Renowned for her culinary expertise and nutrition education, Roniece is a respected figure in health and wellness. Co-host of “Wednesday Live with Hebni Nutrition,” she empowers audiences with simple yet effective tips. With a Bachelor’s in Food Science/Nutrition and a Master’s in Health Care Administration, she’s a Registered Dietician in Florida.As Director of Hebni Nutrition Consultants, Inc., Roniece spearheads innovative nutrition tools and programs, earning international recognition. Notable achievements include co-authoring 7 cookbooks, establishing a Nutrition Resource Center and pioneering the Mobile Farmers Market project, invitation to the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama, and more. Her impactful initiatives, including Black Dietitians Matter, aim to reduce health disparities and grow the field of dietetics. Roniece’s influence extends through national lectures and board positions, driving positive change in healthcare. Recognized with prestigious awards, she’s a transformative force in promoting healthy living nationwide.

Amber Orman, MD, DipABLM is a double board-certified radiation oncologist and lifestyle medicine specialist focusing on focusing on breast cancer treatment and prevention, providing holistic care that encompasses mind, body and spirit. She is the first ever Chief Wellness Office (CWO) of AdventHealth Medical Group, working to improve the well-being of her colleagues. She is also the co-founder of the HEAL (Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyle) program at AdventHealth in Orlando, Florida. HEAL is an 8-week lifestyle medicine program designed to educate and inspire cancer patients to make positive changes to decrease cancer recurrence and improve overall healthspan. She collaborates with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine as a member of the Health Systems Council and also serves the Cancer Member Interest Group. She is the Medical Director of AdventHealth Lifestyle Ventures as well as an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.

She is a mother to 3 teenagers and 2 poodles, wife to a witty nephrologist, yogi, and ultrarunner who spends her free time trail running and summiting Colorado’s peaks. She is also well versed in the plant-based kitchen.

Heather Borders is a culinary dietitian and founder of Kailo Nutrition, a lifestyle medicine private practice. After a personal experience with addressing high cholesterol through diet, Heather was inspired to help others devise sustainable strategies to overcome the common challenges associated with nutrition-related lifestyle changes. Her clinical interests include weight management, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and autoimmune disorders. 

Over the past decade, Heather has offered personalized nutrition counseling, grocery store tours, group and private cooking classes, and personal chef services. She co-piloted a transformative 90-day “Meals that Heal” community initiative with a local restaurateur, which combined nutrition counseling, interactive group cooking sessions, and provided one daily plant-based meal. Additionally, Heather collaborated with a local chef to create the “Dinner with a Doc” interview series, featuring monthly interviews with lifestyle medicine physicians and doctorate-level clinicians.

Before her career change in nutrition, Heather spent nearly seven years as a medical device Product Manager for Medtronic Ear Nose Throat and five years at Johnson Space Center training astronauts on the Electrical Power Systems and exercise hardware onboard the International Space Station. 

Heather has her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of North Florida, an MBA and Master of Mechanical Engineering from Rice University, and a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University. She also has a certificate in Type 2 Diabetes Remission from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, has been a Food For Life Instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine since 2012, and completed Rouxbe’s Plant-Based Professional Culinary certification in 2014. 

Bethany Zak began a food service career at age 14, and has never left. In her early days, she was baking bagels at 4am at a local bakery, worked for Starbucks for nearly a decade while also building a marketing career in the furniture industry at American Seating in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 

Zak joined Gordon Food Service’s marketing team in 2010, and later transitioned to a strategy role in 2014, working closely with the company’s senior leaders to develop and execute the company’s strategic vision and plans. 

In 2017, Zak helped to build and launch an innovation company for Gordon Food Service named Relish Works, located in Chicago, IL. Zak then joined the Relish Works team as a Director of Innovation, and has since led internal innovation initiatives within Gordon Food service, launched BackofHouse.io, a new technology consulting service for Gordon Food Service customers, and now leads Corporate Partnerships to advance innovation within Gordon Food Service.

Bethany resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her family and is really excited to be here!

Beth Frates, MD is a trained physiatrist and a health and wellness coach, with expertise in Lifestyle Medicine. She has received several teaching accolades from Harvard Extension School and Harvard Medical School, where she is an associate clinical professor. Dr. Frates is one of the first Fellows of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and a pioneer in lifestyle medicine. In 2008, Dr. Frates created the first Lifestyle Medicine Interest Group at Harvard Medical School. In  2014, she developed and taught a college Lifestyle Medicine curriculum at the Harvard Extension School, and it is still one of the most well-received courses offered at the school. In 2017, Dr. Frates was selected to be one of four item writers for the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine’s inaugural exam for certification in this specialty. She was voted president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine in August 2020. Dr. Frates serves as President until November 2024.

She authored a Lifestyle Medicine syllabus, which can be downloaded through the ACLM website, to serve as a template for other instructors and professors. In addition, Dr. Frates co-authored The Lifestyle Medicine Handbook: An Introduction to the Power of Healthy Habits, which was ranked in the top 20 by Book Authority for medical books released in 2018. To accompany the syllabus and handbook, she also co-created Lifestyle Medicine 101, a full college curriculum with 12 weeks of PowerPoints and a teacher’s manual, which is free and accessible through the ACLM website.  In addition, Dr. Frates co-authored The Teen Lifestyle Medicine Handbook, published in October 2020 which when paired with the Teen Curriculum consisting of a Teacher’s Manual and 12 PowerPoint decks can be used to teach and empower middle-school and high school students to adopt and sustain healthy habits. In September of 2023, Dr. Frates co-authored The Lifestyle Medicine Pocket Guide.

While serving as Director of Wellness Programming at the Stroke Institute for Research and Recovery at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, Dr. Frates has created and implemented a 12-Step wellness program, PAVING the Path to Wellness™ for patients and providers. Most recently, she co-authored the book PAVING the Path to Wellness Workbook: A Guide to Thriving with a Healthy Body, Peaceful Mind and Joyful Heart. As of the fall of 2020, Dr. Frates serves as the Director of Lifestyle Medicine and Wellness for the Department of Surgery at Mass General Hospital. In addition, Dr. Frates has her own Lifestyle Medicine consulting/coaching practice where she sees patients 1:1 and in groups.

Mike is an experienced health care attorney who specializes in digital health, health technology, and health innovation. He has a passion for the Food as Medicine industry and helps companies provide better access to healthy food, nutritional counseling, and related social supports to make people healthier and reduce health care costs. Prior to his current role as a Partner at Nixon Gwilt Law, he served as General Counsel for Foodsmart. Mike has also held senior leadership roles at Mathematica and KPMG leading digital health-focused regulatory and analytics teams to improve population health. His experience also includes in-house legal experience at Michigan’s largest health system and prior law firm experience. In addition to his Juris Doctor, Mike has undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Statistics.