Northwest Harvest CEO Announces Retirement After 16 Years of Leadership

Search Begins for New Chief Executive Officer of Washington State's Leading Hunger Relief Agency
 
SEATTLE - March 21, 2017 - PRLog -- Northwest Harvest, Washington state's largest independent provider of meals to those in need, is announcing the retirement of its CEO, Shelley Rotondo, effective June 30, 2017. Under Shelley's leadership of 16 years, Northwest Harvest has grown to become one of Washington's preeminent nonprofit organizations in terms of making a positive impact on communities throughout the state.

Shelley's vision of expanding Northwest Harvest beyond simply providing meals to those in need has led to several major programs and initiatives that are now the model for hunger relief agencies across the United States. These include:

- Providing technical assistance to hunger programs statewide, helping each to develop greater capacity in meeting the growing needs of hungry people in their local communities

- Developing numerous childhood nutrition programs that provide healthy and culturally-appropriate meals during the school year, summer months, as well as the gap periods in between

- Expanding farmer and local-grower campaigns that provide an increasing amount of fruits and vegetables to food banks, schools and partner programs – currently two-thirds of all food procured and distributed by Northwest Harvest is fruits and vegetables

- Working directly with our state and federally-elected officials on legislation, public policy and advocacy programs that address the systemic, root causes of both poverty and hunger

"The success of Northwest Harvest is a direct reflection of the commitment and generosity of the communities throughout Washington," says Rotondo. "I can't even begin to thank all those who helped grow this organization over the past 16 years. Working with our staff, volunteers, partners and financial supporters has been the opportunity of a lifetime."

Northwest Harvest has provided over 300 million meals to those in need during Shelley's 16 years of leadership. Her combination of vision and strategy has been recognized by Seattle Business Magazine, proudly accepting their 2014 Executive Excellence Award, as well as the Emergency Food Network's 2017 David P. Ottey Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Shelley has been an exemplary leader whose passion, dedication and vision have been instrumental in enabling Northwest Harvest to successfully fight hunger in Washington state," stated Dan Thomas, Port of Seattle's Chief Financial Officer, and long-time board member of Northwest Harvest. "During her tenure, the agency significantly expanded its capacity – becoming the state's largest distributor of nutritious food during a period of increased hunger due to economic dislocations and growing income inequality." Thomas added, "Shelley is a tireless advocate for people in need and a highly-effective collaborator as evidenced by the more than 375 programs providing hunger relief across the state in partnership with Northwest Harvest. Her contributions have had a real impact on the lives of hungry people and have improved the well-being of our communities – for this we are deeply grateful."

Rotondo also wanted to thank every person who came to a food bank, received a meal or found a friend in Northwest Harvest in their time of need. "I am filled with gratitude. Your trust in us, to help you put a meal on your table, or help feed your children or your parents, is what motivated me every day these last 16 years."

Shelley's final day as CEO will be June 30. Northwest Harvest's Board of Directors is leading the search for the organization's new Chief Executive Officer and plans on filling this leadership position by July 1.

Northwest Harvest is partnering with the executive search firm of Herd, Freed, Hartz to recruit the agency's new Chief Executive Officer. For information on the CEO position, please contact Fred Pabst at fred@herdfreedhartz.com. Or visit http://www.northwestharvest.org/careers.

Contact
Jordan Rubin
***@northwestharvest.org
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Tags:Northwest Harvest, Poverty, Hunger Relief
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Location:Seattle - Washington - United States
Subject:Executives
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