DENVER (April 11, 2016) – Hunger Free Colorado, the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, is pleased to announce and welcome Vikki O’Neil into the newly created role of Senior Vice President. This follows the promotion of Kathy Underhill, former executive director, to CEO of Hunger Free Colorado. O’Neil will work collaboratively with Underhill and the board of directors to ensure programmatic and strategic objectives are effectively executed across the organization.
“Hunger Free Colorado has become a model for hunger advocacy both in our state and nationally under the leadership of Kathy Underhill,” said Ruth Warren, chair of the Hunger Free Colorado board of directors. “As new challenges arise, the move to CEO will enable Kathy to focus on the strategic partnerships and policy needed to advance our mission of ending hunger statewide.”
Vikki O’Neil joins Hunger Free Colorado as Senior Vice President after seven years with the Douglas County Department of Human Services as the Self-Sufficiency Division Manager and Child Support Enforcement Administrator. Prior to her time with Douglas County, she worked for the El Paso County Department of Human Services, first as the Domestic Violence Program Manager, then as a Colorado Works Supervisor. She also spent a few years working for TESSA, an agency dedicated to serving victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Colorado Springs. Before moving to Colorado, she managed a wholesale distribution company for nearly ten years in Oklahoma. O’Neil brings with her more than 20 years of executive leadership experience.
“The depth and breadth of Vikki’s experience across the government, nonprofit and corporate sectors, will help propel us forward,” said Kathy Underhill, CEO of Hunger Free Colorado. “Additionally, the deep understanding of county-level government and local control she brings will be an invaluable asset to our staff and operations.”
Hunger Free Colorado, a statewide nonprofit organization launched in 2009, connects families and individuals to food and nutrition resources, and fuels changes in systems, policies and social views, so no Coloradan goes hungry. For more information, visit HungerFreeColorado.org.
Media Contact: Ellie Agar, Communications Specialist, (303) 228-7973