Chief Executive Officer
CurrentCOMMON THREADS, Austin, TX • 2003 - PresentFounding Chief Executive OfficerI spearhead health and wellness in under-resourced communities across US through award-winning cooking and nutrition programs, leading up to 110 employees. Data-Driven Community Impacts:• Launched national non-profit teaching 700K children, caregivers, teachers, and healthcare practitioners in 13 cities and ~1000 schools with community-based organizations in Chicago, Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Pittsburgh, Erie, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and El Paso.• Implemented programmatic, policy and process changes based on community voice, external evaluators and the Organization’s internal R&E department.Government Affairs Leadership:• Positioned Common Threads for funding at all levels including USDA, Health and Human Services, Department of Children and Family Services, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and federal programs such as Community Project Funding and Congressionally Directed Spending requests.• Influenced policy, heading modifications to USDA/Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) guidance for SNAP-Ed/Farm Bill.Organizational Growth Focus:• Developed local and national board network to support organization through national growth, creating initiatives across markets and guiding strategic board discussions.Brand Awareness & Media Relations Success:• Recognized as Subject Matter Expert in cooking and nutrition, serving as regular columnist and blogger for The Huffington Post and Food Marketing Institute.Financial Leadership & Fundraising Initiatives:• Actively managed budgets up to $5M with diversified revenue streams including federal, state, and local government funds, events, foundation, and sponsorships.• Introduced financial plan including funded cash reserves, growth in contributed and earned income with $2.8M in annual SNAP-Ed multi-year contracts from USDA.
