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The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County embraces a philosophy that recognizes and values diversity. Our goal is to attract, develop, retain and promote a talented diverse workforce in a culture where all employees will contribute to their fullest potential.
For the past 14 years, Erik’s goal has been to help the Foodbank move families and their communities from hunger to health. For the Foodbank, this has meant improving the nutritional quality of the food we provide, creating national award-winning nutrition educational programs and developing the Foodbank’s disaster preparedness and leadership in the county. His TED Talk focuses on the concept of food literacy. You can find it on TED talks here. Prior to the Foodbank, Erik spent six years as the executive director of the Community Kitchen of Santa Barbara. He is the author of two books in this area: “Hunger into Health” (2018) and “Lulu and the Hunger Monster” (2020). Two more books for children — looking at food literacy and the food system — are on the way. He has served on the board of directors of the California Association of Food Banks and the national advisory council of Feeding America. Over the last 15 years, Carrie has dedicated her career to the nonprofit sector where she finds joy and satisfaction in helping others. She recognizes her particular impact is in supporting the organizational team; and accomplishes this in her current role at the Foodbank as chief financial officer, director of human resources, and IT manager. Carrie joined the Foodbank in this role in 2009 and is responsible for overseeing the budget across all departments, and meeting with the board-designated finance committee on a regular basis. The fiduciary responsibility of her department also includes managing the relationship with three investment firms, cash management and annual financial and uniform governance audits. In addition, to Carrie’s accounting expertise, she oversees the human resources department and has developed and implemented various benefits adding to the employee experience and value at the organization. Prior to joining the Foodbank, Carrie served on several nonprofit boards and was the controller of a floral bouquet wholesaler distribution company with over $20M in sales, and served as a finance manager at a third party administrator for supplemental health insurance company. Carrie received her BA in organizational leadership from Arizona State University, and is a certified nonprofit professional through Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. The variety of her background provides a unique and comprehensive approach to her responsibilities. Paul Wilkins joined the Foodbank in 2017 after 20 years working in the local wine industry. He worked in production and logistics, mainly for small, locally owned wineries. A graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Paul’s career path has been in agriculture, which started in his youth, working on his family’s 360-acre farm in the San Joaquin Valley. Throughout his life, he has been involved in product sourcing, real estate development, facilities planning and inventory management. After selling off his interest in a privately owned wine brand in 2016, Paul came to volunteer at the Foodbank while exploring his next professional pursuits. He put time into all facets of warehouse and operations and became engaged with the Foodbank’s mission of moving hunger into health. Paul became the director of operations in March of 2017 and was promoted to chief operations officer in December of 2019. Dr. Lacey Baldiviez started her food banking career in January 2019 as Director of Education for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. In this role, Dr. Baldiviez developed the “Food Boss” curriculum, created a new Food Creativity Lab program for high school students, worked with Feeding America network partners on the Healthcare Partnership Community of Practice, and implemented a Healthy Nudges program with partner agencies. After promotion to Director of Community Programs and Education, Dr. Baldiviez, along with her team, guided the establishment of 50 new SAFE food distributions across the county during the Covid crisis. Together, they transitioned all senior food distributions to home delivery and invited any senior in need to enroll in the new program model, making over 75,000 home deliveries. Under her leadership, a farmworker food access and education program was launched, a Food Rx partnership with healthcare providers was developed, all educational programs were transitioned to distance learning with new materials available, and CalFresh and P-EBT outreach and opportunities were shared widely across Santa Barbara County. Dr. Baldiviez launched a new Service Insights program at the Foodbank using Link2Feed software and leads a Boundless Collaboration project with FoodShare, Inc. in Ventura County. Dr. Baldiviez holds a PhD in nutritional biology with a designated emphasis in international and community nutrition from University of California, Davis. Her minor areas of specialization are rpidemiology and biostatistics. Alisse brings a diverse background of advertising, project management and fundraising to the team at the Foodbank. As senior account executive at the San Francisco Chronicle, Alisse helped to develop strategic advertising campaigns to drive online readership and ticket sales for Bay Area performing arts and the nonprofit sector. Her deep knowledge of the fast-paced and rapidly changing media environment helped to transition clients from print-only advertising to diversified portfolios of newspaper, online, magazine, direct mail, cable and radio advertising. After moving back to Santa Barbara County in 2007, Alisse married and joined the family business to apply her business skills and learn all aspects of swimming pool design and construction by serving as project manager to oversee and construct over 200 pools. While she enjoyed the work, Alisse felt a calling to return to the nonprofit sector – but this time in her home county of Santa Barbara. Most recently, Alisse served as the capital campaign manager at Direct Relief, also headquartered in Santa Barbara, to spearhead the public phase of the organization’s $40M capital campaign to construct and relocate to a new state-of-the-art, fully accredited warehouse, exceeding the fundraising goal. Alisse joined the Foodbank in January of 2022 to help advance the Foodbank’s expanding vision of becoming a community resource for food, education and hope. Her objective is to continue to connect more donors to the mission of the Foodbank as well as strengthen existing relationships that have been vital to the stability, vision and continued growth of the organization. Alisse earned a BA in law and society with an emphasis on global studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She serves on the board of directors of the Rotary Club of Solvang as the Peacebuilding Chair for the past five years and continues to be actively involved in her community by volunteering across a number of local organizations. Alisse enjoys spending time doing most anything outdoors and loves a good DIY project. She takes frequent road trips with her husband who is a full-time musician, along with their 9-year-old daughter Scarlett who loves to sing and dance, and their companion dog named Cooper who is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from Ireland. Alisse has long admired the important work of the Foodbank team and volunteers to feed, nourish, and educate our local community and is grateful to be part of the team. Nathalie has an academic background in food insecurity and has worked to end hunger in our nation for more than 10 years. Nathalie joined the Foodbank in 2018 as the corporate giving manager and is now serving as the Chief Strategy Officer. Nathalie leads the Strategic Communications Team as well as the Strategic Goals of the organization. Nathalie is a former professional chef and has always been passionate about providing nutritious food to those in need. Before working at the Foodbank, Nathalie worked for the national organization No Kid Hungry, supporting the fundraising efforts for the State of California. She has a degree in food sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and lives with her husband, daughter, dog and cat. When she’s not working or playing crafts with her daughter, she loves to go for long bike rides and cook delicious meals. Our Operations team at the Foodbank is responsible for the safe and efficient distribution of nutritious food through our network of non-profits and community programs. With a fleet of over 10 vehicles and over 30,000 feet of warehouse space, we’re capable of fielding and distributing more food than any non-profit in the county. FOOD SOURCING Paul Wilkins joined the Foodbank in 2017 after 20 years working in the local wine industry. He worked in production and logistics, mainly for small, locally owned wineries. A graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Paul’s career path has been in agriculture, which started in his youth, working on his family’s 360-acre farm in the San Joaquin Valley. Throughout his life, he has been involved in product sourcing, real estate development, facilities planning and inventory management. After selling off his interest in a privately owned wine brand in 2016, Paul came to volunteer at the Foodbank while exploring his next professional pursuits. He put time into all facets of warehouse and operations and became engaged with the Foodbank’s mission of moving hunger into health. Paul became the director of operations in March of 2017 and was promoted to chief operations officer in December of 2019. Jamie Diggs has lived in Lompoc for 40 years and has served the community for 11 years with the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. In her role as the Partner Services Manager for the Foodbank, Jamie builds and cultivates new and existing partnerships with nonprofit, faith-based, civic, educational, governmental and business organizations to ensure those facing hunger have access to nutritious food and coordinates food distributions in areas of the community with the greatest need. During the COVID-19 crisis, Jamie led the charge to establish new distribution sites in the community to assist families who were unemployed. In compliance with County health regulations, she made sure these sites were supplied with safety equipment for staff and volunteers. Also, pick-up processes were changed from walk-in to drive-thru, to protect families from the pandemic. She served as executive assistant to the CFO and board leadership keeping accounts, processes and reports moving as needed at Mentor Corporation for 21 years. Jamie was born and raised in Hawaii and moved to Lompoc in 1981. When not serving her community of Lompoc with the Foodbank, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her friends and family. “I like being able to help the community in many different ways.” Send accounts payable invoices to Finance@FoodbankSBC.org. Over the last 15 years, Carrie has dedicated her career to the nonprofit sector where she finds joy and satisfaction in helping others. She recognizes her particular impact is in supporting the organizational team; and accomplishes this in her current role at the Foodbank as chief financial officer, director of human resources, and IT manager. Carrie joined the Foodbank in this role in 2009 and is responsible for overseeing the budget across all departments, and meeting with the board-designated finance committee on a regular basis. The fiduciary responsibility of her department also includes managing the relationship with three investment firms, cash management and annual financial and uniform governance audits. In addition, to Carrie’s accounting expertise, she oversees the human resources department and has developed and implemented various benefits adding to the employee experience and value at the organization. Prior to joining the Foodbank, Carrie served on several nonprofit boards and was the controller of a floral bouquet wholesaler distribution company with over $20M in sales, and served as a finance manager at a third party administrator for supplemental health insurance company. Carrie received her BA in organizational leadership from Arizona State University, and is a certified nonprofit professional through Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. The variety of her background provides a unique and comprehensive approach to her responsibilities. If you have questions about home delivery for older adults, help with CalFresh applications and other immediate information, call (805) 357-5761. Dr. Lacey Baldiviez started her food banking career in January 2019 as Director of Education for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County. In this role, Dr. Baldiviez developed the “Food Boss” curriculum, created a new Food Creativity Lab program for high school students, worked with Feeding America network partners on the Healthcare Partnership Community of Practice, and implemented a Healthy Nudges program with partner agencies. After promotion to Director of Community Programs and Education, Dr. Baldiviez, along with her team, guided the establishment of 50 new SAFE food distributions across the county during the Covid crisis. Together, they transitioned all senior food distributions to home delivery and invited any senior in need to enroll in the new program model, making over 75,000 home deliveries. Under her leadership, a farmworker food access and education program was launched, a Food Rx partnership with healthcare providers was developed, all educational programs were transitioned to distance learning with new materials available, and CalFresh and P-EBT outreach and opportunities were shared widely across Santa Barbara County. Dr. Baldiviez launched a new Service Insights program at the Foodbank using Link2Feed software and leads a Boundless Collaboration project with FoodShare, Inc. in Ventura County. Dr. Baldiviez holds a PhD in nutritional biology with a designated emphasis in international and community nutrition from University of California, Davis. Her minor areas of specialization are rpidemiology and biostatistics. Jacqueline Valencia holds a bachelor’s degree in Chicano/a studies and global studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in business administration from Antioch University, Santa Barbara. She has seven years of experience working in the non-profit sector, from being an afterschool teacher at Isla Vista Youth Projects to being part of the administration team at Easy Lift Transportation and now being a part of the Programs & Education team at the Foodbank. In her current role as Assistant Director of Programs & Education, Jackie oversees the countywide community programs where community members are receiving food and learning about health and nutrition. Kelly provides oversight of the Foodbank’s volunteer services and community engagement programs and assists with the planning and execution organization-wide learning and development initiatives. She has over seven years’ experience in human resources and corporate nonprofit giving as the culture and philanthropic coordinator for a local software company. She worked with teams across the US and internationally to assist in decisions with local funding efforts. Locally, she connected employees with a variety of organizations, including the Foodbank and the annual End Hunger Games event. Through this role, she was passionate about connecting employees with volunteer opportunities throughout the community. She is now able to further this passion by working directly with volunteers and helping them to reach their potential through the Foodbank and its many programs. Kelly first moved to Santa Barbara to attend UCSB, where she majored in English with an emphasis in literature in the environment. She volunteered throughout college, with her biggest accomplishment in 2007, organizing a large surf competition to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In 2016 and 2017 she served as the Foodbank’s Fork and Cork committee volunteer chair, managing volunteers on the day of the event. Kelly has been a member of the Junior League of Santa Barbara since 2014 and currently serves as the executive vice president, leading the management team and supporting at-risk youth in Santa Barbara County. For more information about making a donation, attending a fundraising event, sponsoring a program or grant-related inquiries, please reach out to someone in this department. For giving statements, please contact GVang@FoodbankSBC.org MEDIA INQUIRIES: Leana Orsua call/text (805) 680-0625 or email. Alisse brings a diverse background of advertising, project management and fundraising to the team at the Foodbank. As senior account executive at the San Francisco Chronicle, Alisse helped to develop strategic advertising campaigns to drive online readership and ticket sales for Bay Area performing arts and the nonprofit sector. Her deep knowledge of the fast-paced and rapidly changing media environment helped to transition clients from print-only advertising to diversified portfolios of newspaper, online, magazine, direct mail, cable and radio advertising. After moving back to Santa Barbara County in 2007, Alisse married and joined the family business to apply her business skills and learn all aspects of swimming pool design and construction by serving as project manager to oversee and construct over 200 pools. While she enjoyed the work, Alisse felt a calling to return to the nonprofit sector – but this time in her home county of Santa Barbara. Most recently, Alisse served as the capital campaign manager at Direct Relief, also headquartered in Santa Barbara, to spearhead the public phase of the organization’s $40M capital campaign to construct and relocate to a new state-of-the-art, fully accredited warehouse, exceeding the fundraising goal. Alisse joined the Foodbank in January of 2022 to help advance the Foodbank’s expanding vision of becoming a community resource for food, education and hope. Her objective is to continue to connect more donors to the mission of the Foodbank as well as strengthen existing relationships that have been vital to the stability, vision and continued growth of the organization. Alisse earned a BA in law and society with an emphasis on global studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She serves on the board of directors of the Rotary Club of Solvang as the Peacebuilding Chair for the past five years and continues to be actively involved in her community by volunteering across a number of local organizations. Alisse enjoys spending time doing most anything outdoors and loves a good DIY project. She takes frequent road trips with her husband who is a full-time musician, along with their 9-year-old daughter Scarlett who loves to sing and dance, and their companion dog named Cooper who is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from Ireland. Alisse has long admired the important work of the Foodbank team and volunteers to feed, nourish, and educate our local community and is grateful to be part of the team. Greg brings 15+ years of experience in the nonprofit sector with a focus on health. He is a passionate individual who has dedicated his career to leveraging resources from private businesses and individuals to help lift marginalized communities in the U.S. and around the world. Prior to the Foodbank, Greg was Associate Director of Partnerships and Philanthropy at Direct Relief. A Santa Barbara-based humanitarian organization focused on delivering medical resources to vulnerable communities affected by poverty, conflict, or natural disasters across the U.S. and in over 90 countries. There, he developed fundraising initiatives and cultivated relationships with high-net-worth individuals and family foundations. Having developed his experience in the non-profit sector in San Francisco, Greg has a deep understanding of non-profit and volunteer management, Board engagement, client relations, and various fundraising strategies with individuals, corporations, and community groups. Nathalie has an academic background in food insecurity and has worked to end hunger in our nation for more than 10 years. Nathalie joined the Foodbank in 2018 as the corporate giving manager and is now serving as the Chief Strategy Officer. Nathalie leads the Strategic Communications Team as well as the Strategic Goals of the organization. Nathalie is a former professional chef and has always been passionate about providing nutritious food to those in need. Before working at the Foodbank, Nathalie worked for the national organization No Kid Hungry, supporting the fundraising efforts for the State of California. She has a degree in food sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and lives with her husband, daughter, dog and cat. When she’s not working or playing crafts with her daughter, she loves to go for long bike rides and cook delicious meals. Lauren joined the Foodbank in 2019 because she shares the belief that our relationship with food is central to the well-being of our society and the natural environment. She writes grants to share the Foodbank’s story and demonstrate to funders how our work digs deeper toward the roots of hunger in our communities. Lauren comes from a background of biological science and conservation education, where she has worked in zoos and aquariums, animal sanctuaries and the solar industry. Above all, Lauren is a storyteller and believes that a good story has the power to inspire empathy and motivate action. In her spare time, Lauren writes fiction and poetry. For the last 8 years, I have had the honor of serving our county at the Foodbank. I came to the Foodbank’s development team in 2014. I enjoy working with our supporters and dabbling in data analytics as our resident quirky Salesforce data nerd. As a single parent of four, I understand many of the hardships encountered by those facing poverty and food insecurity in our community. I am aware first-hand of many barriers that working families face while trying to raise the next generation to be healthy, productive and thrive. Prior to my career with the Foodbank, I spent three years at the American Cancer Society overseeing community engagement and patient services for Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. During that time I met many families impacted by cancer and witnessed the impact that economic security had on their treatment. For many patients, their treatments meant higher medical bills and being unable to work. Families often faced food insecurity and the threat of homelessness while recovering from illness. I currently serve on the board for the Santa Barbara County Food Action Network and the Leading for Community Impact Alumni Council. My four children, ages 14 to 22 are my moon and stars because they have been the light in my darkness. I hope that my dedication to serving our community leaves it a better place for them to build their lives. In my free time I enjoy hiking, dancing, hanging with our rescue dog Romeo and taking wild trips to Miami.Erik Talkin
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Erik Talkin
Chief Executive Officer
Carrie Wanek
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Carrie Wanek
Chief Financial Officer
Paul Wilkins
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Paul Wilkins
Chief Operations Officer
Lacey Baldiviez, PhD
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Lacey Baldiviez, PhD
Chief Impact Officer
Alisse Harris
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Alisse Harris
Chief Development Officer
Lisa Skvarla
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Lisa Skvarla
Chief People Officer
Nathalie Keller
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Nathalie Keller
Chief Strategy Officer
Operations
(805) 967-5741
Whether it’s a national food retailer or a neighbor with a fruit tree, our Food Sourcing team actively procures millions of pounds of healthy food every year. In addition to receiving daily donations from community members, local retailers and farmers, we also purchase millions of pounds of food to supplement our donated inventory, often for only a few cents on the dollar.Paul Wilkins
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Paul Wilkins
Chief Operations Officer
Jamie Diggs
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Jamie Diggs
Partner Services Manager
Anthony Rodriguez
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Anthony Rodriguez
Operations and Disaster Services Specialist
Gregg Hitch
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Gregg Hitch
Partner Services Supervisor
Jesus Lopez
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Jesus Lopez
Warehouse Manager
Jesse Aguilar
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Jesse Aguilar
Warehouse Supervisor
Daniel Ramirez
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Daniel Ramirez
Partner Services Capacity Specialist
Haley Horton Rojas
Reclamation Assistant
Private: Roberto Ayala
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Private: Roberto Ayala
Warehouse Assistant
German Bottello
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German Bottello
Warehouse Assistant
Anthony Sanchez
Warehouse Assistant
Luke Sierra
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Luke Sierra
Warehouse Assistant
Paul Espinosa
Warehouse Assistant/Driver
Temo Garcia
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Temo Garcia
Warehouse Manager
Jesus Elorza
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Jesus Elorza
Warehouse Supervisor
Glen de St. Jean
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Glen de St. Jean
Reclamation Supervisor
Carrie Tropf
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Carrie Tropf
Inventory Control Specialist
Benny Valdiviezo
Transportation Lead
Cynthia Yougern
Warehouse Assistant
Louie Reyes
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Louie Reyes
Warehouse Assistant
Tim Chayra
Warehouse Assistant
Norma Hernandez
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Norma Hernandez
Office Manager (North County)
Tom Plusko
Warehouse Assistant (North County)
Nelly Guerra
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Nelly Guerra
Food Donor Relations Manager
Isaac Delfin
Warehouse Assistant (North County)
Finance
(805) 967-5741
Carrie Wanek
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Carrie Wanek
Chief Financial Officer
Greg Tatham
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Greg Tatham
Accounting Specialist
Mai Raack
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Mai Raack
Finance and Administration Manager
Community Impact
To learn more about our current programs, click here.
To partner with us on programs or for questions regarding program administration, call (805) 967-5741.Lacey Baldiviez, PhD
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Lacey Baldiviez, PhD
Chief Impact Officer
Jacqueline Valencia, MBA
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Jacqueline Valencia, MBA
Director of Community Programs & Education
Jareli Jimenez
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Jareli Jimenez
Assistant Director of Education
Monica Buenrostro
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Monica Buenrostro
Community Programs Supervisor (North County)
Kayla Mallari, RDN
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Kayla Mallari, RDN
Nutrition Manager
Guadalupe (Lupe) Cortes
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Guadalupe (Lupe) Cortes
Community Programs Coordinator (North County)
Edward Colmenares
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Edward Colmenares
Senior Community Programs Coordinator (South County)
Cindy Velasquez
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Cindy Velasquez
Community Programs Coordinator (North County)
Yadira Hernandez
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Yadira Hernandez
Cal Fresh Coordinator
Julie Torres
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Julie Torres
Programs Distribution Assistant
People, Culture & Engagement
(805) 967-5741
Lisa Skvarla
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Lisa Skvarla
Chief People Officer
Kelly Smith
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Kelly Smith
Community Engagement and Learning Manager
Nohemi Hernandez
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Nohemi Hernandez
Senior Community Engagement Coordinator
Patsy Aguirre
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Patsy Aguirre
Community Engagement Coordinator, North County
Camille Phillips
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Camille Phillips
Human Resources Manager
Brenna McDuffee
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Brenna McDuffee
People Operations Coordinator (South County)
Madelyn (Maddy) Sage
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Madelyn (Maddy) Sage
People Operations Intern
Development
(805) 967-5741
Alisse Harris
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Alisse Harris
Chief Development Officer
Jenifer Sanregret
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Jenifer Sanregret
Corporate Giving Manager
Lane Bhutani
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Lane Bhutani
Donor Communications Specialist
Hannah Webster-Brown
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Hannah Webster-Brown
Donor Relations Specialist
Gaozone Vang
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Gaozone Vang
Development Database Manager
Greg Mora
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Greg Mora
Associate Director of Major Gifts
Nathalie Keller
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Nathalie Keller
Chief Strategy Officer
Lauren Coiro
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Lauren Coiro
Senior Grants Manager
Hannah Ryckman
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Hannah Ryckman
Grants Coordinator
Laurel Alcantar
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Laurel Alcantar
Director of Marketing
Alanie Rossell
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Alanie Rossell
Digital Engagement Specialist
Leana Orsua
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Leana Orsua
Communications Specialist
Daniela Grijalva
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Daniela Grijalva
Cal Fresh Education and Outreach Coordinator VISTA through Hunger Free American (HFA)
Rae Lim
Rae Lim
Nutrition Resource Center Education and Outreach Coordinator VISTA through Hunger Free American (HFA)
Alissa Millar
Alissa Millar
Backyard Bounty Fellow; California Climate Action Corps Program through California Volunteers
Jose Romo
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Jose Romo
Food Recovery Fellow; California Climate Action Corps Program through California Volunteers