Indio, CA
FIND Food Bank is pleased to announce the appointment of Debbie Espinosa as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization. Her first day at the food bank was Feb. 15, 2018.
“Our Board of Directors is very excited to have a new CEO on board,” said FIND Board Chair Deborah McGarrey. “Her experience with Feeding America and familiarity with food banking will build on our solid foundation and help FIND Food Bank continue to grow in serving the community.”
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Ms. Espinosa joins the FIND team from the Bay Area, where she’s been serving as the Associate Executive Director for the Downtown Oakland YMCA, one of the largest YMCA branches in northern California. In this role she has been responsible for generating $6.4M in annual revenue to operate a 75,000-sq-ft facility with a full complement of programs offered by a team of 150 full- and part-time employees.
She also currently serves as a Member on the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance National Board of Directors and is the Immediate Past Presi-dent of the National Association of Certified Nonprofit Professionals, both of which are volunteer positions. Ms. Espinosa holds a Bachelors’ Degree from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, MO, and a Masters’ Degree in Community and Economic Development from Penn State University.
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“I am excited to be part of such a great organization in this leadership capacity, and am looking forward to doing my part in serving those in need of food assistance by working alongside our dedicated board, staff, volunteers, and community members,” said Debbie Espinosa.
It turns out that Ms. Espinosa knows FIND Food Bank from her years working as a Compliance and Capacity Development Manager for Feeding America in their southwestern U.S. sector. She also served as the Director of Programs at another Feeding America member food bank in northern California.
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Ms. Espinosa recalls working with FIND nearly a decade ago, when previous CEO, Lisa Houston, had just joined the team and there was a lot of work to do. “I could tell then that FIND — and the Coachella Valley — was a special place. I am thrilled this opportunity brings me to my next home in a community that is so supportive of the food bank’s vision of a hunger-free zone across this beautiful valley.”
In 2017, FIND’s regional network distributed 10+ million pounds of food, more than half as fresh fruits and vegetables. A consistent average of 85,000 people access some form of food assistance each month from FIND’s extensive network of community partners, including neighborhood pantries, faith-based organizations, after-school programs, senior centers, served-meal programs, shelters and others that offer a variety of food assistance. FIND employs 30 full- and part-time team members, benefitting further from 4,500+ volunteers who donated more than 15,500 hours of service in fiscal year 2016-17.
