MEET OUR TEAM
MARIA KELLY
FOUNDER | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
I planted the seed of AMOR Healing Kitchen after a 14 year career in teaching high school in Charleston County. My love for plant-based food, local farms, working with teenagers, and supporting people in a time of need is the foundation of AMOR. I had been with my mom during her journey of a Colon cancer diagnosis and she was the one that instilled in me a love of cooking and healthy food. Growing up, no matter how busy everyone was, we always sat down together at the dinner table. I learned at an early age, that food connects us and heals us. I would often cook for my mom and take her food when she wasn't feeling well and I felt that was a little bit of comfort and strength that I could offer her during that time. Being a teacher for 14 years showed me that the youth have so much to offer in shaping the future of our community if you offer them the tools to guide them. When I learned of an organization in California that works with teens and serves people with health challenges, I just had this deep feeling of connection and that something similar could work in Charleston. We have an abundance of local, organic farms and I believe getting back to the earth for our food will cure us of many of our chronic diseases. AMOR is bringing that to the table, made with love.
LYNETTE DRIVER
CULINARY DIRECTOR
Lynette loves cooking and helping folks feel good about what they are eating. She’s always loved the challenge of creating with what is around. Her first recipe (published on a sticky note on the fridge) was for a very complicated backyard mud pie.
Since then, she’s had a wide range of culinary experience and opportunities. At a small, organic farm in Washington state, she grew her appreciation for food at a root-deep level, and all of the love and work that goes into what we eat. While working for a bakery in Seattle, she not only learned so much about baking the finest european-style bread, she also came to recognize her passion for creating high-quality, nourishing food. At a small bar in North Carolina, her “kitchen” consisted of a sandwich bar, panini press, and a hot plate. They cranked out consistent and amazing food, and she learned what is possible with limited ingredients and equipment, but tons of heart and creativity. While working with a small personal chef company, she served a wide range of clients - creating client-specific recipes, planning and preparing meals based on all their individual diets and needs. She is so excited to continue her journey of learning, creating, and nourishing with AMOR!
When she’s not cooking, she loves spending time in her “yarden”, growing veggies, flowers, and some weeds! She has two pups that require a lot of pets and playtime, some walks and runs, and the occasional trip to the beach. When adventuring in the low country, Lynette and her husband love to get out on the water and into the back country in kayaks. Whenever they get the time, they love to head to the mountains for hikes, foraging, and cold river dips!
KATY FIRTH
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Katy is a Charleston transplant by way of New York, Tennessee, Maryland, North Carolina & a brief stint in chilly Massachusetts. Now that she has found her home, she can be found taking advantage of all Charleston has to offer. From spending time on the same beaches where she vacationed as a child, to teaching yoga, to exploring the many parks, restaurants and book clubs, she loves her town and the beautiful people she has met along the way. Katy was thrilled to get involved with AMOR when the idea was presented to her and has been supporting AMOR since day one. She has been directly affected by cancer, as many people have been, and had hoped to find an avenue to support patients and caregivers. Her sister, Jennie, does outstanding fundraising for cancer research, so being a part of AMOR gives her the opportunity to follow in her footsteps in a different, but still significant way.
RICHELLA ACOSTA
ASSISTANT CHEF
Richella grew up in Charleston and fell in love with cooking as she spent time in her family’s garden. She also found herself working at various urban farms around Charleston over the past 5 years! Her culinary journey started with a curiosity of finding different ways to cook garden fresh produce, and this excitement grew as she started to grow more South-East Asian crops. As an Filipino-American, Richella loved being able to deeply connect to her identity through cooking, gardening, and sharing food with others. She believes that food is all about connection and healing, and is so excited to be a part of the AMOR team and share those beliefs in every meal we make! In her off days, Richella spends her time gardening with her dad, djing with her friends (come volunteer with us and hear her play music for the teens!) , and hosting food pop-ups as LasyChef!
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
(Board Members serve for a
term of 3 Years)
VICKIE LYNN FIELITZ
BOARD CHAIR
Vickie Lynn Fielitz made her way to Charleston in 2020 after living abroad for six years in Madrid and Amsterdam. A southern girl at heart, she was born and raised in Arkansas and has spent most of her life living and working in Texas and Florida. She graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in Advertising/Public Relations and completed continuing education programs at the University of Chicago and Georgetown.
Vickie joined The Walt Disney Company on a college internship, earning her ears in the Magic Kingdom, learning invaluable lessons on delivering legendary service and creating meaningful connections with others. During her extensive professional career with Disney, she led marketing, sales and operations teams in Orlando, Chicago and onboard Disney Cruise Line to achieve exceptional results.
Vickie relocated to Amsterdam from Orlando with her husband in 2014. There, she founded Leadership Lab, Inc., an executive coaching and consulting firm dedicated to helping individuals and teams improve performance. Her signature style is engaging, dynamic and lively with a strong dose of humor. She is passionate about living life with purpose and loves to help others find their passion and purpose. Vickie is an acclaimed Executive Coach and Leadership Development expert, offering insights on leadership, emotional intelligence and team building to companies around the world.
Vickie enjoys spending time with family and friends and never meets a stranger. She loves traveling, creative projects, yoga classes, cooking and appreciating great food and wine.
JESSICA BOBBITT
BOARD MEMBER
Jessica is a North Carolina native who attended the College of Charleston. She has had a deep connection with the Charleston community since. For over 14 years Jessica has worked with a variety of nonprofit organizations through her job at Blackbaud. This work has involved implementation of software solutions, project management, business process analysis, fundraising best practice recommendations, and strategic planning. Jessica graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Management from the College of Charleston. Jessica also holds a Master of Business Administration with concentrations in Consulting and Marketing from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. Outside of work hiking, baking, and going to hear live music occupy her time. Recently she has also found a knack for morel mushroom hunting which provides delight in the kitchen too! Jessica is passionate about AMOR and the good ideas this organization brings together. Providing healthy, nutritious meals to patients and their caregivers in a critical time of need is powerful by itself. Seeing teen chefs get excited to learn about cooking those meals while serving their community, embodies hope for me. The cherry on top is how AMOR works to source local ingredients.
LAWRENCE LADDAGA
BOARD MEMBER/ ATTORNEY AT LAW
Lawrence Laddaga, Attorney at Law, received his B.A. degree, cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the University of South Carolina and his J.D. degree thereafter. Founder of Laddaga- Garrett, P.A., Attorneys and Counselors at Law in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1983, the firm limits its practice to Health Law and denial management and appeals. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the College of Charleston’s School of Professional Studies where he teaches Health Law and Regulation. Past chair of the Health Law Section of the S.C. Bar, he is also a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, an advanced member of the Healthcare Financial Managers Association (HFMA) and holds their Fellow Designation with Certifications in Patient Accounts and Managed Care. He is a past President of the South Carolina Chapter of HFMA, a past Regional Executive, served two terms on the HFMA National Principles and Practices Board, and Chapter Advancement Team. Lawrence is a member of the Charleston Kiwanis Club and served as President during the 1988-1989 year. He served 12 years on the Montclair Property Owners Association Board of Directors, nine as President. An Eagle Scout, he has served as an Eagle Counselor since the mid 1990’s. Mr. Laddaga enjoys Argentine Tango, Yoga, and Weight Lifting.
LAUREN ZIMMERMAN MS RD LN
BOARD MEMBER/ SECRETARY
LICENSED & REGISTERED DIETITIAN
Lauren Zimmerman has been a registered and licensed dietitian for 7 1/2 years. She has experience working in a clinical hospital setting, cardiac rehab, and in preventative health and wellness. She is currently the Nutrition Director at Synchronicity, a wellness center that specializes in both physical and mental recharging and wellbeing. In her work, she focuses on personalized nutrition, plant-based nutrition, nutrition for gut health, and the mind-body connection to food and nutrition. One on one, she prescribes nutrition plans that are personalized, practical, sustainable, and with the end goal of being enjoyable. Additionally, she leads group nutrition programs and monthly, plant-based cooking classes.
Lauren enjoys preparing healthy food for others, creating new recipes, and helping patients and clients enjoy the food they make and eat.
Outside of nutrition she enjoys biking, kayaking, traveling, exploring, hiking, painting, baking and spending time with family and friends.
You can follow her @laurenz_rd and @thesynclife on Instagram.
TONI SOTTAK
BOARD MEMBER/ BUSINESS OWNER
Toni Sottak is a public relations professional with more than 30 years of experience. Originally from Philadelphia, Toni began her communications career in Silicon Valley, California, working at PR agencies and with technology start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. After a decade on the West Coast, Toni and her husband relocated to the Turks and Caicos Islands, where they founded Wired Island International, a boutique PR firm for tech-based companies. There, her client base expanded to include travel and tourism businesses as well as non-profit organizations. Alongside running the PR firm and raising a family, Toni volunteered in the community and served as the president of the Turks and Caicos AIDS Foundation, which raised funds to build and run a youth center on the island. After almost 14 years of island life, Toni and her family set out to provide the children with a wider cultural experience and ended up in the south of France. Wired Island continued to support tech clients and Toni became an active contributor to the School of Choix (L’ecole de Choix) a primary school in Haiti, where she served on its board for a number of years. In continuation of pursuing of a well-rounded upbringing for the children and to be closer to aging parents, Toni and her family moved to Charleston, South Carolina in 2017. With office space at the Charleston Digital Corridor, Wired Island continues to serve tech companies from the US and Europe as well as local non-profits. Recently, Toni was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent treatments and surgery. During this time, she became a client of Amor Healing Kitchen, and was impressed and inspired by the organization. She is committed to using her experience with cancer to extend the work and impact of Amor Healing Kitchen. In her free time, Toni enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, practicing yoga, cooking, and seeing live theater and music. Toni has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Lock Haven University. Her vast experience working with a variety of clients, combined with her compassion and commitment to making a difference, make her an asset to any team.
SUSAN ULRICH
BOARD MEMBER
With 30 years of experience as a fundraising professional, enterprise software consultant, and operations leader, Susan is recognized an expert advisor and trusted partner in fundraising best practices, non-profit management, and process improvement which drive successful outcomes for social good organizations. Having started her career in major gifts at Penn State University followed by roles at Juniata College and Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries in Central Pennsylvania, Susan became the first executive director of the J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital Foundation in Huntingdon, PA, in 2003 where she managed all aspects of foundation operations including board development, policy and procedures, financial management, resource development, marketing, and public relations. Susan spent 16 years building relationships with customers and prospects at Blackbaud and Virtuous in professional services, sales and pre-sales, and business operations leadership roles. She retired in September 2022 but continues to dedicate her time to advancing the missions of non-profits as a board member for Amor and with a chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Susan is the author of six publications and was recognized by her peers in the AFP Allegheny Mountains Chapter as its first Outstanding Fundraising Professional in 2006 and held the Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) designation from 2000-2018. She is a proud alumna of Gettysburg College, a committed donor to the Huntingdon County Humane Society, and a servant leader in her life’s work.
Alan Hollander
BOARD MEMBER/TREASURER
Alan Hollander is the Vice President of Offer and Pricing Strategy at Blackbaud, a Cloud software provider to the social good community which includes non profit charities, foundations, healthcare, higher education, arts and cultural and K-12 school organizations. Alan leads commercial excellence efforts which include packaging, pricing and go to market execution. Alan brings a unique set of perspectives in roles as both a practitioner and consultant leading growth strategy development and execution, new product launch, packaging and pricing. He has over 18 years of industry experience across Web/ Internet, Cloud Software, Data Services and Telecommunication sectors. Alan has held executive leadership roles in companies such as Avaya, LexisNexis and Medidata solutions along with strategy consulting experience at Simon Kucher & Partners.
Alan has also served as an executive in residence at the New Jersey Institute of Technology Start Up Incubator supporting minority owned technology start ups with business plan and investor presentations as well as pricing guidance. He also served as Treasurer and Vice President for the high school lacrosse parents club which included budget management and event fundraising. Alan holds an undergraduate degree in Marketing from the University of New Hampshire and a MBA in Finance from Boston University. He lives in the Charleston area with his wife Linda and pug pal Margeaux.
ADVISORY BOARD
PERNG HUTSON
EVENT PLANNING & FUNDRAISERS
Born and raised in the “Sunshine State” by a loving family and warm breezes it’s no wonder Perng chose to study Philosophy at nearby Rollin’s College. Shortly after her studies a trip with her mom to the Lowcountry left Perng in love with her now Charleston home. Perng has worked at McKevlin's Surf Shop for nearly 2 decades. The iconic shop, visited by thousands each year, is where she stands as a beacon of light for the younger generations that skate our streets, surf our waters, and keep our futures fun and bright. She also has first-hand experience with the healing powers of a healthy gut aided by a diet balanced with whole and plant-based foods. Her ongoing relationship with eczema has Perng’s mind and heart open to trusting our bodies’ abilities to heal when we approach our struggles with love and attentive care.
Perng's active involvement in our community as well as her belief in the healing power of food, makes her invaluable to AMOR's advisory board. Perng helps with planning events and event fundraising.
CHEF BEN SIMON
CHEF
Ben served as the Culinary Director for AMOR in 2021. He believes passionately in AMOR’s mission and while his career took him in a different direction, he wanted to stay a part of the community.
Gwyn Whittaker
CEO GreenFare Organic Cafe
Gwyn Whittaker is a senior executive leader with a broad base of experience over 40 years instituting transformative change to enterprise environments in the Intelligence Community with high performance technologies as competitive assets. She founded the educational restaurant, the GreenFare Organic Café in 2015, and the non-profit, GreenFare Health and Wellness, a 501c3, both focused on enabling health through lifestyle changes with a successful 21 Day Kickstart program, attended by over 1500 senior leaders and medical professionals. With her inspiration of the documentary Forks Over Knives, she has in turn supported the making of documentaries as an Executive Producer in The Game Changers (Amazon Prime) and Eating Our Way to Extinction, as Co-Producer (and featured in) Diet Fiction. She has a BS in Electrical Engineering, certified in Plant Based Nutrition through Cornell, is a Food For Life Instructor with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), and is in the MS Nutrition Studies program at American University. Ms Whittaker started and has run the Fairfax Veg Fest (April 23, 2023 this year) for 5 years and is an 8-year Certified Master Gardener.