BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Shawn Stratton, Founder and Chair of the Board
Shawn Stratton is the Founder and Chair of the Board of the International Vegan Film Festival. He is also an international leadership and team development consultant, professional speaker, bestselling author, and Ironman competitor.
Shawn has a Bachelor’s degree in Experiential Education and a Master in Leadership. Driven by a love for education, adventure, and leadership, he devoted 15 years to leading teams on wilderness expeditions around the world into some of the most harshest environments, and, most recently, eight years consulting with corporations on leadership and team development.
His first book, Teams on the Edge: Stories & Lessons from Wilderness Expeditions, released in 2013, was an instant bestseller and won a bronze medal in the Global E-Book Awards. In 2013 Shawn was inducted into the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s College of Fellows.
Shawn came to veganism for health concerns after watching several influential documentaries. He and his family, including 3 young daughters, live in Ottawa and have been eating a plant-based diet since 2015.
Steven Smith, Board Member
Steven started his vegan journey back in the late 1990s. The challenge of finding plant-based food options led him to realize that the market was ready for an all-vegan retail concept with groceries, prepared foods, and health & beauty care products.
Fast forward to 2018, and Steven launched Vegan Fine Foods, an all-vegan market and café in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At the time of its launch, it was the largest all-vegan grocery store in the US. As founder & CEO, Steven led this innovative retailer to unprecedented growth and was at the forefront of the fast-growing plant-based food market. Even though the pandemic has forced the company to pivot and relocate its flagship store, the business is primed for growth and has garnered the attention of vegans in the US and beyond.
Steven has extensive experience in the consumer products industry and has worked with startups in food & beverage, tech, and entertainment. Steven has an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering, an MBA and Ph.D. in business from Rutgers University.
Duane Jacobs, Board Treasurer
Duane Jacobs is an experienced accounting professional who is located in Victoria, British Columbia. He has gained experience working in different industries, such as Retail, Forestry, Real Estate, and Not-for-Profit.
In 2019, Duane's wife was referred to a Lifestyle Medicine Clinic where she made a significant lifestyle change and switched to a Whole Foods Plant-Based (WFPB) diet. During her transition, they watched some documentaries. "Forks over Knives", which presented the findings of T. Colin Campbell's "The China Study," had a profound impact on Duane and convinced him to adopt a WFPB lifestyle. Soon after, Duane decided to visit the Lifestyle Medicine Clinic for hypertension. His health and well-being dramatically improved in a short time.
Since then, Duane has become a strong advocate for Vegan documentaries and their ability to influence people's understanding of the adverse effects that animal products have on health and the planet.