A gradient background with light beige on the left blending into darker orange on the right.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

• MARGARET MEAD •

Illustration of a green leafy plant with four large leaves and a central stem.
A green plant with broad leaves

OUR MISSION

The PHJ’s mission is to create a healthier, sustainable world by cultivating justice, equity and compassion for all – humans and animals alike.

OUR CORE VALUES

Justice
Equity
Compassion
Community and Teamwork
Transparency

Our Team

  • Portrait of a woman with short dark hair, wearing a black top with a graphic design, and a necklace with an oval pendant, standing against a light gray background.

    Dr Leila Dehghan- Zaklaki (she/they)

    FOUNDING DIRECTOR

    Leila is a doctor turned nutritionist. Her debilitating migraines compelled her to quit her medical career.

    Although Leila’s journey to veganism started as an animal rescuer, she later discovered the power of a whole food plant-based diet and healed her migraines through diet. This experience shifted her professional interests. She pursued a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate at eCornell, part of Cornell University, and obtained a Master’s of Science degree in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition from the University College of London.

    Leila is passionate about justice: human justice including food justice and health equity and animal justice.

  • A woman with long dark hair smiling at the camera against a plain wall, wearing a black sleeveless top.

    Nancy Siy (she/her/hers)

    Team Member in the Philippines

    Nancy Siy is a yoga teacher, and an animal rights and human rights activist.

    She became vegan in 2009 and started the Facebook group Manila Vegans in 2014, which now has over 50,000 members. The group provides information and tips on how to live a vegan lifestyle.

    She advocates for veganism in the context of total liberation, with the understanding that all oppressions are interconnected.

    Nancy lives with her vegan husband Karlo and their four rescue cats: Tony, Scarlet, Little One, and Mighty.

    website: www.manilajiva.com

  • A woman with short, wavy gray hair wearing a blue top and jewelry, smiling at the camera against a white background.

    Elena Holmes

    Team Member in the UK

    Elena Holmes, holding a BSc (Hons.) in Psychology, MA, and MSc in Nutritional Therapy, is a dedicated professional with affiliations such as mBANT and mRSM.

    She engages with clients on an individual basis, offering tailored guidance, conducts informative talks and workshops, and contributes insightful articles and blogs.

    Elena is also an independent researcher and serves as a member of The Vegan Society’s Research Network. Her collaborations extend to projects with organizations like Veganuary and Viva!Health.

    website: www.elenahealthfood.com

Vision Council, aka Board Members

  • A woman with glasses, earrings, and necklaces smiling against a beige background.

    Jacque Salomon (she/her)

    In 2009, Jacque suffered a loss that catapulted her on a path to save her heart and find a way to live for her children. Her road to personal healing opened generational wounds while revealing Truths that became unbearable to hold. Unable to withstand the injustices that led to her son’s passing, Jacque started her non-profit to pour her gratitude for restored health and all she had learned into empowering and supporting the communities she loves.

    Seeds To Inspire Foundation is a Trauma-Informed, Grassroots, Social Justice, educational organization operating on the ancestral land of the Akimel O’odham and Piipaash people. Their mission is to dismantle health inequity through the Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine and a trauma lens. Through their Community Lifestyle Wellness Initiative, they collaborate with local grassroots organizations and anchor institutions to bring nutrition literacy, culinary medicine, indigenous ancestral farming and trauma healing education and support to our historically marginalized communities mostly composed of the peoples of the diaspora and those victimized by European colonialism past and present.

  • Close-up of a woman with long dark hair, light skin, and hazel eyes, wearing a pink top and a beaded necklace.

    Laura Schleifer

    Laura Schleifer is the Institute for Critical Animal Studies Director of Regions and Total Liberation, a Promoting Enduring Peace Program Director, and co-founder of Plant the Land, a Gaza-based vegan food justice/community projects team.

    A lifelong “artivist” and NYU Tisch School of the Arts graduate, she’s performed throughout the Middle East with a circus troupe, taught in China, Nicaragua, and at Wesleyan University’s Green Street Arts Center, performed off-Broadway, and arts-mentored homeless youth. Her screenplay, The Feral Child, was a Sundance Screenwriters’ Lab finalist. Her essays appear in New Politics Magazine, The Leftist Review, Project Intersect, Forca Vegan, The New Engagement, Kropotkin Now! Life and more. Currently, she’s writing a book, Liberating Veganism, for Vegan Publishers.

Explore Our Work

We’re raising awareness about the interconnectedness of systems of oppression – and we’re dismantling those systems by collective action rooted in justice, equity and compassion. Learn more about our work and how we can heal and achieve a more equitable world together!

Illustration of a green plant with multiple elongated leaves.