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.

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.

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.