Since its founding in 2009, Hunger Free Colorado has worked to bring a unified, statewide voice to the issue and solutions surrounding hunger. Over the last nine years, legislative victories and programmatic strategies and partnerships have brought us closer to our goal of ensuring all Coloradans have access to affordable, nutritious food. Last May, Kathy Underhill, Hunger Free Colorado’s founder and CEO, announced she would be stepping down to allow a new leader to take on the next chapter in our story.
After a thorough search, we are excited to introduce you to Marc Jacobson, Hunger Free Colorado’s new CEO, who will begin with us on Monday, February 11.
“I am thrilled to be joining Hunger Free Colorado, an organization with a demonstrated record of success, widespread community support and an urgent mission. No one should lack the consistent nourishment needed to be healthy, to learn and to thrive,” says Marc. “Hunger is an issue we can and must solve to ensure the well-being of all Coloradans. I look forward to working with Hunger Free Colorado’s very talented and passionate staff and board, as well as our many volunteers and community partners, to end hunger together.”
Marc will be joining us from Baylor University’s Texas Hunger Initiative, where he served as the Dallas Regional Director and Statewide Organizing Director. Within these roles, Marc led capacity-building efforts to increase access to food stamps, federally known as SNAP, oversaw the creation of model initiatives to boost participation and program delivery quality in federal child nutrition programs, spearheaded campaigns to educate and advocate on hunger policy, and guided the development of local anti-hunger coalitions in rural and urban communities across Texas. Prior to joining THI, Marc worked on a variety of justice and equity issues that intersect with hunger. He holds a bachelor’s in History from Yale University and a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
“Hunger Free Colorado has long been a catalyzing force in the anti-hunger space, and the board is pleased to have chosen Marc to build on our strong foundation as a national leader and partner in addressing hunger,” said Gwénaël Hagan, chair of Hunger Free Colorado’s board of directors. “Marc’s extensive experience in anti-hunger work, as well as his proven track record in public policy and community engagement, makes him uniquely qualified to lead Hunger Free Colorado into the next exciting chapter for our organization.”
Learn more about Hunger Free Colorado and our work at HungerFreeColorado.org.