Andy Duddleston (Past Speaker)

Andy has always been drawn to helping people — and food and health simply became the effective, engaging vehicles for his public service. While in college he worked as a barista at River Rock Coffee in St. Peter, Minnesota, and spent breaks helping local communities in Belize (working with elementary school kids to identify fruit plants and trees) and Zanzibar (working with local health officials to test drinking water quality). After serving in the Peace Corps in Niger, Andy went on to the Wagner School at NYU, where in 2009 he earned a Masters in Public Administration. That year, Andy first teamed up with Andy (Stern) and John when Andy created Champion Access, an organization that taught management competencies to adults working in the food industry, and helped them to access career opportunities and achieve to their highest potential.

Andy showed his versatility by then overseeing the management team at Wahoo’s Tacos. Soon after, he co-founded The Little Beet, helping to bring to life a farm-to-table-inspired concept that had one simple philosophy: to serve real food deliciously. The Little Beet brought together so much of what Andy has been about for years. “Not only do I get to be an integral part of how we grow and evolve, from a branding, operational and menu perspective,” says Andy, “but I get to be inspired by my amazing team on a daily basis.” Best of all about his current role? “There is always an opportunity to impact lives.”