Our Team
The people who hold this work with care, presence, and devotion.
At Last Supper Foundation, our leadership and staff bring together backgrounds in hospitality, coaching, nonprofit leadership, finance, neuroscience, contemplative practice, and community care.
Across these varied experiences, we are united by one shared belief:
To nourish someone is to honor their life.
Our Staff
Ryan Baker
Founder/Executive Director
Ryan Baker is the Founder and Executive Director of Last Supper Foundation, a San Francisco-based nonprofit creating meaningful gatherings that honor people living with terminal illness and bring loved ones together through storytelling, shared meals, and connection.
A former professional chef with over a decade of experience in acclaimed kitchens, Ryan is also a trained Co-Active Coach and certified yoga teacher. His work brings together hospitality, compassionate presence, and a deep appreciation for the moments that give life meaning.
Shaped by his own experiences of love, loss, and transformation, Ryan founded Last Supper Foundation with a simple belief: every life deserves to be honored, and some of the most meaningful moments happen when we gather together.
Through the foundation, he seeks to create space for people to feel seen, celebrated, and surrounded by love.
Kelley Cape
Volunteer Coordinator
Born in San Diego, lost in Los Angeles, and found in San Francisco, Kelley is a locally published poet, social equity leader, and big feeler. She has been doing belonging work that centers people for 10+ years. As the Director of Employee Engagement & Belonging at HomeFirst Services, she leads community-building initiatives, social impact programs, and corporate volunteer efforts that strengthen connection and cultivate dignity across the organization. This foundation of empathy and community care also shapes her role as Volunteer Coordinator at Last Supper Foundation, where she helps create steady, compassionate spaces for individuals and families during tender life transitions.
Claire Smoker
Director of Care and Integration
Claire Smoker (she/her) is the Director of Care and Integration at Last Supper Foundation. A yoga teacher, community builder, and lifelong student of the human experience, Claire brings a grounded, compassionate presence to her work with individuals, families, and volunteers.
She is the co-founder of om nom nom, a donation-based yoga community centered on accessibility, connection, and belonging, and holds an MBA focused on Food Entrepreneurship. A passionate cook and baker, Claire believes deeply in the power of food to bring people together and create space for meaningful connection.
Her commitment to service has also led her to volunteer with organizations including Green Gulch Farm and Spirit Rock. At Last Supper Foundation, Claire helps ensure that each experience is held with care, intention, and respect for the people at its center.
Our Board of Directors
Michelle Hollingshead
Board Chair
Michelle Hollingshead specializes in transformational change. She is an entrepreneur, author of Meaning Indicator, and an ICF Master Certified Coach who leads her life with passion and compassion. Michelle holds a Master of Education from Lesley University and has extensive training in yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and human development practices. She is a proud mother of two and lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband, Dan, where she serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Bluegrass Community Foundation.
Matthew Bucksmith
Treasurer
Matthew Bucksmith’s first lessons in hospitality came from the dining room floor, where he learned early that thoughtful service could turn a meal into something more. After graduating from the University of Tennessee, he eventually found his way from restaurants into accounting, discovering that numbers, like ingredients, tell stories about people and their work.
Today, as Treasurer and CFO of Last Supper Foundation, Matthew brings together his background in hospitality and finance with a belief that sound stewardship is itself an act of care. Guided by the principles of holistic management, he works to balance people, purpose, and place while helping ensure the Foundation can serve its mission responsibly and sustainably.
Matthew lives in the foothills outside Denver with his wife and young son, where hospitality continues to take shape through shared meals, open doors, and time spent together around the table.
Jessica Couch, Ph. D
Secretary
Jessica Couch, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist, biotech leader, hospice volunteer, and longtime practitioner of contemplative traditions. She brings more than 20 years of experience in biotechnology and a deep interest in the intersection of science, healing, and human connection.
Her path has also included Tibetan Buddhist practice, yoga, Reiki, and service with individuals and families navigating serious illness and end of life. These experiences have shaped her belief in the importance of presence, compassion, and honoring the whole person.
As Secretary of Last Supper Foundation, Jessica brings both scientific rigor and a deeply human perspective to the organization’s work, helping support its mission with thoughtfulness, care, and integrity.