Who Are We?

The Harvard Food Systems Initiative (HFSI) is led by Chairs Smitha Haneef, the Managing Director for Harvard University Dining Services, and Walter Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H., Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Haneef and Willett lead an interdisciplinary team from across the University. Working with cohorts of Harvard students, researchers and staff, they will bring together campus thought leaders to place a sharper focus on food systems in our community.

photo of Smitha Haneef

Smitha Haneef
Managing Director, Harvard University Dining Services

Smitha Haneef, Managing Director for Harvard University Dining Services, a division of Campus Services, joined Harvard in April 2021. At Harvard, Haneef oversees hospitality and dining for Harvard College’s residential living and learning experience, as well as University professional schools and campus catering. Harvard University Dining Services serves almost 5 million meals annually through more than 30 different campus operations. 

For Harvard University Dining Services, Haneef has shared a strategic framework with five intersecting areas of work: food and agriculture; student/community engagement and advocacy; diversity and inclusion; food systems, climate change, health and environmental impact; operations strategy, innovation, quality assurance and safety. With continued inputs from every facet of the community, Haneef is shaping a food program that prioritizes health sensitivity, cultural sensitivity, religious sensitivity, and environmental sensitivity, embedded in Harvard’s community life. The goal is to build a shared vision for the future of hospitality and dining in service of Harvard community. 

Haneef is also the founder and co-chair, with Walter Willet, Prefessor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, of the Harvard Food Systems Initiative (HFSI). HFSI is an educational and experiential program to inspire elevated thinking and change to shape future food systems leaders for a more sustainable future. For students, with students—led by Harvard University Dining Services in collaboration with Harvard Faculty and practitioners in the field—HFSI drives knowledge and experience in pursuit of food systems citizenship.

Prior to joining Harvard, Haneef served as Assistant Vice President for University Services at Princeton University. At Princeton, Haneef served on multiple committees and boards, and led a team of 400 hospitality professionals in delivering excellence through food and beverage service and production. Haneef formed the Food and Agriculture Initiative, and as the co-chair led several curricular and co-curricular partnerships and programs with faculty. Haneef implemented a transformation plan at Princeton with service excellence, team and people excellence, and efficiency and effectiveness as its guiding principles. Princeton Campus Dining served approximately 3 million meals each year through its award-winning program that included residential dining, retail venues, catering, athletic, and vending programs.

Before entering collegiate dining, Haneef helped launch the LifeWorks Restaurant Group, a premium on-site restaurant division of the food service company Aramark. She served as district manager for LifeWorks, leading large staff teams and overseeing restaurants, catering programs, cafes, and other foodservice operations at multiple Fortune 500 companies. She was directly involved in expanding LifeWorks into Walt Disney Studios, Nike, and Cisco Systems. While in the position, she established partnerships with community organizations and global food programs to educate clients and restaurant guests about healthy and socially responsible food choices. She earned Aramark’s company-wide employee award for Most Valuable Partner in 2011. Haneef also helped develop the culinary arts curriculum at the International Culinary Center in Campbell, California, where she served as a guest faculty member. She also volunteered with the Santa Clara Unified School District in California, introducing hospitality careers to middle school students. Before working for Aramark, Haneef was chef and owner of Aha Bite Corporation, an award-wining restaurant and catering company outside Birmingham, Alabama. She collaborated with top chefs in the area to develop a global menu of Indian and fusion cuisine that used local ingredients. She also has led several restaurants and large catering events in Chicago.

Haneef began her career in food and beverage departments at five-star hotels and restaurants in India. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Osmania University and a diploma in hotel management and catering technology from India’s National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology. Haneef graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education Institute of Education Management and is an alumna of Harvard Business School through its General Management Program.

photo of Walter Willett

Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H.,
Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School
of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Willett studied food science at Michigan State University, and graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School before obtaining a Masters and Doctorate in Public Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.  Dr. Willett has focused much of his work over the last 40 years on the development and evaluation of methods, using both questionnaire and biochemical approaches, to study the effects of diet on the occurrence of major diseases.  He has applied these methods starting in 1980 in the Nurses’ Health Studies I and II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.  Together, these cohorts that include nearly 300,000 men and women with repeated dietary assessments, are providing the most detailed information on the long-term health consequences of food choices.

Dr. Willett has published over 1,700 original research papers and reviews, primarily on lifestyle risk factors for heart disease, cancer, and other conditions and has written the textbook, Nutritional Epidemiology, published by Oxford University Press, now in its third edition. He also has written four books for the general public. Dr. Willett is the most cited nutritionist internationally.  He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and the recipient of many national and international awards for his research.