Topic: Availability

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This Week's Episode

Heather Paquette, President of Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, believes tackling food insecurity requires creativity, collaboration and a willingness to think differently. She sees strong partnerships as those that put personal agendas aside and views challenging circumstances as a reason to become more decisive and ambitious, not less.

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After 24 years in grocery retail, Heather Paquette crossed to “the other side of the aisle,” bringing her business experience to Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine. Her journey is about more than moving from business into nonprofit leadership—it’s about what happens when we become curious enough to stand somewhere different, question what we know and learn from another perspective.

“Food banks and families are having the same conversation: How do we do more with less when there are no places left to cut?”

Heather Paquette, President of Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine

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This Week's Guest

Heather Paquette

Heather Paquette spent 24 years in grocery retail before becoming President of Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, giving her a rare view of the food system from both sides of the aisle. Today, she combines business discipline with curiosity and a deep understanding of people and community to tackle food insecurity—while continuing to learn, adapt and ask the questions that move the work forward.

Heather Paquette

President of Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine

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Heather Paquette

President of Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine

Heather Paquette has spent her entire working life around food — but she has learned to see it from very different sides of the aisle.

Before becoming President of Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, Heather spent 24 years in grocery retail, building a career with Hannaford and ultimately working across five Ahold Delhaize USA brands. Along the way, she learned the disciplines of operations, innovation, financial accountability, customer service — and, as she puts it, knowing when to “hustle.”

Then she crossed the grocery aisle.

At Good Shepherd, Heather discovered that some of what she knew translated beautifully, some had to be adapted, and some had to be put down so she could learn something new. Today, she brings that rare perspective to the challenge of food insecurity — combining business discipline with deep curiosity about people, place and community.

Thoughtful, candid and refreshingly clear, Heather is the kind of leader who can admit what she didn’t know, explain what she’s learned, and then ask the question that moves the work forward.

Perhaps that’s why her leadership feels so well suited for this moment: she has seen the food system from both sides — and she’s still curious enough to keep learning.

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Crystal FitzSimons has spent 27 years at the Food Research & Action Center believing something both simple and profound: hunger is solvable.

Now, as president of one of America’s most influential anti-hunger organizations, she is writing the next chapter of FRAC’s more than 50-year story.

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Crystal joins Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson for a deeply personal conversation about the values that shaped her, why research and advocacy matter, the policies that can change lives, and the responsibility of leading an institution built by generations before you.

Along the way, she reminds us that behind every statistic is a family—and sometimes the most important thing we can do for children is simply make sure their parents aren’t parenting hungry.

This is a conversation about hunger, dignity, leadership—and why the next chapter matters.

“Hunger is actually a solvable problem”

Crystal FitzSimons, President of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)

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This Week's Guest

Crystal FitzSimons

Crystal FitzSimons is President of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), one of the nation’s leading organizations working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition.

During her 27 years at FRAC, Crystal has helped advance policies strengthening federal nutrition programs, including school meals, SNAP, WIC, and summer nutrition. Her career has been built around a fundamental conviction: we know how to address hunger—the challenge is building the political will to do it.

Today, she leads FRAC into the next chapter of its more than 50-year history, bringing together research, policy, advocacy, coalition

Crystal FitzSimons

Crystal FitzSimons, President of the Food Research & Action Center

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Crystal FitzSimons

Crystal FitzSimons, President of the Food Research & Action Center

Crystal FitzSimons is President of the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), one of the nation’s leading organizations working to eradicate poverty-related hunger and undernutrition.

During her 27 years at FRAC, Crystal has helped advance policies strengthening federal nutrition programs, including school meals, SNAP, WIC, and summer nutrition. Her career has been built around a fundamental conviction: we know how to address hunger—the challenge is building the political will to do it.

Today, she leads FRAC into the next chapter of its more than 50-year history, bringing together research, policy, advocacy, coalition building, and a commitment to ensuring people can access nutritious food with dignity.

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For more than four decades, Matt Habash, President and CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective has challenged traditional approaches to hunger relief, championing data, healthcare, technology, policy and community partnerships to address the root causes of food insecurity. In this episode, he reflects on a 42-year career of asking better questions and the belief that, “we’re not going to food bank our way out of hunger.”

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Matt shares how asking better questions and challenging conventional thinking can change the way we address hunger. This conversation explores innovation, collaboration and what it takes to move beyond simply distributing food toward creating lasting change.

“At the end of the day, it was all about the same thing: Are we helping people or are we not helping people?”

Matt Habash, President and CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective

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This Week's Guest

Matt Habash

Matt has served as President and CEO of the Mid-Ohio Food Collective since 1984, helping transform a traditional food bank into one of the most innovative food-security organizations in America.

Over four decades, Matt has pushed the work beyond food distribution—embracing data, healthcare, technology, public policy and community partnerships to better understand where hunger lives and what it will take to address its root causes.

His leadership philosophy is equally straightforward: listen, challenge assumptions, surround yourself with good people—and never stop asking how the work can be better.

Matt Habash

President & CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective

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Matt Habash

President & CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective

Matt Habash has served as President and CEO of the Mid-Ohio Food Collective since 1984, helping transform a traditional food bank into one of the most innovative food-security organizations in America.

Over four decades, Matt has pushed the work beyond food distribution—embracing data, healthcare, technology, public policy and community partnerships to better understand where hunger lives and what it will take to address its root causes.

His leadership philosophy is equally straightforward: listen, challenge assumptions, surround yourself with good people—and never stop asking how the work can be better.

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What makes a place home?

For Cyndi Kirkhart, CEO of Facing Hunger Food Bank, the answer can be found along the country roads of Appalachia—in communities where resources may be scarce, but resilience, ingenuity, and care for one another run deep.

 

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On This Episode

In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson explore Cyndi’s remarkable journey: from inheriting a struggling food bank that might not make payroll to leading an organization serving 17 counties across West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio. Along the way, she challenges one of the oldest narratives about hunger: this work isn’t about filling empty bellies. It’s about supporting lives.

“Every plate has a story. Take hunger out of the picture, and imagine what becomes possible.”

Cyndi Kirkhart, CEO of Facing Hunger Food Bank

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This Week's Guest

Cyndi Kirkhart

Cyndi Kirkhart is the CEO of Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington, West Virginia, serving 17 counties across West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. Over her 14 years of leadership, the food bank has grown from a team of 13 to more than 50 employees and now distributes more than 14 million pounds of food annually.

With a background in psychology, mental health and community service, Cyndi brings a deeply human-centered approach to food security. She is also a writer, poet and member of Feeding America’s National Advisory Committee, where she has been a strong voice for rural communities, smaller food banks and the people at the center of this work.

At the heart of her leadership is a simple belief: every plate has a story — and every person is worthy of being seen for far more than what they need.

Cyndi Kirkhart

Cyndi Kirkhart, CEO of Facing Hunger Food Bank

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Cyndi Kirkhart

Cyndi Kirkhart, CEO of Facing Hunger Food Bank

Cyndi Kirkhart is the CEO of Facing Hunger Food Bank in Huntington, West Virginia, serving 17 counties across West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. Over her 14 years of leadership, the food bank has grown from a team of 13 to more than 50 employees and now distributes more than 14 million pounds of food annually.

With a background in psychology, mental health and community service, Cyndi brings a deeply human-centered approach to food security. She is also a writer, poet and member of Feeding America’s National Advisory Committee, where she has been a strong voice for rural communities, smaller food banks and the people at the center of this work.

At the heart of her leadership is a simple belief: every plate has a story — and every person is worthy of being seen for far more than what they need.

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If we’re serious about outcomes, partnership isn’t optional. It’s essential.

In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson sit down with Brian McGrain, Executive Director of Michigan Community Action, for a conversation that models the kind of collaboration required to move to the next frontier of food security. Together, they explore how Community Action Agencies and food banks—alongside schools, health systems, and workforce partners—must move beyond parallel efforts and into coordinated, community-driven solutions.

At the center of the conversation is a defining truth: families do not experience our systems separately—they experience whether life works. When systems are disconnected, people are left to navigate the gaps. But when leaders align their strengths, they can blend those systems into coordinated solutions that meet real-life needs.

This episode is an example of what it looks like to lead beyond organizational boundaries—activating the six dimensions of food security in practice, not theory—and a challenge to leaders everywhere: if the goal is real outcomes, then partnership isn’t a strategy. It’s a requirement.

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Food security takes shape when communities align around the people they serve. In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson welcome Brian McGrain, Executive Director of Michigan Community Action, for a conversation that models the kind of partnership required to move to the next frontier of this work.

McGrain represents 27 Community Action Agencies across Michigan, part of a national network of nearly 1,000 agencies working to address the conditions that keep families in crisis. Serving all 83 counties, these agencies operate across housing, food access, utility assistance, early childhood programs, financial empowerment, and more—bringing a comprehensive, community-based approach to stability and self-sufficiency.

At the center of the conversation is a defining truth: families do not experience our systems separately—they experience whether life works.

A parent trying to put food on the table may also be facing housing instability, rising utility costs, transportation challenges, and wages that are not keeping up with the cost of living. When systems are disconnected, people are left to navigate the gaps. When leaders align their strengths, they can blend those systems into coordinated solutions that meet real-life needs.

That is where real progress happens.

Food banks, Community Action Agencies, health systems, schools, workforce programs, and local leaders each bring something essential. When those strengths are intentionally connected, communities begin to activate the six dimensions of food security—availability, access, utilization, stability, sustainability, and agency. No single organization carries all six, but together, they can.

McGrain highlights that Community Action Agencies are locally governed, deeply connected to the communities they serve, and grounded in lived experience. That perspective ensures that solutions are shaped with people, not simply delivered to them.

The conversation also acknowledges the real-world tension leaders face—local governance, funding structures, contracts, and service boundaries. These realities matter, but they cannot become barriers. The work ahead requires leaders who are willing to navigate the gaps and blend systems into something better for the people depending on them.

The closing challenge is clear: if we’re serious about outcomes, partnership isn’t optional. It’s a requirement.

People don’t experience our programs—they experience whether life works. If we’re making it harder to be poor, it won’t matter who delivers the service—only whether the need gets met.

Brian McGrain

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This Week's Guests

Brian McGrain

Brian McGrain is the Executive Director of Michigan Community Action, representing 27 Community Action Agencies serving all 83 counties across the state. Part of a national network, these agencies work across housing, food access, and financial stability to help individuals and families move from crisis toward self-sufficiency.

With more than 20 years of experience in community development and public policy, Brian brings a practical, people-centered approach to his leadership—focused on connecting systems and strengthening communities through collaboration.

Brian McGrain

Executive Director of Michigan Community Action

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Brian McGrain

Executive Director of Michigan Community Action

Brian McGrain is the Executive Director of Michigan Community Action, representing 27 Community Action Agencies serving all 83 counties across the state. Part of a national network, these agencies work across housing, food access, and financial stability to help individuals and families move from crisis toward self-sufficiency.

With more than 20 years of experience in community development and public policy, Brian brings a practical, people-centered approach to his leadership—focused on connecting systems and strengthening communities through collaboration.

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In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson welcome Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, for a conversation about leadership, trust, and the power of doing hard things well.

Jason shares the story behind merging two legacy food banks into one unified statewide organization—an effort that strengthened efficiency, amplified impact, and created a single voice for fighting food insecurity across Connecticut. More than a story about structure, this episode highlights what happens when courage, competence, and mission come together to better serve families and communities.

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In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson sit down with Jason Jakubowski, President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, for a compelling conversation about leadership, trust, and what it truly takes to drive meaningful impact in the nonprofit sector.

At a time when nonprofits are being tested not just on their intentions—but on their competence—Jason’s story stands out. He shares the journey behind one of the most significant structural decisions in recent food banking history: the merger of two long-standing food banks into a single, unified organization serving the entire state of Connecticut.

What makes this story powerful isn’t just the outcome—it’s how it was done. Grounded in a clear and disciplined commitment to “what’s best for the people of Connecticut,” the merger required leaders to set aside history, ego, and institutional identity in favor of mission. The result is a stronger, more efficient organization—saving $1.8 million annually, reinvesting those dollars directly into service, and creating a unified voice that strengthens partnerships with donors, government, and the communities they serve.

But the real impact goes beyond efficiency. Connecticut Foodshare now distributes approximately 47 million meals annually, reaching every corner of the state with greater consistency and coordination. The merger has enabled faster response to crises, stronger donor confidence, and a more effective system designed around people—not geography or legacy structures.

Jason also reflects on the deeper lessons of leadership—how culture is built over time, why people matter more than process, and how trust is earned through action, especially when decisions are difficult. His perspective reinforces a central theme of the show: trust and competence are not separate ideas—they are inseparable, and together, they determine whether progress is possible.

This episode is more than a conversation about organizational change. It is a case study in what happens when leaders align around mission, commit to doing the hard work, and follow through with discipline. It’s a reminder that the path to a food secure nation will require not just good intentions, but bold decisions, shared purpose, and leadership willing to put the community first.

We made a commitment early—no winners, no losers. Just what’s best for the people of Connecticut.

Jason Jakubowski

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This Week's Guests

Jason Jakubowski

Jason Jakubowski is the President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, where he leads a unified, statewide effort to address food insecurity across all 169 communities in Connecticut. Under his leadership, two legacy food banks were successfully merged into a single organization—an ambitious move that strengthened efficiency, expanded impact, and created a more coordinated response for families in need.

In addition to his leadership at Connecticut Foodshare, Jason has spent more than two decades teaching political science at both the University of Connecticut and Central Connecticut State University. His work in the classroom keeps him connected to emerging leaders and evolving perspectives, reinforcing a leadership style rooted in continuous growth.

Jason Jakubowski

President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare

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Jason Jakubowski

President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare

Jason Jakubowski is the President and CEO of Connecticut Foodshare, where he leads a unified, statewide effort to address food insecurity across all 169 communities in Connecticut. Under his leadership, two legacy food banks were successfully merged into a single organization—an ambitious move that strengthened efficiency, expanded impact, and created a more coordinated response for families in need.

Jason’s path into food banking reflects a lifelong commitment to service. Raised in a family grounded in education and social work, he was instilled early with the responsibility to give back to the community. His career spans public service, higher education, and healthcare, including roles in government relations and serving on city council—experiences that shaped his ability to navigate complex systems and build meaningful partnerships.

In addition to his leadership at Connecticut Foodshare, Jason has spent more than two decades teaching political science at both the University of Connecticut and Central Connecticut State University. His work in the classroom keeps him connected to emerging leaders and evolving perspectives, reinforcing a leadership style rooted in continuous growth.

Known for his emphasis on people and culture, Jason believes that strong organizations are built through trust, shared purpose, and relationships that endure through challenge. His leadership reflects a commitment to collaboration, bipartisan engagement, and ensuring that the work remains centered on those experiencing food insecurity.

Jason’s approach demonstrates that when mission, discipline, and trust come together, organizations can evolve, communities can be better served, and meaningful progress becomes possible.

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Behind every meal served is a system most people never see.

In this episode, Liz Lowe shares her journey from growing up in a food-insecure household to helping organizations across the country build sustainable funding strategies. Alongside Phil and Gerry Brisson, she explores how funding, relationships, and lived experience come together to shape what’s possible in the fight for food security.

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This episode flips a core assumption on its head: food banks don’t run on food—they run on funding. And until we fully confront that truth, we will keep limiting what’s possible.

Joined by Liz Lowe, a national fund development leader with lived experience of food insecurity, Phil and Gerry Brisson unpack a reality hiding in plain sight—the way we fund the mission is shaping the mission itself. Every meal distributed, every truck on the road, every partnership formed is not just an act of service—it’s the result of a financial system quietly determining scale, consistency, and impact.

Liz brings both personal conviction and professional clarity, reframing fund development from a “support function” to a central operating force. This isn’t transactional—it’s structural. Funding fuels infrastructure, drives access, enables dignity, and ultimately determines whether the system expands…or stalls.

It challenges the field to rethink who must be at the table and what truly drives change. People experiencing hunger bring essential insight the system cannot afford to ignore. Real progress happens when that perspective is aligned with strong leadership, smart strategy, and sustainable funding.

Because in the end, if we want better outcomes, we can’t just move more food.

We have to rethink what’s underneath it.

Funding isn’t separate from the mission—it’s what allows the mission to exist consistently.

Liz Lowe

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Liz Lowe

Liz Lowe is Vice President of Client Relations at the Allegiance Group, partnering with mission-driven organizations to strengthen fund development and build sustainable revenue systems. With over 20 years of experience in the charitable food sector—and lived experience growing up in a food-insecure household—Liz brings both insight and authenticity to her work. She is increasingly using her voice to elevate the realities of food insecurity and advocate for solutions grounded in dignity, community, and long-term impact.

Liz Lowe

Vice President of Client Relations at the Allegiance Group

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Liz Lowe

Vice President of Client Relations at the Allegiance Group

Liz Lowe is Vice President of Client Relations at the Allegiance Group, partnering with mission-driven organizations to strengthen fund development and build sustainable revenue systems. With over 20 years of experience in the charitable food sector—and lived experience growing up in a food-insecure household—Liz brings both insight and authenticity to her work. She is increasingly using her voice to elevate the realities of food insecurity and advocate for solutions grounded in dignity, community, and long-term impact.

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This episode goes beyond inspiration and gets to the real challenge at the heart of food security: not a lack of caring, not a lack of ideas, but a lack of connection.

Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson reflect on decades of experience to unpack why so much good work struggles to scale, and why better frameworks, shared learning, and the Six Dimensions of Food Security may be the key to moving from isolated effort to real national progress. If you want to understand what connects the voices, vision, and momentum behind Food Secure Nation, this is the episode that brings it all together.

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This episode of Food Secure Nation pulls back the curtain on a hard truth: food insecurity has never been a problem of caring, or even a lack of good ideas. It has been a problem of connection.

After decades of experience across communities, systems, and even continents, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson confront a reality many in the field feel but rarely name. Progress is happening, but the system still feels stuck. Why? Because some of the best thinking is still happening in isolation. Great ideas emerge, inspire, and then disappear before they can be shared, tested, and scaled.

This conversation marks a turning point, because it does more than name the problem. It begins to name the path forward.

Through the lens of Know Better, Do Better, we introduce a more powerful way ahead, rooted in shared learning, practical application, and a unifying framework: the Six Dimensions of Food Security. From something as simple as winter squash to complex healthcare partnerships, they show how better thinking can sharpen decisions, strengthen systems, and unlock better outcomes, often without adding cost.

This is where the conversation moves beyond commentary. It becomes an invitation.
With a vision to connect leaders, ideas, and real-world pilots across the country, this episode lays the groundwork for a new kind of progress, one that turns insight into action and isolated effort into collective impact.

Because the future of food security will not be built by working harder in silos.

It will be built when we learn together, act together, and scale what works.

And as the guys remind us:
“The challenge was never knowledge… it was connection.”

Hope is a dangerous thing… if it never turns into strategy.

Gerry Brisson

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“When you center the person experiencing hunger, everything else gets clearer — strategy, partnerships, even accountability.”

As she steps down as CEO of Feeding America, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot shares the leadership philosophy that helped reshape the national hunger conversation. At the heart of it: agency. What happens when people experiencing hunger are no longer on the margins—but at the center of decision-making? This episode explores the courage, tension, and impact of that shift.

 

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In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson welcome Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, for a conversation about leadership, dignity, and the evolution of the national hunger-relief movement. As Claire prepares transition from her role leading the nation’s largest hunger-relief network, she reflects the leadership lessons, cultural shifts, and strategic decisions that helped reshape how the Feeding America network understands its mission.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple but transformative idea: the charitable food system does not exist to serve institutions—it exists to serve people experiencing hunger. Claire describes how, early in her tenure, she challenged two competing assumptions within large systems: that national organizations should either direct the work of local partners or simply serve them. Instead, she reframed from the mission around a shared commitment—food banks, national leaders, partners, and communities working together as co-equals in service to families facing hunger.

This shift helped reorient the network’s thinking toward the lived experience of people facing food insecurity. Rather than treating individuals experiencing hunger as passive recipients of charity, Claire and the network began recognizing them as experts in their own experience. By elevating lived expertise—listening to people not just as storytellers but as guides for decision-making—the network began asking better questions and designing better solutions.

One example came during the development of Feeding America’s first federated Network Strategic Framework. While leaders discussed how the system should improve data collection, a participant with lived experience challenged the group with a simple insight: if data truly serves people facing hunger, then it should help them answer the most immediate question—Where can I find food? That moment reshaped the conversation and demonstrated how centering lived experience can sharpen strategy and reveal blind spots that institutions alone might miss.

Claire also reflects on a powerful moment during the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, where she brought individuals with lived experience as her “entourage.” When offered a seat among dignitaries at the front of the room, she chose instead to sit in the back with the individuals whose voices had helped shape national policy. In that moment, as one woman realized the President of the United States was speaking words drawn from her own story, Claire witnessed what true agency looks like—when people experiencing hunger are not spoken for but heard.

Throughout the conversation, Claire emphasizes that meaningful change in complex social systems requires both humility and courage. Leaders must be willing to evolve, to acknowledge past assumptions, and to build systems that invite participation rather than impose solutions. When people experiencing hunger are seen as partners in solving the problem—not as problems to be solved—the path to lasting progress becomes clearer.

As the episode concludes, Knight and Brisson reflect on Claire’s legacy: a leadership style rooted in compassion, curiosity, and truth-telling. By helping the hunger-relief network refocus on dignity, agency, and collaboration, Claire’s influence continues to shape how communities across the country work together to build a more food secure nation.

Agency doesn’t slow the work down. It makes the work finally fit.

Claire Babineaux-Fontenot

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This Week's Guest

Claire Babineaux-Fontenot is the outgoing CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. A nationally recognized leader on poverty, dignity, and systems change, she has guided the network through some of the most challenging moments in recent history — including the COVID-19 pandemic and rising food insecurity across the country.

Before joining Feeding America, Claire built a distinguished career in law and corporate leadership, including serving as Executive Vice President and Treasurer at Walmart. But what defines her leadership is not just her résumé — it’s her conviction.

During her tenure, Claire helped reframe the national hunger conversation by centering the voices and experiences of people facing food insecurity, elevating dignity and agency as essential to lasting solutions. Her leadership has been widely recognized, including being named one of TIME’s Women of the Year.

Claire’s work continues to shape how leaders across sectors think about trust, equity, and what it truly means to build a food secure nation.

Claire Babineaux-Fontenot

Former CEO of Feeding America

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Claire Babineaux-Fontenot

Former CEO of Feeding America

Claire Babineaux-Fontenot is the outgoing CEO of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. A nationally recognized leader on poverty, dignity, and systems change, she has guided the network through some of the most challenging moments in recent history — including the COVID-19 pandemic and rising food insecurity across the country.

Before joining Feeding America, Claire built a distinguished career in law and corporate leadership, including serving as Executive Vice President and Treasurer at Walmart. But what defines her leadership is not just her résumé — it’s her conviction.

During her tenure, Claire helped reframe the national hunger conversation by centering the voices and experiences of people facing food insecurity, elevating dignity and agency as essential to lasting solutions. Her leadership has been widely recognized, including being named one of TIME’s Women of the Year.

Claire’s work continues to shape how leaders across sectors think about trust, equity, and what it truly means to build a food secure nation.

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What does it really take to create access to food?

In this episode, Stacy Dean brings a rare, full-spectrum perspective — from national policy to federal implementation to global systems leadership. Together, we explore how access is shaped, why it often falls short, and what it will take to build a food system that delivers real choice, stability, and dignity for every community.

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When Stacy Dean joined Food Secure Nation, the conversation centered on one deceptively simple word: access.

Across her career — from shaping national nutrition policy, to administering SNAP, WIC, and school meals at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to now leading the Global Food Institute at George Washington University — Stacy has influenced how access to food is designed, implemented, and improved. Her work reflects a clear truth: leadership shapes systems, and systems determine whether families can obtain the food they need.

As Stacy explained, access is far more complex than proximity to a grocery store. It is shaped by income, transportation, safety, infrastructure, technology, cultural responsiveness, and trust. When even one of these factors breaks down, access weakens. What seems like a simple question — “Can people get food?” — is a systems challenge that varies widely across communities.

At the Global Food Institute, Stacy is advancing an interdisciplinary approach to building a more sustainable and equitable food system. From climate impact and food waste to supply chains and digital delivery, the future of access is evolving — and so must the way we understand and measure it.

Throughout the conversation, one theme stood out: solutions must be built with communities, not simply delivered to them. People experiencing food insecurity are not problems to be solved, but partners in designing what works. When leadership focuses on expanding options and strengthening systems, access becomes more stable, more dignified, and more resilient — and that is how we build a Food Secure Nation.

Access is what determines whether a system works — or whether people fall through the cracks.

Stacy Dean

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This Week's Guest

Stacy Dean is a nationally recognized leader in food policy and nutrition programs, currently serving as Director of the Global Food Institute at George Washington University. Over the course of her career, she has shaped and implemented some of the nation’s most critical food assistance programs, including SNAP, WIC, and school meals.

Prior to joining George Washington University, Stacy served at the United States Department of Agriculture, where she led the Food and Nutrition Service, overseeing federal nutrition programs that support millions of Americans. Before her time in federal service, she spent more than two decades at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, helping to design and advance policies to strengthen food access and reduce poverty.

Today, Stacy brings a global, interdisciplinary perspective to food systems, working across sectors to advance solutions that are sustainable, equitable, and rooted in the lived experience of communities.

Stacy Dean

Director, Global Food Institute, George Washington University

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Stacy Dean

Director, Global Food Institute, George Washington University

Stacy Dean is a nationally recognized leader in food policy and nutrition programs, currently serving as Director of the Global Food Institute at George Washington University. Over the course of her career, she has shaped and implemented some of the nation’s most critical food assistance programs, including SNAP, WIC, and school meals.

Prior to joining George Washington University, Stacy served at the United States Department of Agriculture, where she led the Food and Nutrition Service, overseeing federal nutrition programs that support millions of Americans. Before her time in federal service, she spent more than two decades at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, helping to design and advance policies to strengthen food access and reduce poverty.

Today, Stacy brings a global, interdisciplinary perspective to food systems, working across sectors to advance solutions that are sustainable, equitable, and rooted in the lived experience of communities.

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Gerry and Phil sit down with Virginia Witherspoon, the Executive leading Channel One Food Bank in MN.

She chairs the National Advisory Committee for Feeding America. Lawery, CEO and Chairperson – 3 Chairs, Unique Perspectives from Virginia Witherspoon.

 

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What happens when one leader sees the food security system from three different vantage points at once?

In this episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson sit down with Virginia Witherspoon to explore how legal training, local leadership, and national governance intersect in a system under pressure.

From navigating post-pandemic resource challenges to rethinking how dignity shapes service delivery, this conversation offers a rare look at how real decisions are made—and what it will take to build a stronger, more aligned national response to hunger.

Dignity is free. It costs nothing to welcome someone well, trust them, and treat them like a shopper instead of a client.

Virginia Witherspoon

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This Week's Guest

Virginia Witherspoon serves as CEO of Channel One Regional Food Bank and Chair of the National Advisory Committee for Feeding America. A trained attorney, she brings a unique blend of legal precision, operational leadership, and governance expertise to the fight against hunger. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to dignity, data-informed decision making, and ensuring that the voices of people experiencing food insecurity shape the systems designed to serve them.

Virginia Witherspoon

Executive and Operational Leadership

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Virginia Witherspoon

Executive and Operational Leadership

Virginia Witherspoon serves as CEO of Channel One Regional Food Bank and Chair of the National Advisory Committee for Feeding America. A trained attorney, she brings a unique blend of legal precision, operational leadership, and governance expertise to the fight against hunger. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to dignity, data-informed decision making, and ensuring that the voices of people experiencing food insecurity shape the systems designed to serve them.

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This Week's Episode

Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson sit down with Tory Martin, leader at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.

Our guest, Tory Martin, is a leader at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, where she helps study and interpret national trends shaping the nonprofit and philanthropic world. Her work looks beyond headlines to examine how trust, technology, and data are reshaping how nonprofits operate and how the public experiences their work.

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On This Episode

Wake-Up Call to the Nonprofit Sector: Trust Is the New Currency

In this compelling episode of Food Secure Nation, Dr. Phil Knight and Gerry Brisson sit down with Tory Martin, Director of Engagement and Knowledge Building at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, to unpack the implications of the 11 Trends in Philanthropy report and what it means for nonprofits navigating a season of profound change. The conversation is both candid and urgent. The central message is unmistakable: good intentions are no longer enough. Nonprofits must demonstrate good work.

Trust, as discussed in the episode, is not soft sentiment—it is an accelerant. Drawing on leadership insights from Stephen R. Covey and John C. Maxwell, the hosts frame trust as the fruit of real relationship. Yet the Johnson Center’s research highlights a troubling reality. While nonprofits continue to rank high in perceived ethical behavior, they do not consistently rank high in perceived competence. That distinction matters. In an environment where public expectations are rising and scrutiny is intensifying, organizations must not only care deeply about their missions—they must clearly show measurable, credible impact.

One of the most practical insights from the report centers on language. Nonprofits often speak in sector-specific jargon that creates distance rather than connection. Trust grows through proximity and clarity. When organizations communicate in language that everyday people can understand, they reduce barriers, strengthen transparency, and reinforce credibility. Talking like a neighbor instead of an industry insider is not a branding tweak—it is a trust-building strategy.

The episode also confronts the unavoidable rise of artificial intelligence. AI is not a future consideration; it is a present reality. Organizations that ignore it risk falling behind. At the same time, AI without human oversight carries serious risks, including bias amplification and ethical blind spots. The Johnson Center emphasizes that responsible innovation requires strong data infrastructure and human-led judgment. AI is a tool—not a replacement for wisdom, compassion, or accountability. Used well, it can accelerate knowledge and deepen insight. Used poorly, it can undermine trust.

Closely connected to the AI conversation is the growing need for data with context. Numbers alone do not tell the whole story. Participatory approaches—where communities help interpret and give meaning to the data they generate—build legitimacy and shared ownership. When lived experience informs analysis, competence becomes more visible and trust becomes more durable.

Finally, the conversation recognizes that this moment of instability may also be a moment of innovation. As government roles shift and funding landscapes change, nonprofits will need to deepen cross-sector partnerships and rethink traditional approaches. Clear-eyed honesty about what nonprofits can—and cannot—solve alone is critical. Overstating impact erodes credibility. Clarity strengthens it.

The overarching takeaway is simple but demanding: credibility is built when claims match capacity. Strong missions do not require exaggeration; they require integrity. In a time when expectations are rising and trust is fragile, the nonprofit sector must speak plainly, show competence, embrace innovation responsibly, and align words with work. That alignment is not just good communications practice—it is the foundation for building lasting food security and a stronger nonprofit sector.

Credibility is built when claims match capacity. Strong missions do not require exaggeration, they require integrity

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This Week's Guest

Tory Martin: Director of Engagement and Knowledge-Building for the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy

Tory Martin brings a unique blend of strategic communications expertise and cross-sector experience to the table, currently serving as the Director of Engagement and Knowledge-Building at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy.

With a background that includes key roles at National Public Radio (NPR) and the Smithsonian Institution, Tory acts as an “integrative force” in the center’s mission to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world nonprofit practice. She provides creative oversight for the center’s digital strategy and funder stewardship, while also spearheading major knowledge-sharing initiatives like The Foundation Review and the annual 11 Trends in Philanthropy report.

In this episode, Tory offers a candid look at the evolving expectations for the nonprofit sector, emphasizing that “good intentions are no longer enough”. Drawing from her leadership in tracking sector-wide shifts, she discusses the critical need for organizations to move past industry jargon and build trust through clarity, proximity, and measurable impact. Tory highlights how responsible innovation—particularly the integration of AI and participatory data—can help nonprofits navigate a season of profound change and strengthen the social safety net for the long term.

Tory Martin

Director of communications and engagement

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Tory Martin

Director of communications and engagement

Tory Martin joined the Johnson Center in October 2017 as director of communications and engagement. In 2022, her role expanded to include strategic partnerships, and in 2025 she was named director of engagement and knowledge-building.

Tory responsibilities at the Johnson Center have always included creative oversight for the Johnson Center’s communications and marketing efforts across publications and digital channels. This work includes overall strategy, content development, and tracking engagement metrics. She also has ongoing responsibility as coordinator and catalyzer for the center’s fund development efforts and funder stewardship, in close partnership with the executive director, senior leadership, and GVSU’s University Development team. She is the primary strategic staff support for the Johnson Center’s Leadership Council.

Tory further serves as an integrative force in the Johnson Center’s mission to build, share, and activate knowledge in the sector to improve practice. Her work includes providing leadership for The Foundation Review, overseeing the annual publication of the center’s 11 Trends in Philanthropy report, supporting the development of research-to-practice curriculum and learning programs, and facilitating partnerships that position the Johnson Center to bring more research-informed knowledge and strategies to bear on the practice of community change.

Previously, Tory served as grants manager for National Public Radio (NPR) and held several roles in the audience and education departments of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History (NMAH), where she was a founding member of the staff diversity advisory council.

Tory is originally from the Washington, D.C. area and is a proud graduate of both the University of Virginia, earning a B.A. in American Studies and History, and Georgetown University, where she completed an M.A. in liberal studies, concentration: American Studies.

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