SPEAKERS
Vicki Escarra
President and CEO of Feeding America.
Vicki B. Escarra is President and CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, which provides food to Americans in need through a network of more than 200 food banks. Since her appointment in 2006, she has led the organization through the most significant period of advancement in its three-decade history, expanding the number of people served annually from 25 million to 37 million and the pounds of food and grocery products distributed annually from 2 billion to 2.8 billion. To achieve these tremendous gains, Escarra has made major innovations in every aspect of Feeding America’s operations. Most visibly, she spearheaded the organization’s comprehensive rebranding effort that evolved its long-standing brand, America’s Second Harvest, to Feeding America. As a result, public engagement has risen to an all-time high, as evidenced by unprecedented public awareness levels, financial donations, and the number of committed advocates, all of which better enable the organization to provide food to men, women, and children in need. Escarra has also accelerated Feeding America’s extensive food sourcing and distribution systems, bringing in more food and grocery products than ever before, and efficiently distributing them to the network’s 200 member food banks and the 61,000 agencies they serve. As part of these efforts, Escarra has made a priority of increasing the nutritional quality of food distributed through expanded produce and fresh-food initiatives.
Feeding America relies on a broad community of supporters to achieve ongoing success, and Escarra has been central to strengthening relationships across the public and private sectors. Under Escarra’s guidance, the network successfully encouraged the passage of a robust Farm Bill in 2007, leading to significant enhancements of federal feeding programs. She also launched the network’s first collaborative fundraising initiative, The Campaign for a Hunger-Free America, which has a five-year goal of raising $500 million; improved relationships with corporate partners, resulting in major strides in large-scale product donations and cause marketing programs; enhanced relationships with foundations, leading to growth in financial support of key national and local strategic initiatives; and promoted engagement and alignment among the more than 5,000 affiliated staff in the Feeding America network. In 2009, Escarra and the Feeding America network were recognized with the “Freedom from Want” medal by the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute. The Institute honored Escarra for leading “Feeding America as it expanded its reach, developed new partnerships, and brought greater public awareness to the often overlooked problem of hunger in America.” Escarra was also named to The NonProfit Times’ Power and Influence Top 50 for 2010.
The annual list features the nonprofit sector’s top executives and thinkers “selected for the impact they have now and for the innovative plans they are putting in place to evolve the charitable sector.” Escarra serves on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships as a member of the Task Force on Economic Recovery and Domestic Poverty. She is on the Sesame Workshop Advisory Board on Food Insecurity, as well as the boards of HealthNet, the Congressional Hunger Center, The Chicago Network, and the Committee of 200. Prior to joining Feeding America, Escarra worked for Delta Airlines for more than 30 years, serving in multiple roles including Chief Customer Service Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. A native of Decatur, Georgia, she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Georgia State University and completed the Columbia University Executive Management Program and the Harvard University Executive Leadership Program. She currently resides in Chicago.
Ken Robinson
A native of Nashville, TN, The Rev. Dr. Kenneth S. Robinson holds a B.A., cum laude, from Harvard University, the M.D. from Harvard Medical School, and a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School, where his Honors Thesis focused on the interrelationship between religious faith and healing. Since 1991, he has served as Pastor and Chief Executive of the progressive St. Andrew AME Church. His theme, “Ministering to Memphis – Spirit, Soul, and Body” has inspired program development in social service outreach, community education, childcare and Pre-K education, after-school enrichment and economic development. The growing, 7-day-a-week, urban church offers a diversity of preventive health initiatives, aerobics, multi-sport athletics, and creative arts; fellowships for seniors, women, men, singles and married couples; and youth programs as varied as step ministry, pregnancy prevention programs, and liturgical dance. To expand St. Andrew’s ministry, Rev. Robinson founded The Works, Inc., its associated, faith-based CDC.
The Works has brought true "renaissance" to the church's neighborhood, through the construction of 33 affordable single family houses and an 80-unit apartment community. The Works also sponsors The Circles of Success Learning Academy – a K-5 public charter elementary school, founded by Rev. Robinson to innovatively educate children deemed to be at risk of failure in mainstream, traditional classroom settings. St. Andrew has grown to a membership of 1700; forming the core of The St. Andrew Enterprise, which now has over 80 full- and part-time employees and a $5.4 Million combined annual operating budget, and has been responsible for $20 Million in total investment in housing and community development in South Memphis. A lifelong advocate for improving the health of the public, Dr. Robinson recently made history, completing his tenure as the state’s first African-American Commissioner of Health. Commuting between Memphis and Nashville, he served for four years as Tennessee’s Chief Health Officer; promoting, protecting and improving of the health of all its citizens, and overseeing 3500 employees and a $548 Million budget.
Commissioner Robinson created a culture of consciousness for improving the state’s historically poor
health status, emphasizing personal behavior change, community and faith-based partnerships, interagency collaborations, and the need to engage in data-driven redirection of State resources. He focused on the epidemic of obesity, the burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, the pervasiveness and impact of infant mortality and adolescent pregnancy, and the overarching racial and ethnic disparities that magnify these issues for minorities. Prior to joining Governor Bredesen’s Cabinet, he formerly practiced and taught Internal Medicine at Vanderbilt, and subsequently facilitated the graduation of over 230 African-American physicians as an Assistant Dean at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. He is widely sought across the country for his expertise on policy and partnership development; particularly applicable to health promotion and disease prevention in the African-American and religious communities. Dr. Robinson has been granted more than $15,000,000 in external resources for his congregations from national and local foundations, and local, state, and federal agencies. He has received numerous national honors, including a $100,000 award for St. Andrew when The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation named him one of the country's Ten Community Health Leaders of the year; and the prestigious Community Builder Award, presented annually to one individual in the nation by the national United Way of America. He is now catalyzing a major, multi-partner, public-private collaboration and community participatory process; continuing to build a sustainable healthy community in South Memphis. Most recently, Dr. Robinson accepted the appointment of the Shelby County Mayor as County Health Officer, providing executive physician leadership to help optimize the delivery of Shelby County health services, and to increase the visible focus on improving the health status of his home community.
Tony Hall
Three times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, Ambassador Tony P. Hall is a leading advocate for hunger relief programs and improving human rights conditions in the world. In February 2002, President George W. Bush asked him to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and sworn in by Secretary of State Colin Powell in September 2002 and retired in April 2005. He retired from official diplomatic service in April, 2006, and is currently serving as the executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger which engages diverse institutions in building the public and political will to end hunger at home and abroad. The Alliance has more than 75 members -- corporations, non-profit groups, universities, individuals, and Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious bodies.
Prior to his diplomatic service, Ambassador Hall represented the Third District of Ohio in the U.S. Congress for almost twenty-four years, their longest serving representative in history. During his tenure, he was chairman of the House Select Committee on Hunger and the Democratic Caucus Task Force on Hunger. He founded the Congressional Friends of Human Rights Monitors, and authored legislation that supported food aid, child survival, basic education, primary health care, micro- enterprise, and development assistance in the world’s poorest countries. Ambassador Hall also founded and chaired the Congressional Hunger Center, a non-governmental organization committed to ending hunger through training and educational programs for emerging leaders. A founding member of the Select Committee on Hunger, Ambassador Hall served as its chairman from 1989 to 1993. In 1964 Ambassador Hall graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio where he was a Little All-American football player. During 1966 and 1967, Mr. Hall taught English in Thailand as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He returned to Dayton to work as a realtor and he was a small businessman for several years. Mr. Hall and his wife Janet raised two children.Ambassador Hall served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1969 to 1972, and in the Ohio Senate from 1973 to 1978.
On November 7, 1978, Mr. Hall was elected to the 96th Congress. He served on the Foreign Affairs and Small Business Committees before being appointed to the Rules Committee at the beginning of the 97th Congress. Ambassador Hall was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for 1998, 1999 and 2001 for his humanitarian and hunger-related work. For his hunger legislation and for his proposal for a Humanitarian Summit in the Horn of Africa, Ambassador Hall and the Hunger Committee received the 1992 Silver World Food Day Medal from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Ambassador Hall is a recipient of the United States Committee for UNICEF 1995 Children's Legislative Advocate Award, U.S. AID Presidential End Hunger Award, 1992 Oxfam America Partners Award, Bread for the World Distinguished Service Against Hunger Award, and NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. He received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Asbury College, Antioch College and Eastern College and a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Loyola College in Baltimore. In 1994, President Clinton nominated Mr. Hall for the position of UNICEF Executive Director.
PANEL 1
Monica Zimmer (Moderator)
Monica Zimmer is the Director of Public Relations at Sodexo and will moderate today's panel. Monica leads Sodexo's public relations efforts at 650 campuses, 480 school districts and 150 independent schools across the United States. Monica is responsible for getting out the message on how Sodexo is working as a strong partner of Let's Move to eliminate childhood obesity. Monica is Accredited in Public Relations and holds a Masters in Public Communication from American University.
Liany Elba Arroyo
Liany Elba Arroyo is the Associate Director, Education and Children’s Policy Project at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). In this position, she manages children’s policy initiatives with expertise in community approaches to child well-being and Latino children and youth policy. Prior to that, she was director of the Institute for Hispanic Health. She has a Master’s degree, in public health from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wellesley College.
Solange Morrissette
Solange Morrissette is the General Manager for School Lunch Programs at Sodexo. She has over 20 years of experience working with the USDA child nutrition programs. She is currently employed by Sodexo, a leading foodservice and facilities management company and she currently manages the Pawtucket Rhode Island School district, the Newport RI program and the Jamestown program. Solange’s passion for nutrition and fitness is evidenced by her many accomplishments as well as current projects. Rhode Island has had a mandatory nutrition policy for years. Solange embraced this policy and has has helped her schools achieve success and recognition through the USDA’s prestigious Healthier US Schools Challenge Award.
To date she has 18 school sites that have achieved awards with two of these schools receiving gold. Solange is a true advocate for improved student well-being. She is a frequent face to local media because of her many projects such as creating the first school garden in Rhode island and planning the first Rhode Island All Local Lunch Day, which featured foods sourced within 15 miles of Jamestown, Rhode Island.
Jeffrey McClure Jeff McClure, Director Culinary Services for Sodexo education market. His responsibility is to generate and drive growth utilizing the leverage business model. He's the primary culinary representative of the market in all Public Relations and Marketing events. As the principal culinarian for the Market, his position leverages, leads and develops field culinary support and creates, analyze and recommends culinary products and services to the divisions. He's also involved in implementing culinary plans for all marketing initiatives, developing project plans and budgets for training.
PANEL 2
Guadalupe Pacheco (Moderator)
Guadalupe Pacheco serves as a Senior Health Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Pacheco has occupied mid-level and senior level management positions in non-profit, State and Federal government agencies. In his current capacity as Senior Health Advisor to the Director for Minority Health, Mr. Pacheco assists in developing policies and initiatives to mitigate health disparities that affect racial and ethnic minority communities. He serves a project officer for agency contracts, grants, and other procurement instruments. Moreover, he concurrently staff’s the Office of Minority Health’s Center for Linguistic and Cultural Competence in Health Care and the OMH’s Center for Emergency Preparedness in Underserved Communities portfolios.
Under the cultural competency portfolio, Mr. Pacheco served as the project officer for the development of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care. He currently manages Cultural Competency E-learning programs for physicians, nurses, and disaster preparedness and crisis response personnel. Mr. Pacheco also coordinates department-wide program activities that enhance service delivery of Hispanic Americans. Additionally, Mr. Pacheco serves on departmental committees that focus on health literacy, limited English Proficiency, workforce development, health information technologies, disaster preparedness, and border health policy issues.
Mr. Pacheco is a member of the National Latino Diabetes Action Council; a board member of the National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives; an Expert Advisor to the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters; and previously served as a Technical Advisory member to The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations’ Hospitals, Language, and Culture Study; an Expert Advisor to The Joint Commission for the development of culturally competent patient-centered hospital standards; and an Expert Panelist of CLAS/Health Disparities of the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Mr. Pacheco received his B.A. and M.S.W. from California State University of Fresno.
Mirtha Beadle
Mirtha Beadle is the Deputy Director of the Office of Minority Health (OMH), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Ms. Beadle serves as principal advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health in planning, developing, and implementing policies, programs, and activities to achieve the Secretary’s goals for improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities, eliminating health disparities, and improving coordination of HHS’ efforts related to minority health. She is also responsible for strategic planning, evaluation efforts, Congressional and White House Initiative reports, and overseeing the OMH budget, operations, and programs.
Prior to joining OMH, Ms. Beadle served as a Senior Policy Specialist in the Office of the Executive Secretariat, Immediate Office of the Secretary, HHS. Ms. Beadle ensured policy determinations and communications related to the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Indian Health Service, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration supported the Secretary’s priorities. She also served as Team Leader for the Prevention and Health Services Team that had comparable responsibilities for the Administration on Aging, Administration for Children and Families, Health Resources and Services Administration, nine staff divisions within the Office of the Secretary, and activities related to Congressional reports, the HHS budget, and regulations.
Ms. Beadle coordinated senior level briefings for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary and staffed the Deputy Secretary, Deputy Chief of Staff, and senior HHS officials about key matters pertaining to minority health, health disparities, disease prevention, health promotion, select agents and related bioterrorism activities (Patriot Act provisions), occupational safety and health, the Synar Amendment (youth tobacco control), HIV/AIDS, and special initiatives. Ms. Beadle previously served as Deputy Director of the Special Projects of National Significance Program, the research and development arm of the Ryan White CARE Act. She had operational and program responsibilities related to the development, evaluation, and replication of projects addressing emerging issues faced by people affected by HIV/AIDS. She oversaw the national technical evaluation centers that were responsible for conducting cross-site evaluations and served as Program Editor for Innovations, an HIV/AIDS publication.
Ms. Beadle has extensive Federal grants experience, overseeing development, implementation, and management of grant programs and has served in other notable positions during her Federal and State public health career, including the areas of bone marrow donation, emergency medical services, and trauma care systems. While working for the Michigan Department of Public Health, she served as Project Manager for the Emergency Medical Services for Children Grant Program, awarded by HHS and implemented in collaboration with the University of Michigan, several hospitals, and EMS medical control authorities, and educators throughout the State. She concurrently served as the State Emergency Medical Services Training and Education Coordinator. Her focus on children and racial and ethnic minorities was shaped by her first civil service position as a Child Care Worker for a State psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents. Ms. Beadle emigrated from Cuba at a young age and holds a Master of Public Administration from Western Michigan University and a bachelor of science in management systems from the College of Technology at Andrews University.
Cindy Long
Cindy Long is currently the Director of the Child Nutrition Programs Division of the Food and Nutrition Service, USDA since February 2008. She began her federal government career in 1988 with the Office of Management and Budget, and joined USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in 1991 with the Office of Analysis, Nutrition and Evaluation (OANE) and served in several management positions in OANE from 1996-2007. In these roles, she has been responsible for a wide range of policy analysis; budget analysis; research and evaluation; and performance measurement in support of the Special Nutrition programs. Cindy has a MPA in public policy and economics from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and a BA in economics from the University of Notre Dame. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and two teenaged children.
Elena Rios
Dr. Rios serves as President & CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association, (NHMA), representing Hispanic physicians in the United States. The mission of the organization is to improve the health of Hispanics. Dr. Rios also serves as President of NHMA’s National Hispanic Health Foundation affiliated with the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University, to direct educational and research activities. Dr. Rios also serves on the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and the Partnerships for Prevention Boards of Directors, the American Medical Association Commission to End Health Disparities, and is Co-Chair for the Hispanic Health Coalition.
Dr. Rios has lectured and published articles and has received several awards on health policy, including awards from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Congressional Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American Caucuses, American Public Health Association Latino Caucus, Association of Hispanic Health Executives, Minority Health Month, Inc., and Hispanic Magazine. Prior to her current positions, Dr. Rios served as the Advisor for Regional and Minority Women’s Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health from November 1994 to October 1998. In 1992, Dr. Rios worked for the State of California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development as a policy researcher. In 1993, Dr. Rios was appointed to the National Health Care Reform Task Force as the Coordinator of Outreach Groups for the White House.
Dr. Rios has also served as President, Chicano/Latino Medical Association of California, Advisor to the National Network of Latin American Medical Students, member of the California Department of Health Services Cultural Competency Task Force, Stanford Alumni Association and Women’s Policy Inc. Boards of Directors, and the AMA’s Minority Affairs Consortium Steering Committee. Dr. Rios earned her BA in Human Biology/Public Administration at Stanford University in 1977, MSPH at the University of California School of Public Health in 1980, her MD at the UCLA School of Medicine in 1987, and completed her Internal Medicine residency at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose and the White Memorial Medical Center in East Los Angeles in 1990, and her NRSA Primary Care Research Fellowship at UCLA in 1992.
PANEL 3
Anisa Tootla (Moderator)
As Vice-President, Anisa leads AARP Foundation’s work in the Hunger Impact Area. This includes AARP’s Drive to End Hunger campaign - a multi-pronged effort to eradicate hunger in America’s low- income vulnerable 50+ population. Anisa brings to her position more than 17 years of experience in both the federal government and non-profit sectors leading direct social service and education projects and building and leading complex cross-functional business operations. Anisa has been with the AARP Foundation since 2001 and has held several successive program and business management positions. Before coming to AARP, Ms. Tootla held staff positions at the National Senior Service Corps and the United States Peace Corps, Africa Region. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in International Studies from DePaul University.
Lisa Pino
Lisa Pino is an attorney who was appointed as Deputy Administrator of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, at the Food and Nutrition Service of USDA. She most recently served as Director of Public Affairs for the bilingual broadcasting network HITN-TV in New York, and Director of Public Affairs for IIA College in Arizona. Her background in community work includes a focus on serving immigrant and low-income communities in areas including law, housing, education, labor and employment. She has additionally served the Florence Immigrant Rights and Refugee Project, Community Legal Services Farmworker Unit, Littler Global Migration Group, the Government Accountability Office, U.S. Attorney's Office, and the Library of Congress.
A New York native, she received her B.A., M.A., and J.D. at Arizona State University, and she is a member of the Arizona Bar. In 2008, she completed Harvard University's Executive Public Leadership program as a National Hispana Leadership Institute Fellow, and The White House Project Program in New York.
Elizabeth Gomez
Elizabeth Gomez is the Outreach Program Manager at the Alameda County Community Food Bank, Oakland, CA, where she works with a team of seven bilingual outreach associates and supervises SNAP outreach subcontracting agencies’ activities throughout the county. She has over ten years experience working directly with low-income communities to improve their health and well being. She has designed and developed outreach programs to increase access to healthy food for Alameda County’s low-income populations; including outreach for SNAP, Summer Lunch, School Meals, WIC and other food assistance programs.
Angel Gutierrez
As Vice President for Community Development and Outreach Services, Angel Gutierrez has overseen all Catholic Charities programs relating to the health and nutrition of mothers and children since 2008. Since that time, he has focused his efforts in reorganizing and refocusing the division programs and efforts around special supplemental food and nutrition, youth development and employment and training. He has created new programs such as Lunch-n-More that provide healthy and nutritious meals for children, youth and seniors thru - Summer Lunch Program, the Child Adult Care Food Program, Congregate and Home-Delivered Meals for Seniors and employment and training programs that hire adults, youth and veterans.
In addition, Angel oversees Catholic Charities anti-hunger efforts, special supplemental food and nutrition programs and Let’s Move initiatives. Gutierrez joined Catholic Charities in his current role after serving as CEO and Executive Director of YouthBiz, Inc. a Denver-based community organization for youth. Prior to joining YouthBiz, he was CEO and Executive Director of Denver’s Health S.E.T., where he developed a service-based learning model with local universities and diversified its revenues. Gutierrez holds a master’s in public administration from Roosevelt University.
PANEL 4
Brent Wilkes (Moderator)
Brent A. Wilkes is the National Executive Director for the League of United Latin American Citizens this country's largest and oldest Hispanic organization. Wilkes manages the operations of the LULAC National organization with primary focus on national policy and legislative advocacy, membership development, program development, and resource development. A graduate of Dartmouth College in 1988, Wilkes majored in Government and Philosophy and studied Spanish in Morelia, Mexico. He has worked in various capacities for LULAC since 1988 including Special Projects Coordinator, Resource Developer, and Director of Policy & Development. He went to work for the LULAC National Office in 1996 and assumed the newly created position of National Executive Director in April of 1997.As the LULAC National Executive Director, Wilkes is working hard to improve the quality of life for Hispanic Americans by guiding LULAC on its way to becoming a million-member organization with extensive legislative, public policy, and service activities in Hispanic communities throughout the United States.
Wilkes is widely credited with strengthening LULAC's programs, advocacy efforts, staffing, events and revenue since opening LULAC's National Office in Washington, DC in 1996. Since that time LULAC's revenue has tripled, staffing has grown from one to over twenty and the organization has taken a leadership role on key issues affecting Latinos in Washington and throughout the country. In 2004, Wilkes helped launch the LULAC Leadership Initiative to strengthen LULAC's programs and serves at the grass-roots level. The initiative has already resulted in the establishment of 23 community technology centers, 26 housing counseling programs and 10 middle school science programs.Wilkes currently serves as chair of the civil rights committee of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda a nonpartisan coalition of the major Hispanic national organizations which develops a consensus policy agenda and promotes public awareness of the principal issues facing Latinos. He is also an active board member of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility which advocates for the inclusion of Hispanics in corporate America at a level commensurate with Hispanic economic contributions.
As a LULAC spokesperson, Wilkes frequently is quoted in national newspapers and publications and has appeared on radio and television shows including CNN, CSPAN and Fox News. A recipient of numerous acknowledgements and awards, he is most proud of his LULAC Youth Advocate of the Year award presented in 2003. Brent and his wife are proud parents of two boys.
Kori Reed
Kori Reed, executive director of the ConAgra Foods Foundation, is a results oriented professional who leverages her business experience to drive a corporate giving plan that is focused and aligned with company strategy. Reed, who has held this role since April 2006, is on the edge of a growing trend where corporate attorneys, professional communicators, and people from other career tracks are asked to lead corporate giving efforts by applying disciplined processes from other cross-functional experiences. Under her leadership, the Foundation is guided by a strategic plan that is focused on two core areas, child hunger and nutrition education.
Accordingly, in her short tenure, she has accomplished the following: revamped the foundation guidelines; streamlined processes; launched a new Web site; strengthened long-time national partnerships and added a new national partner that allows the foundation to claim working with two leading, high-impact non profits as recognized in the book Forces for Good (Leslie Crutchfield and Heather McLeod Grant); collaborated with marketing to launch a cause-consumer campaign around child hunger; piloted a mass employee volunteerism effort at headquarters and is in the midst defining a national volunteerism strategy for the company; and more.
Reed led a successful 16-year career in corporate communication before being tapped for the foundation role. She joined ConAgra Foods in April 2004 as director of employee communication for the Refrigerated business unit. Prior to joining ConAgra Foods, Reed worked in corporate communication roles at Quaker Oats, PepsiCo and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Her communication experience encompasses managing an award-winning, daily, electronic newsletter; coordinating employee communications during a large company merger; managing communications during labor work stoppages and orchestrating large scale process change programs.
She has been recognized with a CEO Award, Chairman-award and Spirit Award at the respective companies where she worked. Reed earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a master’s degree in Communication from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Reed serves on two Boards of Directors, including the Association of Corporate Contribution Professionals (ACCP) and the Nebraska Food Bank Network.
Tres Bailey
Tres Bailey represents Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. on all legislative and regulatory issues regarding Wal-Mart's food-related business, with particular emphasis on food safety and nutrition initiatives. He also serves as a liaison between the Home Office in Bentonville, Ark., and Congress and the Executive Branch in Washington, D.C. In addition, Tres handles international trade issues, including the WTO, bilateral trade agreements, preference programs and foreign investment. In 2008, he was reappointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative to serve on the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Animal and Animal Products.
Prior to joining Wal-Mart, Tres was Congressman Charlie Stenholm’s (D-Texas) legislative assistant responsible for energy, agriculture, transportation and Blue Dog issues. A native of West Texas, Tres was an intern for the House Agriculture Committee, and he is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural economics.
Ricardo Moreno
Ricardo Moreno serves as the National Organizer for Latino relations with Bread for the World. Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad by changing policies, programs and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist. Bread for the World’s president was awarded the 2010 World Food Price for Bread’s work in hunger and poverty advocacy. Ricardo has worked extensively to recruit a national round-table of Latino religious leaders in and advocacy campaign for anti-hunger programs.
In addition Ricardo has the distinction of serving on several national and regional boards working on hunger, poverty and comprehensive immigration reform. He is an active Elder at Immanuel Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles. Moreno is recipients of numerous awards for his community work, among them: Latino leader of the year in 2004 by the Synod of Southern California of The Presbyterian Church USA, Immigrant Advocate of the year by the Immigration Section of the Los Angeles Bar Association (2002), Civic and Political participation by California State Assembly (2007) and Senate (2009). The William Velasquez Institute named him one of the more influential immigrant leaders in Los Angeles. Moreno is a frequent commentator on Latino Issues for En Contexto with Ruben Luengas KVEA Telemundo 52 Los Angeles; he also has been a guest speaker at “Al Punto” with Jorge Ramos transmitted by Univision. Moreno also has appeared in CNN and Al Jazera networks. His Op Ed articles are published by La Opinion of Los Angeles, and He has been quoted by the LA Times and others national and international newspapers.
Moreno is a highly demanded speaker at religious and secular conferences. He wrote several essays on faith and politics. He collaborated with a chapter for the book “Vivir y Servir en el Exilio” (To live and to Serve in the Exile), a series of theological lectures of the Latino experience in the United States, the book was published by the Latin American Theological fraternity. Moreno earned an associate degree in Theology at Venezuela Evangelical Seminary (1989), a Bachelors’ of Theology from Latin American Theological Seminary in La Puente, California (1995) and a Master of Divinity from San Francisco Theological Seminary (2002). He also holds a certificate on Ethics and Public Policy from Harvard Divinity School (2003).
