Meet Our Team
Amy Thomas-Mellema | Executive Director
Amy leads a passionate team dedicated to improving health and hope through food. She oversees strategic growth, community partnerships, and fundraising, ensuring that every aspect of our organization reflects compassion, collaboration, and excellence.
Amy’s background is in health law and nonprofit leadership, with extensive experience building programs that bridge health care and community support. Before joining Revive & Thrive, her work centered on understanding how access to nutritious food can change health outcomes and quality of life. I am passionate about connecting people, organizations, and resources to create sustainable impact through food, education, and service.
Amy’s First Volunteer Experience: I helped neighbors with yardwork and spent time with an elderly woman who lived next door. We didn’t think of it as volunteering—it was simply being part of a caring community and helping each other out.
Mandy Thompson | Executive Chef
Chef Mandy manages all kitchen operations from recipe creation and menu planning through meal preparation and inventory control. She leads kitchen staff and volunteers, develops Teen Chef curriculum, and builds strategic partnerships with local farms, producers, and nonprofits to deliver nutritious, medically supportive meals.
Chef Mandy's passion for food and its connection to health began with the birth of her first child. Becoming a mother led her to discover that understanding food and nutrition—and making it delicious—is her gift to the world. She has a background as a Holistic Health Practitioner and instructor for children and youth cooking classes at local schools and libraries. Chef Mandy brings expertise in healthy cooking and youth development to the kitchen.
Mandy’s First Volunteer Experience: I remember singing at a retirement community when I was young, but my most meaningful volunteering experience came when I started helping in my son's Kindergarten class. One thing led to another, and I became PTO President, and eventually the school district hired me!
Skylar O’Donnell, M.S. RDN |
Client Services Manager
Skylar manages client enrollment, intake, and coordination with healthcare partners. She ensures medically supportive meals meet individual nutritional needs and provides ongoing nutrition education to support client health and outcomes.
Skylar began at Revive & Thrive as a GVSU dietetics graduate intern. Skylar holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Food and Nutrition and a Master of Science in Clinical Dietetics from Grand Valley State University. Her experience across healthcare and community settings has equipped her with expertise in patient-forward dietetic care, wellness programming, and food service operations.
Skylar’s First Volunteer Experience: Every year, my family and I would run in the Dash for Difference 5K at Genesys Athletic Club, an all-ages run. We also volunteered at the snack station for the racers.
Alex Crow | Program & Operations Manager
Alex drives the strategy and execution of the Teen Chef and Adult Volunteering Programs while creating a smooth and cohesive operating environment.
Alex built her career around people, relationships, and community impact. Beginning in banking, she helped others navigate financial decisions while building lasting relationships. That work deepened her passion for advocacy and service, eventually expanding into community leadership and nonprofit involvement. In 2024, she was honored to be named one of Crain's Grand Rapids' 40 Under 40 — recognition she views as a reflection of the communities and teams she's been privileged to serve.
Alex’s First Volunteer Experience: At a young age, I volunteered by caring for my neighbors' flowers while they were out of town. That experience instilled a sense of responsibility and sparked an early appreciation for community support and service.
Lily Wallace | Development Specialist
Lily leads comprehensive fundraising initiatives while cultivating donor relationships and building strategic community partnerships.
She is passionate about nonprofit development, with a strong foundation in hospitality and community engagement. Lily’s professional experience spans research, customer service, team leadership, and sales, skills that thrive in dynamic, people-centered environments. With a degree in Horticultural Science, she’s cultivated a lifelong passion for nurturing growth, not just in plants, but in communities.
Lily’s First Volunteer Experience: My earliest volunteer experiences were at the Saginaw Soup Kitchen and the Saginaw Children's Museum. As president of my high school’s National Honor Society, volunteering became a regular part of my life and continued throughout my time at Michigan State University.
Erica Osman | Communications Specialist
Erica develops strategic communications and impactful storytelling to advance Revive & Thrive’s mission. She maintains brand standards and creates digital and print content for marketing and social media.
Erica brings nearly two decades of experience in branding, graphic design, and marketing, specializing in developing compelling visual stories that connect organizations with their audiences across digital and print platforms. Erica has worked with leaders within the fashion industry and education reform, ensuring every piece of communication meets high standards for accessibility, brand consistency, and audience engagement.
Erica’s First Volunteer Experience: As a child, my grandma and I volunteered together at Loaves & Fishes Ministries. We prepared dinner for guests, shared the meal with them, and washed the dishes. These nights taught me the importance of dignity and compassion regardless of circumstance.
Brittany Hill | Bookkeeper & Kitchen Assistant
Brittany oversees financial operations to ensure accurate recordkeeping and compliance while also assisting Executive Chef Mandy with kitchen operations.
Brittany holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Eastern Michigan University. She brings over two decades of accounting and administrative experience, including writing financial reports for grants as a senior accountant at the University of Michigan and serving as an administrative assistant for a seminary. Brittany served on her children's school PTO board and as treasurer on the high school band board. She began as a kitchen volunteer at Revive & Thrive, where her talents quickly made her an indispensable member of the team.
Brittany’s First Volunteer Experience: My family volunteered to serve Thanksgiving dinner at a homeless shelter when I was in middle school. Afterward, we celebrated our own fun Thanksgiving at a truck stop, and I remember how good it felt to put others first.
Nico Thompson | Kitchen Assistant
Nico assists Chef Mandy in managing kitchen operations, including food preparation, supervising kitchen volunteers and teen chefs, and maintaining kitchen hygiene standards.
Nico began at Revive & Thrive as a teen chef volunteer and brings a lifelong passion for the culinary arts. She brings kitchen and prep/line cook experience from diverse restaurants across Grand Rapids, and her creativity inspires fresh, innovative approaches to familiar dishes.
Nico’s First Volunteer Experience: My first volunteer experience was with the West Michigan Humane Society, and it was a lot of fun because I was able to hang out with animals all day.
Lori Wolter | Kitchen Assistant
Lori assists Executive Chef Mandy in preparing high-quality meals. She supports food preparation, monitors kitchen volunteers, and guides teen chefs while maintaining kitchen hygiene standards.
Guided by her belief that food is among life's most meaningful gifts, Lori pursued her culinary arts degree from the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College. She combines her professional training with a genuine passion for nourishing others in her work.
Lori’s First Volunteer Experience: As a young adult, I mentored children in an under-resourced elementary school and helped parents with transportation needs.
Note: Total hours of the Revive & Thrive staff are equivalent of 7 full-time employees.
Meet the Board
Donna Tefft
Board President
Sue Dempsey
Vice President
Michael Puff, MD, FACG
Board Member
Julie VanGessel
Board Member
Jeremy Burgin
Board Member
Courtney Schievink
Board Member
Jeanne M. Joppich
Board Member
Nick Volpe
Board Member
Timothy Frazier
Board Member
