Message from FoodChange's Board Chair

Date :    September 5, 2006

To :        All clients, funders, partners, volunteers, and friends of                FoodChange

From :   Vincent McGee, Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer

After four years of dedicated and productive service as Executive Director of FoodChange, Richard Murphy has decided to step down to pursue other interests in the public service arena.

Under Richard's stewardship, FoodChange adopted a five-year strategic plan, took on a new name and significantly expanded its nutrition, education, and financial empowerment services throughout New York City. On behalf of all in New York City’s underserved communities for whom FoodChange works and in the name of staff, partners, funders, and Board, I extend to Richard our deep and heartfelt gratitude and warmest wishes for the future.

Vincent McGee will serve as Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer to ensure a smooth transition and guarantee a continuum in our work.

At its August 24, 2006 meeting, the Board elected two new Board members: Leah Margulies and Michael Kharfen.

Leah Margulies is Project Director at LawHelp , a New York City-based nonprofit agency providing low-income New York State residents with referrals to free legal services and the information needed for self-representation.

Leah brings to FoodChange a broad experience in law and public policy advocacy for projects promoting human rights, corporate accountability, public health, environment and sustainable development, women’s, economic and social rights. She has worked at local, national, and international agencies. In her efforts to promote nutritional practices that prevent the death and malnutrition of infants and young children, Leah was Founder and Chairperson of the Infant Formula Action Coalition (INFACT), the international advocacy campaign known as the “Nestlé Boycott”.

Michael Kharfen is Director, Communications at Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a Washington DC-based anti-crime organization with a membership of police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys, and victims of violence supporting early intervention policies for at-risk children and youth to prevent future crime. Michael has a wide-ranging experience in marketing, public relations, communications, and project management in the nonprofit and public sectors, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources and the New York City Office of the Mayor.

To assist FoodChange with the transition and related organizational development matters, P. Jefferson (Jeff) Armistead will be a special advisor to the Board on a pro bono basis. Jeff is President of Community Development Solutions, a consultancy providing strategic guidance to nonprofits. Before starting his consulting firm, he was an Assistant Commissioner at the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Senior Vice President for national initiatives at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and Chief Executive Officer at the Workforce Investment Company. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Pratt Center for Community Development.

Backed by a stronger Board and benefiting from Jeff Armistead’s expertise in nonprofit management, FoodChange’s hunger relief, nutrition education, and income-support services for the 1.7 million New Yorkers living in poverty will remain as focused and dedicated as ever.