Effie-Ann Forson was born in Los Angeles, California, but has most recently lived in New York City. She completed her master’s degree in public health at the City University of New York at Hunter College. Her research focused on examining the economic relationship between government funded programs and their impact on food insecurity in vulnerable populations. While living in New York, Effie-Ann worked closely with emergency feeding programs at the Food Bank for NYC to implement sustainable approaches to better serve and deliver resources to food-insecure communities. She completed her undergraduate degree at University of California, Davis majoring in nutrition science, where she also worked at a student-run free healthcare clinic delivering primary care to the underserved African-American population. In 2013, Effie-Ann co-founded a toxin-free vegan based nail polish line that contributes to health and educational efforts in the Volta Region of Ghana. In her free time, she most enjoys thrift shopping and traveling.