Gloria Hatcher-Mays
SFC Executive Committee Co-Chair
Executive Director, Rainier Valley Food Bank
After a long career with a Fortune 500 company, Gloria left the corporate world in 1999 and has worked extensively in the nonprofit sector at all levels ever since. Prior to joining Rainier Valley, Gloria administered grantmaking for the Renton Regional Community Foundation. She chairs the Board of Commissioners for Fire Protection District 10, and serves as Board Commissioner for Eastside Fire and Rescue. In addition, she Chairs the Board Recruitment Committee for Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank. Gloria graduated from Emerge-WA in May of 2019 and lives in rural King County with her husband, dog, and three horses.
Marcia Wright-Soika
(she/her)
SFC Executive Committee Co-Chair, Seattle Human Services Coalition Representative
Executive Director, FamilyWorks
Marcia joined FamilyWorks in July 2020 after serving as Director of Philanthropy and Strategic Partnerships for Mercy Housing Northwest. Previously, she worked in development and communications at YWCA Delaware and Chester County Fund for Women and Girls. She has an MBA in Organizational Leadership from Wilmington University, and B.As in Journalism and Women’s Studies from Penn State University. A Commissioner of the Seattle Women’s Commission, she serves on the Executive Committee of the Seattle Food Committee, as well as the Steering Committee and the City Budget Taskforce for the Seattle Human Services Coalition.
Brian Sindel
(he/him)
Community Resources & Engagement Sub-committee Chair
Food Bank Manager, Jewish Family Service, Seattle
For the past decade Brian has worked directly with communities to increase food security and promote food justice as an educator, a placemaker, and an organizer. He earned his degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz in Community Studies, with a focus in Food Justice and has worked at Jewish Family Service for seven years. Driven by his personal childhood experiences with health and food, Brian has an interest, a passion, and sometimes even an obsession with the role food plays in our lives as a force for connection and change.
Fran Yeatts
Education & Training Sub-committee Chair
Executive Director, West Seattle Food Bank
Fran Yeatts has been Executive Director of the West Seattle Food Bank (WSFB) since June 2001. Prior to joining the WSFB team she had managed vocational services at Navos for 10 years and worked with at risk youth. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Washington and enjoys skiing, hiking, cooking and traveling in her spare time.
Jen Muzia
(she/her)
Seattle Human Services Coalition Representative
Executive Director, Ballard Food Bank
Jen was hired as the Executive Director of the Ballard Food Bank in May 2014. Previously, she was the Chief Strategy Officer at Girl Scouts of Western Washington. Jen was also on the board and a volunteer with the U-District Food Bank for nine years. Jen is an active member of the Seattle Food Committee, Seattle Human Services Coalition, Ballard Alliance and North Seattle Service Providers Coalition. Jen received her Master of Public Administration from the University of Washington, Evans School of Public Affairs and her bachelor’s degree in business from Western Washington University. She is an alumna of the 2009 class of Leadership Tomorrow.
Joe Gruber
(he/him/his)
Advocacy Sub-committee Chair, Alternate Seattle Human Services Coalition Representative
Executive Director, University District Food Bank
Before joining the food bank in 2003, Joe consulted for a variety of for-profit and nonprofit businesses in the United States and Eastern Europe. Under his leadership, University District Food Bank developed a grocery store styled shopping system, expanded food programming to meet community needs, and in 2016 completed a successful capital campaign to build a new facility co-located with 49 units of affordable housing and a rooftop farm. A graduate of Michigan State (B.S., Zoology) and Vanderbilt University (MBA), Joe is active in multiple local and statewide human service coalitions and serves on several nonprofit boards. Joe’s passion for food justice informs his desire to create lasting opportunities for everyone.
Karla Marifjeren
Nutritious Food Sourcing Sub-committee Co-Chair
Program Manager Food Bank Services, West Seattle Food Bank
Karla has been a member of the West Seattle Food Bank staff for over eight years, but her commitment to the organization began back in 2003 when she started as a volunteer. Presently she oversees the operation of the food bank, home delivery, mobile distribution, and weekend backpack programs. She feels the cultivation of meaningful relationships with stakeholders is a highlight of her position.
Kathleen Murphy
(she/her)
Nutritious Food Sourcing Sub-committee Co-Chair
Director of Programs, Ballard Food Bank
As Director of Programs, Kathleen works with Ballard’s staff team to engage the community to provide food and resources to those that are seeking support. She enjoys getting to know our community to be able to best meet their needs be it rental assistance or culturally appropriate foods.
Louren Reed
(they/she)
Operations Sub-committee Chair
Food Access Director, North Helpline
Louren has spent their career working for others. For nearly a decade, they worked in bilingual schools with English language learners. This was followed by several years focused on learning more about people experiencing acute mental health crises and navigating substance use, as well as seniors adjusting to the cognitive effects of aging. More recently, Louren has been focused on food justice and expanding access to adequate food resources for people living in the Puget Sound area, first with Lifelong Health for All and now with North Helpline. Louren holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction (University of Houston) and an M.S. in Counseling Psychology (The University of Southern Mississippi), both of which help them to build and lead effective, trauma-informed teams.
Nichelle Hilton
(she/her)
Food for Schools Sub-committee Chair
Executive Director, Backpack Brigade
With 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Nichelle has dedicated her work toward helping children struggling with hunger issues. Since 2007 she has been running a food bank, trying to put a dent in weekend hunger. In 2014, Nichelle founded Backpack Brigade and currently serves as its Executive Director.