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Leadership

Meet our leadership.

Food Bank of the Rockies relies on the experience and dedication of so many people. From volunteers to paid staff, administrators to drivers, prep cooks to program coordinators, we are all committed in our mission of igniting the power of community to nourish people facing hunger. Below, you can find the representatives of our Board of Directors and our Leadership Team, as well as contact information when available.

Food Bank of the Rockies board of directors

Board of Directors

Charles Baker headshot
Charles Baker

Adjunct Professor

University of Colorado Law School

Christina Bowen's headshot
Christina Bowen

Founder

Wild World Travels

Errol Brown's headshot
Errol Brown

Partner

Haynes Boone

Dru S Chiesa headshot
Dru S. Chiesa

Board Treasurer

Senior Vice President, Leader of Relationship Management, Colorado Market Global Industrials and Services Division – Institutional Client Group

U.S. Bank
Sean Choi headshot
Sean Choi

Board Secretary

VP, Sr Mgr Learning & Talent Development

PNC Bank

Yee Ann Cho headshot
Yee-Ann Cho

Community Leader

Sonja Dimond headshot
Sonja Dimond

Principal

Copford Capital Management

Reid Galbraith's headshot
Reid M. Galbraith

Board Chair

Partner

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Gabby Hodgson headshot
Gabby Hodgson

President

Bank of America, Colorado

Marylou Houston's headshot
Marylou Houston

Vice President, Banker

J.P. Morgan Private Bank

Neelima Joshi headshot
Neelima Joshi

Board Vice Chair

Community Leader

Kate Kimball headshot
Kate Kimball

General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief
Compliance Officer

Ardent Mills

Jesse Ogas

Executive Director of Social Responsibility and Community Affairs

9News

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Raju Patel

Community Leader

Mark Spiecker headshot
Mark Spiecker

President

STAQ Pharma

Michael Tousignant

Retired Sector Vice President & Managing Director

CoBank

Chester White
Chester White

Founder & CEO

Chester’s Food & Bev, LLC
DBA Sprazzo
DBA Main Line Social

Leadership Team

Learn more about each member of our leadership team by clicking on their photo.
Monica headshot
Monica Buhlig

Chief Impact Officer
email

Heather MacKendrick Costa

Chief Financial Officer
email

Aditi Desai

Chief Marketing Officer
email

Kelly Green

Chief Operating Officer
email

Steve Kullberg

Chief of Staff
email

Jennifer Lackey

Chief Development Officer
email

Erin Pulling

President & CEO
email

John Freer

Interim Chief People Officer
email

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Christina Gumbiner

Director of Programs and Operations
email

Amber Henning

Director of Development and Community Relations
email

Food Bank of Wyoming Leadership

Danica Sveda headshot
Danica Sveda

Executive Director
Food Bank of Wyoming
email

We strive for the utmost transparency, and we’re proud to provide our financial reports for public review.

SEE FINANCIALS
Charles Baker headshot

Charles Baker

Adjunct Professor, University of Colorado Law School

Charles Baker is the former Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Ball Corporation, where he played a key role in guiding the company’s legal strategy, corporate governance, and global growth over a distinguished 30-year career. Joining Ball in 1993, Charles held several senior leadership positions before being appointed General Counsel in 2004, helping oversee major international transactions and strategic initiatives during a transformative 20-year period for the company.

Prior to Ball, Charles was a partner at the Toronto law firm Fraser & Beatty. He holds degrees from the University of Cambridge (BA), the University of Toronto (JD), and the University of Denver (MBA). In addition to his corporate leadership, Charles is committed to advancing environmental and social sustainability initiatives and currently serves on the boards of Yampatika in Steamboat Springs, CO and the Legal Aid Foundation of Colorado in Denver.

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Christina Bowen

Founder
Wild World Travels
Christina is a corporate social responsibility strategist leveraging 25 years of strategic planning, public relations, and CSR program execution to help organizations enhance their brands while addressing the world’s socioeconomic challenges. Christina is responsible for the strategy development, execution, and measurement of Comcast’s core digital equity initiatives. A true Coloradan, Christina enjoys hiking and kayaking with her husband of 36 years and their two adult daughters.
Errol Brown's headshot

Errol Brown

Partner
Haynes Boone

Errol Brown is a partner in Haynes Boone’s Denver office, chair of the firm’s Sports Law Practice Group, and serves in the Specialized Transactions and Regulatory Group. His practice focuses on corporate transactions and governance matters involving professional sports teams, venues, broadcasting rights, and emerging technologies. Outside of his legal practice, Errol is deeply committed to civic engagement and mentorship. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Denver Athletic Club and previously supported Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado and Code.org.

Dru S Chiesa headshot

Dru S. Chiesa

Senior Vice President, Leader of Relationship Management, Colorado Market Global Industrials and Services Division – Institutional Client Group
U.S. Bank

Dru S. Chiesa has worked in banking for over 25 years, serving as a relationship manager division lead for U.S. Bank’s Colorado Commercial Banking team since 2019. Dru sits on U.S. Bank’s board of the Denver Women’s Resource Group, as well as on the boards of the Metro Denver Chamber Economic Development Committee and Junior Achievement–Rocky Mountain and has previously been involved with Women in Mergers & Acquisitions of Denver, The Association for Corporate Growth of Denver, and the Denver Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

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Sean Choi

Board Secretary
VP, Sr Mgr Learning & Talent Development PNC Bank
Sean is a Colorado Native and Korean American. As a first-generation college student, he graduated with a B.A. in Political Science at CU Boulder and an M.B.A. in Finance from CU Denver. After interning at FirstBank in 2011, Sean progressed to Senior Vice President of Human Resources the Director of DEI. He was a former Board Chair for Scholars Unlimited, former Board Chair for the Asian Chamber of Commerce.
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Yee-Ann Cho

Community Leader

With more than 30 years in the nonprofit arena, Yee-Ann Cho has a longstanding commitment to inclusivity and diverse populations and extensive experience in the education, public, and philanthropic sectors. Most recently, she was a partner at LearnerStudio, where she helped accelerate the transition to a more equitable, learner-centered education system.

Yee-Ann currently serves on the board of Breakthrough Collaborative and is treasurer of the HadaNou Collective.

Yee-Ann earned a BA from Colgate University, an EdM from Stanford University, and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

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Sonja Dimond

Principal
Copford Capital Management

Sonja Dimond serves as principal and a member of Copford Capital Management’s Investment Committee, where she focuses on real estate development, creative initiatives, and strategic investments. In addition to her work at Copford, Sonja is a board member of the Dimond Family Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting philanthropic initiatives that reflect the family’s values, specifically education and healthcare services. Sonja earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration, with a minor in Real Estate and a concentration in Development.

Reid Galbraith's headshot

Reid M. Galbraith

Partner
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
A Real Estate Shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, Reid represents real estate and hospitality companies in their most complex and high stakes transactions, specializing in acquisition, disposition, finance, management, franchising, and development matters. Prior to joining Brownstein, Reid worked with a Denver-based public affairs and advocacy firm, representing clients in legislative and public relations strategy development.
Gabby Hodgson headshot

Gabby Hodgson

President, Bank of America, Colorado

Gabrielle “Gabby” Hodgson is the president of Bank of America Colorado where she is responsible for connecting the bank’s clients, employees and communities to the full power of the Bank of America franchise, driving integration across the eight lines of business. Gabby also serves as Greater Denver Market Executive for Merrill Wealth Management, leading a team of more than 75 advisors and associates across four offices.

Prior to relocating to Denver in 2023, Gabby was the Market Executive for Merrill’s Western Pennsylvania market, where she also served on the local leadership team. She joined Bank of America in 2018 after an 18-year career as a sales executive with leading asset management firms, including Goldman Sachs and Vanguard.

A strong advocate for community engagement, Gabby has served on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association Colorado, the Development Committee for Food Bank of the Rockies, and as a member of the Civic Center Conservancy collaborative.

Outside of work, Gabby enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband, Chad, and their two children, Otto and Tatum.

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Marylou Houston

Vice President, Banker
J.P. Morgan Private Bank

As a J.P.Morgan Private Banker, Marylou partners with families to craft personal, business, and philanthropic legacies. She devotes a significant part of her practice to helping nonprofit organizations grow and thrive. Previously, she was a tax and charitable planning attorney and a Vice President with Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation. A graduate of University of Virginia School of Law and Tufts University, Marylou is the proud mom of two teens and Hugo the dog.
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Neelima Joshi

Community Leader

Neelima is a Colorado native and investor, philanthropist, and community leader who currently operates her family office, Supercott Holdings. Neelima has also dedicated her time and expertise to high-impact boards and philanthropy though her family foundation.

Neelima is committed to community connection through culture and arts and sits on the Board of Directors of the Biennial of the Americas.

Neelima earned a BA from Colorado College and MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Neelima lives with her family in Colorado.

Kate Kimball headshot

Kate Kimball

General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer
Ardent Mills

Kate Kimball leads the legal, compliance, and governance functions for Ardent Mills and is an executive sponsor for several of the company’s employee resource groups. Before Ardent Mills, Kate was VP, Associate Corporate Counsel at Ball Corporation. She began her legal career in the Boston office of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.

Kate holds a J.D. from Boston College Law School, a B.A. in English and French from Colorado College, and executive education credentials from Harvard Business School and Columbia Business School.

Outside of work, Kate enjoys traveling, being outside in Colorado (hiking, skiing, biking), and spending time with her husband and their two children.

Jesse Ogas

Executive Director of Social Responsibility and Community Affairs
9News

Prior to joining the nonprofit sector in 2006, Jesse Ogas spent 17 years in the retail industry before leading Firefly Autism for nine years. He currently serves as Executive Director of Social Responsibility and Community Affairs at 9NEWS, where he leads community engagement and strategic partnerships.

A dedicated community advocate, Jesse is a member of Su Teatro and serves on the boards of Tepeyac Community Health, Firefly Autism, NEWSED Community Development Corporation, and 365 Health. He is the recipient of the Eric J. Duran Community Service Award and was named the 2021 9NEWS Leader of the Year.

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Raju Patel

Community Leader

Raju retired in 2025 after a distinguished 40-year career with Bank of America, where he most recently served as President of Bank of America Colorado and as a Global Commercial Banking Market Executive.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Illinois and a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University.

Raju currently serves on the boards of the Denver Art Museum Foundation and the Civic Center Conservancy. He previously served as a board member and Chair of the Downtown Denver Partnership.

His leadership has been widely recognized, including being named a Most Admired CEO by the Denver Business Journal in 2021 and For-Profit Leader of the Year by Channel 9 News in 2026.

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Mark Spiecker

President
STAQ Pharma
As STAQ Pharma’s president, Mark Spiecker has led the company in solving drug shortages for vulnerable patients. Prior to STAQ, Mark held strategy and leadership roles in business development, process improvement, and innovative operations. Mark is on the Nominating and Governance Committee at Denver Museum of Nature and Science and serves as an advisor to the Institute for Science Policy, board member of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, committee member for Ending Drug Shortages Alliance, and advisory board member for Angels for Change.

Michael Tousignant

Retired Sector Vice President & Managing Director
CoBank

Michael retired in May 2024 after a career spanning more than 25 years in banking and investment banking. Most recently, he served as Sector Vice President and Managing Director in CoBank’s Corporate Agribusiness Banking Group, where he managed a team of senior relationship managers and served many of the bank’s largest agribusiness customers. Prior to joining CoBank in 2001, he was senior vice president and managing director at Bank of America/Banc of America Securities, LLC, in North Carolina, where he specialized in corporate finance serving the paper, packaging and forest products industries. He joined Bank of America’s predecessor bank, NCNB, in 1990 as an analyst and later joined the bank’s forest products group. Prior to his banking career, he was in sales and marketing for a Southeast-based textile firm, Avtex Fibers.

Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in Textile Management from North Carolina State University and an MBA from the University of North Carolina. He also studied for a year in Northern Ireland, where he played basketball for Ulster University.

In retirement, Michael is privileged to serve on several non-profit boards and enjoys golf and traveling the world with his wife and three daughters.

Chester White

Chester White

Founder & CEO

Chester’s Food & Bev, LLC
DBA Sprazzo
DBA Main Line Social
Chester White is a Food Bank of the Rockies board member and an impact-focused entrepreneur based in Carbondale, Colorado. He is the Founder & CEO of LTMA Capital, an angel investing fund that leverages impact debt and venture capital to advance human rights and gender equality, and the Founder & CEO of Chester’s Food & Bev, where he owns and operates Sprazzo and Main Line Social while leading community-centered, sustainable development initiatives. He previously served in global sustainability leadership roles at Mars, Inc., advising procurement teams on mitigating human-rights risks in agricultural supply chains and advancing women’s empowerment efforts across sourcing communities. Chester holds an MBA from American University and has completed corporate governance and venture capital/private equity certificates through Columbia University, and he brings extensive board experience across education and social-impact organizations.
Monica headshot

Monica Buhlig

Chief Impact Officer
Monica Buhlig, MPH Monica has spent 20+ years creating communities where people face no barriers to health and thriving, working in sectors including healthcare, public health, local government, and philanthropy and forged partnerships to advance social determinants of health, including leading the integration of Colorado’s first food security screening in a health system. She holds an MPH from San Diego State University and is a Bighorn and RIHEL Fellow, has two children and enjoys the outdoors, gardening, and exploring communities.

Heather MacKendrick Costa

Chief Financial Officer
Heather joined Food Bank of the Rockies in 2013 and was appointed Chief Financial Officer in January 2020. As CFO, Heather is responsible for financial accountability, including budgeting, investing, forecasting, cash management, bank relationships, and technology. Prior to Food Bank of the Rockies, Heather worked primarily in forensic accounting and internal accounting. She has a B.A. in accounting, is a CPA, and serves on the Financial Leaders Steering Committee of Feeding America.

Aditi Desail

Chief Marketing Officer

Aditi is the Chief Marketing Officer at Food Bank of the Rockies. Previously, she spent over a decade in the environmental nonprofit space in Washington, D.C., with a focus on conservation storytelling. Honors include a William J. Clinton Fellowship for Service in India and the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Leadership Year Fellowship. Aditi holds an MFA in filmmaking and a B.A. in Psychology. When not working, she enjoys hiking, birdwatching, snowshoeing, and riding her motorcycle.

Kelly Green

Chief Operating Officer
Kelly joined Food Bank of the Rockies in June 2020 and currently serves as Chief Operating Officer. Kelly holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and has been in operations leadership roles for over 30 years. Serving in food distribution companies such as Frito-Lay, Target, and Shamrock Foods, Kelly enjoys leveraging business analytics, processes, and people development to create positive outcomes. He and his wife live in Brighton, Colorado, and have three grown children.
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Steve Kullberg

Chief of Staff

Steve joined Food Bank of the Rockies in January 2020, leading the COVID-19 response and FRESH Initiative. Previously, he served for four years as COO of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and is a respected leader throughout the Feeding America Network. Prior to food banking he worked in control engineering and supply chain management, with leadership roles at Unilever, Florida’s Natural Growers, and Zep. Steve holds a BSEE and an MBA. He and his wife Annie live in Denver and have two grown children.

Jennifer Lackey

Chief Development Officer
Jennifer joined Food Bank of the Rockies in January 2020, bringing with her over 25 years of development experience including leadership positions at Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation, Dumb Friends League, and Project Angel Heart. Jennifer has a passion for connecting donors and volunteers with the issues they care about to impact change. Jennifer has a B.F.A. and holds a Master of Public Administration. She is a Denver native and lives by City Park with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.

Erin Pulling

President & CEO
Erin has served as President and CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies since January 2019. Previously, she spent 24 years at Project Angel Heart, including 14 years as CEO. Awards include “Most Admired CEO” and “Forty Under 40” by the Denver Business Journal, and “2022 Food Bank CEO of the Year” by Food Bank News. Erin is a Livingston Fellow, Leadership Denver graduate, and holds a Master of Nonprofit Management and BS in Psychology. She has three teen and young adult children, all adopted domestically.

John Freer

Interim Chief People Officer
John Freer is a leadership consultant, facilitator, executive coach, and studier of organizational and personal excellence. His focus is helping individuals, teams, and organizations develop and discover leadership effectiveness across numerous industries. He enjoys providing meaningful experiences and tailoring concepts to fit organizational needs. Aurora is home base for his business and family- 2 kids and a wife of 20 years. He has a BS in Communications and a Master’s in Organizational Leadership.
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Christina Gumbiner

Director of Programs and Operations
Christina Gumbiner serves as Director of Programs and Operations for Food Bank of the Rockies’ Western Slope Distribution Center. With more than 25 years of leadership experience, Christina spent much of her career in Colorado’s ski industry, leading teams, food and beverage operations, and the logistics behind remote mountain venues and large-scale hospitality services at one of the state’s premier resort destinations. She joined Food Bank of the Rockies in 2022, bringing her passion for people, operational excellence, and community impact from the for-profit sector into hunger-relief work. Today, she leads the programs and operations that support neighbors across Western Colorado while fostering strong partnerships and collaborative solutions to address food insecurity. Outside of work, she is the mother of two grown sons and enjoys gardening, spending time with her animals, and riding her Harley with her husband Michael.

Amber Henning

Director of Development and Community Relations
Amber Henning is a nonprofit professional dedicated to amplifying the voices of those who need it most. As Director of Development and Community Relations at Food Bank of the Rockies and a Western Slope native, Amber is proud to work toward strengthening the fabric of the community she calls home. Amber holds a Bachelor of Arts from Western Colorado University and has over 20 years of experience working with nonprofits across the state of Colorado. Amber is a mother to one son and a yellow lab, and loves living in a community with such amazing beauty– and an even more amazing heart.

Douglas Wilhelm

Retired Executive Vice President
CoBank
Doug retired as a CoBank executive in 2012. He has also served on several non-profit and corporate boards. He joined the Food Bank of the Rockies board in 2007 and served two terms as board chair and as chair of the CEO search committee and Strategic Planning Committee. Doug was born and raised on a farm in Texas and holds an accounting degree from Texas A&M University. He and his wife have lived in Littleton for 35 years where they raised their three grown daughters.
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Tiffany A. Todd

Assistant General Counsel, Employment
Paycor
Tiffany is Assistant General Counsel for Paycor, Inc., a human capital management software provider headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tiffany first began working with Food Bank of the Rockies as an associate at the Denver-based law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, where she had the opportunity to provide pro bono employment law advice to the organization. Working with Food Bank of the Rockies in this capacity allowed Tiffany to connect one-on-one with some of the organization’s business leaders and enables her to approach her Board responsibilities with an appreciation for how decisions impact the organization’s employees. Tiffany lives primarily in Crested Butte with periodic visits to Denver.
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Jack Pargeon

SVP of Finance
Bellco Credit Union
Jack spent 18 years with JPMorgan in various financial management roles before six years at Huntington Insurance as CFO of the Retail Banking division, and as Assistant Director of Investor Relations before becoming VP and CFO. Jack is responsible for Bellco’s Accounting, Finance, and Treasury functions and is Secretary of the Bellco Foundation.

Melissa Osse

Vice President of Government Relations
HealthONE
Melissa graduated with a BA in Communications and Political Science from Colorado State University and began her career as Press Secretary for Senator Craig Thomas. She worked for several agencies in both the Ritter and Hickenlooper Administrations. She also consulted and managed a wide healthcare, technology, and transportation portfolio with Axiom Politics. She handles all strategic corporate and government relations for HealthOne’s Continental Division. Melissa lives in Parker with her two sons.

Nick Morris

Vice President
Western Paper Distributors, a division of Imperial Dade
Nick expanded his family’s distribution company to Colorado while attending the University of Colorado in 1988, growing the company to a leading regional supplier of cleaning supplies and equipment, food service packaging products and recently sold to Imperial Dade. He’s currently the on the Board of Directors of ISSA Charities, Ace Scholarships, and The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. Nick and Penny married over 26 years ago and have two daughters.

Nick Benham

Immediate Past Chair
Corporate Controller
Ardent Mills
Nick serves on the Ardent Mills Finance Leadership team, responsible for various strategic corporate-level areas, including accounting and financial reporting, tax, capital investment, financial planning, and analysis. Nick graduated from the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, MN, and began his career at Ernst & Young as an experienced Assurance Manager and then joined Cargill’s Corporate Financial Reporting group. He and wife, Niki, have six children and lead an active family life, often outdoors, exploring the world.

Jill Stillwagon

Wyoming Executive Director

Sue Ellen Rodwick

Western Slope Director
Sue Ellen Rodwick joined Food Bank of the Rockies in December 2018 as the Western Slope Director following a five-year tenure at Goodwill Colorado. A Colorado native who grew up in the Colorado Springs area, Sue Ellen has heartfelt compassion for Food Bank of the Rockies’ mission. When she transitioned to being a single parent shortly after moving to the Western Slope, Sue Ellen received meaningful help from various nonprofit organizations. Now, she is grateful to be in a position to give back and help other families thrive. In addition to her role with Food Bank of the Rockies, Sue Ellen serves on the Executive Council of AARP as the sole Western Slope representative.

Lorena Toland

Chief People Officer
Lorena joined Food Bank of the Rockies in May 2019, bringing with her 15 years of experience in human resources. Her areas of expertise include learning and development, employee relations, recruitment and retention, benefits administration, and legal compliance. As a native Spanish speaker, Lorena especially enjoys creating a people-centric environment where diversity is welcomed and integrated as part of a thriving workplace. Lorena has a B.S. in Hotel Management and an MBA.

Cindy Mitchell,

Vice President of Programs
Cindy joined Food Bank of the Rockies in 2003 after working in the grocery retail industry. During her time with Food Bank of the Rockies, Cindy has supported and executed hunger-relief program growth from traditional models to include innovative programs addressing meal gaps, underserved populations, cultural responsiveness, and health equity. As Vice President of Programs, Cindy is responsible for the project, administration, and financial management of 12 hunger-relief programs.

Melinda Day

Chief Impact Officer
Dr. Melinda Day joined Food Bank of the Rockies in late 2022, bringing with her 20 years of experience in organizational development and nonprofit leadership. She’s been an entrepreneur in higher education and educational technology, focused on diverse workforce development strategies, and led organizations in transforming employer-based training into apprenticeship-based degrees. She founded and led Métier Education, providing training to organizations making broad systems changes.