FOUNDER / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Amy Ziff

Amy is a healthy living educator with a genetic predisposition to toxicity. She’s also mom to three young kids who share the same trait. Determined to make the world less toxic, Amy reached millions of parents and caregivers with her “buy better” advocacy campaigns. She blogs about the chemical world we live in on Amy Ziff’s NoTox Life, and prior to founding MADE SAFE, taught classes on living a nontoxic life and co-founded the Veritey Shop, a site comprised of safe, nontoxic products. Amy is changing the world for the healthier one product at a time, one person at a time, one home at a time.

Amy has a Masters in Journalism and Communications and has been a successful internet entrepreneur. She was on the founding team of Site59 where she pioneered the first luxury business line for travel on the web. When Site59 was acquired by Travelocity, she ran a national sales team and then founded an award-winning media program, blog, and travel seal that garnered millions of dollars of “earned media” annually, and also founded the company’s award-winning cause marketing program. Amy went on to co-found and become creative director of Jetsetter, the first online flash-sale for high-end travel.

PROJECT MANAGER, SCIENCE & RESEARCH

Debby Cook

Debby is a former public school teacher with a passion for healthy living. As a survivor of SAA (Severe Aplastic Anemia, in her case an environmentally triggered bone marrow failure disease), this is a very personal cause for her. She knows that what is in our environment matters. Debby began her work with nonprofits at the Washington School of Psychiatry in the early ’90s and continues today at MADE SAFE and as a Board member of an international health-related nonprofit. Debby has a Masters in Education from The American University and a B.A. in history from Haverford College.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Esther Grondahl

Esther focuses on increasing social media reach, growing followers, making a greater impact and finding unique ways to further the MADE SAFE message. Her goal is to empower parents who are struggling to find answers.

Esther specializes in training nonprofits, small businesses, and concerned citizens in how to have a consistent impact using social media. She engages behind-the-scenes in viral campaigns and consumer education in the good food movement and nontoxic living space. On behalf of her clients, she is reaching hundreds of thousands of people each week on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, and is determined to continue teaching about chemical exposure through food and the products we use every day. Esther is the former Development Coordinator for GMO Free USA, and is also a speaker, most recently moderating a panel at the Autism One conference. She has a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of South Florida.

SCREENING ASSOCIATE

Whitney Horn

With over a decade of experience across both the front and back end of the consumer packaged goods industry and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Whitney possesses a comprehensive understanding of the entire product lifecycle, from concept to consumer. Committed to developing safe, non-toxic products, she now serves as a Screening Associate at MADE SAFE, where she evaluates innovative solutions that prioritize health and sustainability.

In addition to her role at MADE SAFE, Whitney is dedicated to educating others about safe beauty, home essentials, and DIY alternatives. She is also currently pursuing a master’s degree in Human Systems Engineering, where she is honing her expertise in safety, instructional design, and usability by exploring how people interact with products and systems. Driven by a passion for advocating non-toxic accessibility for all, Whitney also dedicates her time to promoting greater representation in STEM, aiming to make science and engineering more inclusive and sustainable.

SPECIAL PROJECTS COORDINATOR / ACCOUNT MANAGER

Katie Dohmen

Katie began consciously choosing nontoxic products after personally confronting environmental health issues. She imagines a world where ingredient transparency is not only expected, but is the standard. As an advocate and teacher, one of her passions is educating others about fragrance-free product options and the importance of healthy indoor air quality, especially in schools. While serving as director of a local food cooperative, Katie learned the positive impact of eating healthy, seasonal food. She collaborated in launching an online shopping app that increased her community’s accessibility to locally-grown products. At the cooperative, she helped small food companies realize their potential by connecting them with new markets.

Katie has a Masters in Teaching from Morningside College in Iowa and a B.A. in All Social Sciences Teaching from University of Northern Iowa. She is involved with Good Neighbor Iowa, an organization that aims to protect Iowa’s children and biodiversity by promoting pesticide-free lawn care and maintenance. Katie finds joy in growing her own pollinator-friendly flower and vegetable garden.

COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH MANAGER

Megan Brown

Megan is passionate about helping people live healthier lives by educating and empowering them to make informed decisions. At MADE SAFE, Megan works closely with our partner companies and other key organizations, advisors, and influencers. She also oversees MADE SAFE’s communications and enjoys sharing about MADE SAFE’s work through consumer education.

Prior to joining MADE SAFE, Megan worked in environmental health research where she coordinated a study at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine examining how different environmental exposures impact the health of pregnant women and their developing children. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Gordon College, and when she is not working you can find her hiking, cooking, reading, and exploring new places with her family.

COMMUNITY MANAGER

Danika Jones

Danika began her journey to learn about unnecessary and harmful chemicals in everyday products in 2008 and has been reading labels ever since. She prioritizes non-toxic living for herself, her husband, and their two young children, and she is excited to bring this passion to the MADE SAFE team.

Danika holds a Master’s degree in Education from Cambridge College in Massachusetts and a Bachelor’s degree in Retailing and Consumer Studies from Syracuse University in New York. Today, she combines her passion for products, health, and education by hosting wellness classes in Westchester. When she isn’t working, you can find her practicing yoga, enjoying forest bathing, or walking barefoot on a reflexology path, all in pursuit of peace and a deeper connection to nature.

VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Susan Cann

Susan helped produce the award-winning documentary about chemical body burden, Unacceptable Levels, and has made a career out of connecting people so they can combine their talents and expertise for the greater good. After several decades as a small business owner and book publisher, she worked on staff at Stanford University for over ten years in marketing, communications, and event planning. Susan oversees our graphic design and web presence, making sure we are effectively communicating our mission and programs with the general public, our companies and sponsors, and to further awareness of our work and education efforts externally.

DIRECTOR, SCIENCE & RESEARCH

Sydney Cook

Sydney’s background is in science and writing – two fields that come together in her work at MADE SAFE. She manages product and ingredient screenings, writes blogs, reports and fact sheets, and researches all aspects of ingredients and materials, including human and environmental toxicity, manufacturing processes, sourcing, contamination risks, and more.

Sydney holds an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, where her research focused on toxic cosmetic ingredients’ impacts on environmental and human health, and environmental justice issues in nail salons. As a writer Sydney worked as a professional writing tutor for more than five years, served as an adjunct writing professor at the University of Montana, and worked as journalist and freelancer. She earned her B.A. in Biology from Coe College and is a certified yoga instructor.

OUR

Workplace

“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

We are a small team of committed experts, advisors, advocates, consultants, volunteers, and interns whose hours are self-directed and at-will. Our work is driven by a shared and underlying intention to foster a better, kinder, more equitable and sustainable world.

As an organization, we are committed to creating systemic change while forging a respectful, diverse, inclusive, and dignified work environment. Our goal is to increasingly grow our ability to listen, serve, and reach diverse communities, including communities of color as well as historically underserved and marginalized groups.

Our work on sustainability is reflected through the thoughtful and rigorous science and screenings we perform, as well as in the work practices we cultivate at our respective remote locations. We embrace environmentalism, and work to reduce the impact we have on our shared ecosystem whenever possible.