About Us

Marie leads work making data and information more accessible across the organization, supporting the integration of data with programmatic strategy. Prior to joining Share Our Strength in 2022, Marie worked at Shelter Animals Count leading the development of The National Database, a hub for sheltered animal statistics. Her work there standardized and centralized data within the industry, giving partner organizations the opportunity to deepen their understanding of operational metrics and a consistent language for collaboration.

Holly leads Share Our Strength's Program Innovation team.  The Program Innovation team focuses on next horizon strategies that center participant experience.  The Program Innovation team designs strategies that meet the needs of families facing economic insecurity and works to improve the user experience of federal nutrition programs.  Prior to joining Share Our Strength, Holly conducted sociological research and taught at Boston University.  She also taught middle school in the South Bronx as a Teach for America corps member and worked at a NYC nonprofit focused on ending homelessness.  Holly has a Ph.D. in Sociology from Boston University and a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis.

Katheryn oversees program data analysis at Share Our Strength. She leads two teams: Data Analytics and Measurement, Planning, and Analysis (MPA). The Data Analytics team is responsible for data transformation, tools, and technology. MPA analyzes data to inform No Kid Hungry strategies, best practices, and goals. Under Katheryn’s leadership, these teams enable Share Our Strength to make data-driven decisions about where invest No Kid Hungry resources to maximize impact while prioritizing equity. Katheryn came to Share Our from the for-profit sector. She has worked across industries including educational technology, financial services, and digital media. She has deep experience in business analysis, business project management, reporting, and data. Katheryn has a B.B.A. in Business Management from James Madison University. She enjoys problem solving and working with customers to develop end-to-end solutions to meet their needs.

Chloe is responsible for supporting a growing body of work on SNAP, Summer EBT, and benefits integration. She identifies and shares best practices in expanding access to SNAP and Summer EBT, develops tools and resources that facilitate program improvement and access, and fosters systems change efforts and cross-state learning. Prior to joining Share Our Strength, Chloe worked as a Policy Advocate with Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon ensuring SNAP access and leading policy and legislative initiatives addressing the root causes of hunger. Before her time with Hunger-Free Oregon, she was a community organizer in rural Oregon focused on local food systems efforts. Chloe has a B.A in International Political Economy from Fordham University and enjoys spending time with her son, Finley, and being outside.

Julie Garcia (She/Her/Ella) is the Associate Director of Health Systems team. In this role, Julie leads the Health Systems programming and focuses her attention on the intersection of the health care systems and food insecurity.   Julie has almost 25 years’ public health experience working with for-profit companies, national non-profits and government entities in Arizona and New Mexico. Julie’s public health experience has allowed her to work alongside partners in urban areas, rural communities and with tribal entities in the areas of school health, community health, clinic health and worksite wellness. She sees the world through a health equity lens and works diligently to impact the social influences that negatively impact the health of our under-resourced community members.

Julie is originally from New Mexico, and she received her bachelor’s degree in education from the University of New Mexico while playing college softball. Julie also completed her Master of Arts in Education at Central Michigan while serving as an assistant softball coach for the Chippewas.  In her spare time, you will find Julie at a baseball game cheering on her son, working on a woodworking or leather project, or working out at a local gym. 

Robin is responsible for gathering lessons learned, identifying best and promising practices, and providing technical assistance related to expanding access to and participation in federally funded summer meal programs, with an emphasis on rural non-congregate meal service. She creates resources, hosts webinars, and leads training on summer meals. Robin joined Share Our Strength in 2019 as a program team member where she provided technical assistance to nutrition operators and leveraged partnerships to increase school meal participation. Prior to that, she worked as a Nutrition Specialist at Redlands Unified School District and a Nutrition Educator at the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools. She is a Registered Dietitian and holds a degree in Nutrition and Food Science from California State University, San Bernardino.

Casey provides program analysis and helps build data processes and tools to share data with stakeholders for the No Kid Hungry campaign. Previously, Casey was a Food Equity and Nutrition Policy Analyst at Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin where she built capacity for data-driven decision making and anti-hunger policy efforts. Casey holds a Master's in Sustainable Food Systems from Montana State University and a Bachelor's in Horticulture from Virginia Tech. She is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in Data Science from Marquette University and enjoys hanging out with her cats, reading, and getting outside.

Hannah supports the Center for Best Practices team by providing webinar assistance, resource sharing with partners, updating and maintaining the Center for Best Practices website and more. Prior to joining Share Our Strength, she worked at Second Harvest Heartland food bank in Minneapolis, MN as a Child Hunger Specialist. While in this role, she worked with a caseload of school district and community partners that were interested in increasing the access to and quality of federal nutrition programs. She also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala. While there, she worked in a similar capacity to her previous role at the food bank. Hannah received her B.S. in Public Health from St. Catherine University in St. Paul. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, coaching youth softball, and traveling.

Samantha identifies strategies that meet the needs of families facing economic insecurity. She focuses her work with innovation teams embedded in city government and working on a design toolkit for meal providers. Samantha previously worked for FSG -- a social impact consultancy -- where she designed evidence-based strategies and programs for improved health and wellbeing. She is active in global and local efforts to make food systems more equitable and sustainable, with experience working with philanthropies, corporations, governments, and nonprofits.

Marisa oversees the Center's research initiatives and the development of resources and analyses to support No Kid Hungry's advocacy work. Prior to joining Share Our Strength in 2015, Marisa worked for over five years in the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Child Nutrition Division where she developed policy for the Summer Food Service Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. During that time, she was the project manager for the summer demonstration projects that tested innovative ways to feed low-income children during the summer. Marisa has a Master of Social Work from Columbia University and a bachelor degree in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Washington. Marisa is originally from Hawaii, but no longer eats spam.

Anne analyzes policy, identifies best practices, and supports advocacy for SNAP. Before joining Share Our Strength, she worked for county government focusing on administration of federal public benefits (SNAP, Medicaid, TANF), managing the internal policy life-cycle, and supporting compliance efforts. Previous to that role she focused on engagement in marginalized and underserved communities and offered technical assistance to non-profit partners, including voter registration efforts and supporting the Cuyahoga EITC Coalition.  As a licensed attorney, Anne practiced primarily in child welfare, advocating for abused and neglected children, and as executive director of local Court Appointed Special Advocates programs throughout Ohio. She has a BA from The Ohio State University and a JD from Capital University Law School. 

Elyse brings the voices of families and children facing food insecurity to the strategic work of Share Our Strength. Using the principles of human-centered design and qualitative research methodologies, she works closely with families and partner organizations to identify and test innovative models in key programmatic areas. Prior to joining Share Our Strength, Elyse conducted research with families facing housing insecurity and home foreclosure in California’s Central Valley, studying economic decision-making and the implications for parents and children. Throughout her career, she has researched and managed programs at the intersections of health, housing and economic insecurity. She has worked in various roles, including managing a quality improvement initiative for community health clinics in her work with the California Primary Care Association and advocating for stronger financial protections for American families with Americans for Financial Reform. Elyse has a Ph.D. in Sociology from Northwestern University and a B.A. in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University.

Summer joined Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry (NKH) campaign in 2016. Summer’s work within the Center for Best Practices team has focused on leading NKH’s school breakfast expansion efforts. Currently, Summer is working to support schools more holistically within the coronavirus pandemic framework. Before her tenure at NKH, Summer worked at AASA, the School Superintendents Association, where she provided expertise on Breakfast After the Bell programs and the Smart Snacks in Schools guidelines. Summer earned an MPH from George Washington University, a BA from Iowa State University, a chef certification from The Natural Gourmet Institute, and a holistic health counseling certification from the Academy of Healing Nutrition.

Miranda is responsible for supporting a growing body of work on SNAP and benefits integration. Miranda oversees Share Our Strength’s Coordinating SNAP and Nutrition Supports (CSNS) cohort program; a systems change initiative that is fundamentally shifting the ways that state and local agencies administer federal benefits while centering the user experience, equity, and community voice. Prior to this role, Miranda served in both a strategic partnerships and operational role at Share Our Strength. Miranda has a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Vermont. In her free time, she enjoys all things outdoors, regardless of the season, trying new recipes, and attempting (sometimes succeeding at) DIY projects.

Chelsea supports the Center for Best Practices team through technical assistance focused on rural communities, Center for Best Practices communication strategies, and website management. Prior to this, she led volunteer programming in the Washington DC area for Casey Trees and complete two years of AmeriCorps focused on school gardens and Cooking Matters programming. She has a bachelor of science in Agriculture and Applied Economics from Virginia Tech, is a Certified Interpretative Guide, and an Environmental Leadership Program Senior Fellow. In her spare time, she volunteers with various organizations, plays with her dogs and cats, and kayaks the rivers around Roanoke, VA.

Kelley leads our team of school and out-of-school time meals experts. She provides strategic direction around our work related to increasing access to and participation in school and community nutrition programs, like school breakfast and summer meals. Additionally, Kelley develops resources and provides technical assistance and training at the national, state, and local levels. Prior to joining Share Our Strength in 2017, she managed a statewide youth tobacco control initiative in Louisiana with a focus on youth engagement and policy change. Prior to that, Kelley provided support to New Orleans schools around the development and implementation of comprehensive, effective, and sustainable school wellness programs using the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model. Kelley has a Master of Public Health from the Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine and a B.S. in Public Health from Tulane University.

Sarah is the Senior Manager of Health Systems at Share Our Strength. In this role, Sarah supports partnerships and projects at the intersection of healthcare and food access, identifying and amplifying opportunities and promising practices for expanding access to SNAP in healthcare settings.  Prior to joining Share Our Strength, Sarah was employed at Gleaners Community Food Bank in Detroit, MI where she oversaw the growth and expansion of cooking and nutrition education programs, as well as leading initiatives with health care providers to improve food security and health outcomes for their patient populations.   Sarah is a registered dietitian and has a Master’s degree in Public Health from Michigan State University.  She is passionate about connecting people with the healthy foods they need to thrive.

Craig tracks and analyzes opportunities for federal, state, and local policy change and provides key policy expertise in support of our advocacy efforts. When he joined the Center in 2021, Craig brought a wealth of policy analysis and research experience related to child health and nutrition. His prior roles include the Public Health Law Center in Minnesota, Congressional Research Service, Global Health Council and Bread for the World. Craig holds a Bachelor of Science from Villanova University and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health Policy from George Washington University.

Pam leads work and projects that inform program strategy for No Kid Hungry and enable data-driven decision-making.  She works closely with No Kid Hungry leaders and partners to develop campaign strategies and identify opportunities to maximize impact. Prior to joining the Center for Best Practices, Pam held a variety of roles with Share Our Strength including program evaluation for Cooking Matters and grants administration work. Pam joined No Kid Hungry in 2013. She is a graduate of The George Washington University, from which she holds a BA in History. Pam enjoys traveling, reading, staying active, along with a budding gardening career.

Elena Rees is a dedicated advocate for nutrition and equitable food access, with 10 years of experience driving initiatives to ensure all children have access to nutritious meals. Through her work, Elena has passionately championed efforts to address food insecurity and promote access to vital nutrition resources for vulnerable populations.

Elena has played a pivotal role in delivering food skills education content to thousands of parents and caregivers of young children. Through engaging classes and outreach programs, she has equipped families with the knowledge and tools to make healthier food choices and foster positive eating habits from an early age. Elena’s passion for innovation and collaboration is exemplified in her work where she leverages human-centered design approaches to increase SNAP participation rates. She brings a wealth of expertise in program management, development, and community engagement to her role, driving tangible improvements in food access for families in need.

Elena obtained a Master of Science degree in Nutrition Education from American University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from University of Colorado Boulder. Additionally, she holds certifications in design thinking, further enhancing her expertise in innovative problem-solving and human-centered design approaches.

Jeannine serves as one of the No Kid Hungry Senior Program Managers who develops resources and tools and provides technical assistance and training around expanding access to school meals. Prior to this she led the youth programs at the Cooper Institute in Dallas and managed the Healthy Schools Program for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Texas team. She also led the Graduate Student council at Texas Woman’s University while studying for her PhD in Health Studies.  She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Loma Linda University in California and an undergraduate degree in Nutrition & Clinical Dietetics from the University of California at Berkeley.  In her spare time, she volunteers with various organizations where she can use her talents to serve others.  She also enjoys spending time with her daughter Ayanna, playing with her dogs Howard and Buddy, and staying active.

Katrina Scott is the Health Systems Associate where she plays a key role in the day-to-day operations and management of the Medicaid Food Security Network and other Health Systems team projects, leading external communications such as the MFSN News Digest, and co-planning convenings and events. Previously, she was the coordinator for Healthy Families Produce Rx (HFPRx), a produce prescription project created by Share Our Strength and its partners to provide access to fresh produce to families in rural Louisiana. Before working for Share Our Strength, Katrina worked as a field researcher on longitudinal studies for the University of Michigan’s Institute of Social Research.  She has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in cultural anthropology from the City University of New York Graduate Center. Katrina started her career in broadcast journalism, working as a television news writer and producer at MSNBC, WNYC Radio, WWOR-TV & WVUE-TV before moving into the field of social science research. She moved from Jersey City, NJ to New Orleans, LA in 2008. Katrina enjoys cooking but loves baking.

Courtney oversees the No Kid Hungry Center for Best Practices, which identifies and promotes adoption of effective strategies, policies, and programs that center the needs of families and communities facing food and economic insecurity.  She has extensive experience working to improve government programs and social policies. Before joining Share Our Strength in 2008, Courtney held research, consulting and technical assistance positions at the National Governors Association, Berkeley Policy Associates, the Literacy Assistance Center of New York City, and the Program to Educate the Girl in Guatemala. Courtney has a master’s in public policy from the University of California at Berkeley and a bachelor’s in English literature and women’s studies from Grinnell College.

Zach provides policy analysis and supports the development and implementation of state and federal policy priorities related to the Child Tax Credit and other anti-poverty programs. Prior to joining Share Our Strength in 2022, he worked on federal anti-poverty and housing policy at the Children's Defense Fund. Zach holds a JD from Georgetown Law and undergraduate degrees from the University of Iowa.

Carolyn leads the development of state and federal policy priorities, provides analysis of policy opportunities, and supports the overall work of the federal and state advocacy and government relations teams. She joined the Center in 2015, and for several years was part of the Education and Training team working to promote and expand access to the Afterschool Meals Program. Prior to that, she was a CACFP Specialist for the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education and a National Nutrition Policy Fellow at the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). Carolyn, a Registered Dietitian, holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Ohio State University and a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Briana oversees the Center for Best Practices' training and technical assistance initiatives. This team consists of child nutrition experts, the organization’s main resource for information on federal nutrition programs, and individuals responsible for the Center’s website and communication strategies, developing webinars, executing conferences, and other learning opportunities that connect more kids to the meals they need to thrive. Briana has devoted her twenty-year career to working at mission-driven organizations that enhance the health, wellness, and educational outcomes of those living in America. Before joining Share Our Strength in 2016, she worked on school health initiatives at HealthCorps and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Prior to that, she led a diabetes and obesity prevention program for Black men at Morehouse School of Medicine and served as the first Wellstone Fellow for Social Justice at Families USA. Briana earned her degree in Public Health from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and continued her studies at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. In her spare time, she is the president of the Kenya Javon Webster Memorial Scholarship Board and serves on the board of the Alliance to End Hunger. Additionally, she volunteers at other non-profits in her local community and enjoys cooking, gardening, spending time at the beach, and being with her family. Raised in North Carolina by a family committed to social justice and equality, Briana was taught from a young age that all people, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or social status, deserve the right to reach their full potential. This foundational belief continues to drive her commitment and passion to ensure no child goes hungry.

Regis is responsible for identifying best practices and providing technical assistance to support our Student Eligibility work as well as overseeing projects related to our School Meals Modernization work. Prior to joining Share Our Strength in 2023, Regis worked for seven years at Three Square Food Bank, serving in numerous roles to build the organization's capacity to leverage data, technology, and policy to reduce hunger and food insecurity in Southern Nevada. He holds a B.A. in psychology and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is currently a Bloomberg Fellow completing his Doctor of Public Health degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Karen leads key research initiatives to evaluate the impact of federal nutrition programs and inform No Kid Hungry strategy. She has more than a decade of experience leveraging research and policy analysis of national, state, and local significance to address economic and health inequities. Prior to joining Share Our Strength, Karen worked at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to analyze the impact of SNAP legislative and regulatory proposals.  She also researched and analyzed Medicaid and S-CHIP policies, affordable housing policies, and school breakfast and lunch policies while working with Catholic Charities USA and the Congressional Hunger Center. Karen has a Master's from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and a Bachelor’s from Pomona College (Claremont Colleges consortium).

Adam leverages data from state agencies and No Kid Hungry campaigns to identify critical areas for program expansion; he then works with partners to recommend strategies and develop plans to increase access to meals. Prior to joining Share Our Strength in 2016, Adam worked on USAID-funded programs supporting education and food security in Nicaragua and Guatemala and also volunteered for two years in Honduras with Bilingual Education for Central America.  Adam has a Master’s in Applied Economics from the University of Maryland and undergraduate degrees in International Economics and Spanish from the University of St. Thomas (MN). 

Julian Xie, MD, MPP (He/they) will lead and develop the Medicaid Food Security Network, as well as serve as a programmatic expert in Medicaid, federal nutrition benefits (SNAP, WIC), and Food is Medicine. The Medicaid Food Security Network aims to mobilize the Medicaid system and food security community to better serve Medicaid participants through improved access to SNAP, WIC, and increased investments in food security and access initiatives.

Julian most recently served as the Associate Director of Healthcare Innovation and Evaluation at Benefits Data Trust where he led partnerships with healthcare organizations - including Medicaid managed care organizations and hospitals - to connect members/patients to application assistance for public benefits with a focus on SNAP. His role also included evaluation facilitation for healthcare projects on the links between SNAP access and improved healthcare outcomes. Julian also led technical assistance and advocacy to increase linkages between healthcare and public benefits, including workflow integration for SNAP application assistance for healthcare teams, and advocacy for SNAP data sharing to enable healthcare organizations to improve their SNAP outreach and evaluation efforts.

At Duke University, Julian completed his Doctor of Medicine and a Master of Public Policy, where he was a Margolis Scholar in Health Policy and Management and developed his expertise in both US and global food policy. His past experiences and research have focused on food as medicine including SNAP and produce prescriptions, urban public food procurement in schools and hospitals around the world, and antibiotic resistance in the food system - with the common thread of building healthcare-food system collaboration. In 2017, he co-founded Root Causes, a Duke healthcare student organization dedicated to social drivers of health. In his time as President of Root Causes, Julian advocated for healthier hospital food environments, created community gardening programs, supported the creation of a tenancy support program for patients transitioning from homelessness into housing, and launched the Fresh Produce Program, which home-delivers fresh produce to food-insecure patients referred by healthcare providers.

Julian grew up near London and San Francisco in a Chinese family. His name is pronounced Joo-lee-uhn See-eh (a short "ee", and eh like in "bet"). Outside of work, Julian writes and plays music under the band name Racemates, cooks, bikes, and enjoys public transport.

Kelleen Zubick serves as Managing Director, Health Systems for Share Our Strength, a national organization dedicated to ending hunger and poverty.  In this role, she oversees the strategic partnerships and development of initiatives that strengthen the ability of health systems to connect low-income children and their families with nutrition assistance, especially SNAP and WIC, and she also serves as co- strategy lead on Share Our Strength’s Benefits Integration program priority.  Kelleen expresses values for equity, diversity and inclusion though supporting team members to center equity and ensure the voices and needs of familes and community are an integral part of programmatic design and practices.

During her 10 years with Share Our Strength, Kelleen has also served as the Senior Director, Health Systems and the Colorado Director for Cooking Matters, a nutrition and food skills education program. Additional highlights of her service have included supporting Share Our Strength’s Conversations on Food Justice series and serving on the Program Team’s EDI Committee.

Prior to joining Share Our Strength, Kelleen was co-founder and Principal Consultant for Mission Spark, a social impact consulting group partnering with private foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies on strategy, initiative development and on evaluation approaches. In this capacity, Kelleen developed strategies for summer food access, focusing on removing barriers for low-income families and migrants in rural Colorado.  She also developed a statewide peer mentor program in agritourism for the Colorado Office of Economic Development, and, as Director of Consulting for Community Resource Center, she oversaw Colorado Rural Philanthropy Days, a statewide program focused on increasing philanthropic equity and impact. Under CO Governor Hickenlooper’s administration, Kelleen was a gubernatorial appointee to the Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council, and she also served as an inaugural Advisory Council Member for Colorado’s Double UP Food Bucks program.  As part of expression of her personal passion for food, Kelleen has served as Vice President for the Les Dames d’Escoffier, Colorado Chapter.  She has also been the Co-Chair of The Root Cause Coalition’s Food Security working group and Treasurer for Feet Forward, a peer-led nonprofit serving the unhoused in Boulder County, CO.

Kelleen has a BA in Child Development and English from Tufts University and an MFA from Arizona State University. Kelleen lives in Colorado but grew up in Brazil where her family distributed food to under-resourced families every day, and this experience fuels her passion to address hunger and food access in the US.