people have been able to find much relief from many different chronic illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), gastritis, autoimmune diseases, allergies, PMS, hormone imbalance, pain management, anxiety, depression and so on. She loves to work with women and men suffering from any of these conditions and will customize the treatment plans for each individual according to their specific needs.

Her goal is for her patients to be empowered and take charge of their own health as she guides them through their own respective journey of wellness. 

Dr. Lee-Sedera is a licensed naturopathic doctor (ND) in Arizona, California and Oregon, and a licensed oriental medical doctor (OMD) in Nevada. She received a doctorate degree in Naturopathic Medicine from National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, OR and in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine from Wongu University of Oriental Medicine in Las Vegas, NV.

JESSICA BEESLEY

FFL BOARD MEMBER - EVENT CHAIR

Jessica is the Chief of staff at Breakthru Beverage Nevada. She is a very enthusiastic person who enjoys supporting the community and great causes. She has a creative mind and enjoys event planning. She encourages her peers at Breakthru to support non=profits like FFL.

Suzette Dacuag

FFL BOARD MEMBER/EVENT CO-CHAIR

Suzette Dacuag believes one should live their best life every day. Now, while juggling her fourth and fifth careers simultaneously it’s very clear to her. She explains, “If you love what you do every day, it’s not work at all. And, when you get to work with people you like and respect, your day is joyful and energizing.”

After many years working in the healthcare industry, as a lab chemist, healthcare marketer, and product manager in Big Pharma – Suzette has learned that being and staying healthy is a lifestyle, and that prevention and being proactive with one’s wellness regimen is the best form of medicine. She’s a devotee of integrating natural wellness solutions with traditional western medical practice.

Because cardiovascular disease, diabetes and conditions associated with these ailments have impacted many of Suzette’s loved ones, she has become an advocate for healthier habits and eating more nutritious foods. She confesses, “I don’t always eat what’s best for me, but now, I’m more conscious about what I’m doing and can course correct.”

Working as part of the Advancement Team in The College of Fine Arts at UNLV, Suzette oversees the planning and execution of the college’s high-profile events. She is also a Wellness Advocate for dōTERRA, the world’s leading distributor of therapeutic essential oils.

JAKE YARBERRY

NUTRITIONIST - SPEAKER

Jake Yarberry MPH, RDN, LD is a registered dietitian nutritionist, public health advocate, and an entertainer. He is currently one of the Nutrition Managers for Dairy Council of Nevada and a contracted dietitian for St. Jude’s National School Lunch Program. Jake has previously served as the President, and the Annual Conference Chair of the Nevada Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, was previously on the board of the Las Vegas TGA Ryan White Part A Planning Council and is currently on the board of the Southern Nevada Food Council. Jake is also, an active member on the Southern Nevada Health District’s School Wellness Task Force, and the Southern Nevada’s Obesity Prevention Coalition. Jake was previously the Nutrition Manager for Aid for AIDS of Nevada.

CHEF LENNY SCOTTI

FFL BOARD MEMBER

Leonard Scotti is a chef at Partage French Restaurant. He attended culinary school in Portland, Oregon and has over 10 years of professional cooking experience.

CHRISTINA SARGENT

FFL BOARD MEMBER/PROGRAM CO-CHAIR

Christina Sargent has been teaching since 2004.  She has been involved in FCCLA since 1994. Has had students participate in national competition for FCCLA and Skills USA.  She has also had teams compete in ProStar and Flavors For Life Competitions.  She has a Bachelor's Degree in Consumer and Environmental Sciences from Point Loma Nazarene University. A Masters in Education from Point Loma Nazarene University and a Masters in Educational Administration from Concordia University.  She has taught in three different states.  She has a passion for teaching students’ skills for living and earning a living.

CHEF JOHN SIMMONS

FFL BOARD MEMBER

John started cooking professionally at 15, prepping cabbage soup, flipping omelets, and washing dishes at a local deli. All through high school and college at the University of Illinois, he cooked to earn beer money. “Despite my enjoyment at the restaurant world, a career in the kitchen never crossed my mind,” he says. After using his degree in economics for a couple of years, he enrolled at Kendall College Culinary School in Evanston, Ilinois, and earning his degree in culinary arts. After spending a year in Sonoma, California, he returned to Chicago to open Bistrot Zinc, run by a French chef Rene Bajeux. Lettuce Entertain You Group Enterprises came calling him to open Mon Ami gabi at Paris, Las Vegas as the Executive Chef. Four years later in 2003, Simmons decided to go off on his own to open Firefly.

CHERYL IPIALES

FFL BOARD MEMBER

Cheryl is a versatile and dedicated seasoned marketing professional with years of experience in advertising sales, media strategy & planning, creative development, campaign execution and thrives in collaborative marketing partnerships. She’s an expert in her field with diverse levels of industry and client level experience. Cheryl’s passion and support of her clients is unparalleled.

ANNARELLA JORDAN

FFL FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Annarella is the creative mind behind Flavors For Life. She decided to start this non-profit organization after working 8 years at the American Heart Association as a Community Impact Director. Annarella created Flavors For Life to continue educating the Las Vegas community on healthy cooking and healthy eating and help beat the obesity epidemic. Annarella was awarded in 2012 by the Nonprofit Sector as one of the 100 women of purpose in Nevada and received the Health Advocate Award in 2018 by Community Partners For Better Health. Annarella’s passion has always been to work on prevention and to give back to her community. Born and raised in Lima, Peru, she moved to the U.S. in 1997 looking for a better life. She went back to school in 2007, graduating in 2010 with a BS in Human Services and Management, and in 2012 with a MS in Psychology.