Bloomfield, CT
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Dr. Katie S. Martin joins Foodshare as the Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer. In this role she will provide strategic direction for policy, programs, grants and nutrition at Foodshare. Dr. Martin comes to Foodshare with over 20 years of experience developing, managing and evaluating creative solutions to hunger. Her work focuses on the connection between hunger and health, and identifying the root causes of food insecurity.
Prior to joining Foodshare, Dr. Martin was an Assistant Professor and Director of the Public Health program at the University of Saint Joseph; and previously was an Assistant Research Professor at the University of Connecticut.
“Katie is a longtime friend of Foodshare and a nationally recognized authority on hunger issues. Katie has a bold vision for building strong, successful solutions to hunger, and we are very excited to now have her on our team,” said Jason Jakubowski, president and CEO, Foodshare.
Dr. Martin has a long track record of building collaborations with local and national anti-hunger organizations. She led the team performing the first rigorous evaluation of a food pantry program in Hartford, CT. Dr. Martin used what she learned from that project and has collaborated with Foodshare and Urban Alliance to create the “More Than Food” framework. The goal of the framework is to build capacity within food pantries to address the underlying causes of hunger. Several food pantries nationwide are replicating the framework. Dr. Martin also helped develop a new stoplight nutrition system called SWAP (Supporting Wellness at Pantries) to promote healthy food in food banks and food pantries. “I have had the pleasure of collaborating with Foodshare staff for many years, and I look forward to joining the team to help spearhead Foodshare’s efforts to promote nutritious food and to create long-term solutions to hunger,” said Dr. Martin.
Dr. Martin earned a B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Science & Policy from Tufts University. She is recognized as a national leader on food security issues, and has presented her research at dozens of regional and national conferences.
Dr. Martin lives in Simsbury with her husband Chris Drew and their two sons and is currently a host parent for an exchange student from Nigeria.
Keep up with Foodshare’s latest news on Twitter @Foodshare.
About Foodshare
Foodshare is leading an informed, coordinated response to hunger in our community. Foodshare is the Feeding America food bank serving Connecticut’s Hartford and Tolland Counties, where 127,000 people struggle with hunger. In partnership with the food industry, donors, community leaders and volunteers, Foodshare works to maximize access to nutritious food and other resources that support food security. Last year, Foodshare distributed 11.5 million meals worth of food to a network of 300 local partner programs including food pantries, shelters, and community kitchens. And, because hunger is bigger than food, Foodshare collaborates with anti-hunger organizations, policy makers, and the broader community to build effective solutions to end hunger.
Foodshare is changing what it means to be a food bank. For more information, visit www.foodshare.org, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
