Leadership

Kristin Warzocha has been with the Food Bank since 2000. She leads efforts to engage the community in the work of the Food Bank. She was formerly the Food Bank's Vice President of External Affairs and oversaw the following teams: fundraising, marketing, volunteer services, advocacy and SNAP outreach.

Michael joined the Greater Cleveland Food Bank as the Chief Financial Officer in 2020. He is responsible for the accounting department including accounts receivable, accounts payable general ledger, financial reporting, financial planning, treasury including cash management, banking, and insurance. He is also responsible for the information technology group, including data analytics, and the compliance department. Michael came to the Food Bank with 20 years of CPG experience, 10 years of higher education teaching and mentoring experience, and 4 years on the MidTown Cleveland Board. Michael has a Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics and Mathematics from Case Western Reserve University and an MBA and Doctoral Degree in Finance from Cleveland State University. Michael also holds certifications in Treasury Management and Appraisal.

Dwayne Brake was announced Vice President of Operations for the Food Bank in 2014. He oversees the management of the delivery program, warehouse distribution, and facilities management. He joined the Food Bank in February 2010 to manage day-to-day inbound/outbound operation as well the volunteer repack operation.

Patty Eilmann has been a member of the Food Bank staff since 2004. She manages all the food products coming into the Food Bank. This includes soliciting, developing and negotiating with local, regional and national food and grocery related companies for donations and purchases.

Mary Lavigne-Butler has been a staff person at the Food Bank since July 2016. Currently, she serves as Vice President of Philanthropy. Before then, she served as Director of Development. As Vice President, Mary oversees all volunteer relations, fundraising, and corporate relations.

Jessica Morgan has been a member of the Food Bank leadership team since May 2012. She now serves as the Chief Programs Officer, overseeing the Food Bank's Agency Services and Programs teams. The Agency Services team is responsible for maintaining relationships with member agencies that provide hunger relief efforts to families in need. The Programs team is responsible for administering the Food Bank's children programs, Food as Medicine initatiative, and Mobile Pantry program.

Davet has been a member of the Food Bank leadership team since 2016. The Programs team is responsible for a multitude of programs conducted by the Food Bank including nutrition education initiatives, Summer Feeding(SFSP), Kid’s Café(CACFP), school markets, produce distributions, Food as Medicine and much more. Diana oversees the operations of all Food Bank programs, assists with planning and operation, and ensures programs are efficient and effective.

Lisa DiCapua has been working as Director of Human Resources for the Food Bank since 2002. She is a member of the leadership team, responsible for ongoing, organization-wide development of human capital strategies that align with the Food Bank’s mission, values and strategic objectives, promoting a culture that ensures the Food Bank’s ability to attract, engage and retain the most talented employees. Lisa earned her bachelor of arts degree from Cleveland State University. She is certified as human resources professional by Human Resources Certification Institute. In addition, Lisa was a 2017 Leadership and Diversity Finalist for Crain’s Archer Awards. Being a human resources professional for over twenty-four years, her philosophy for human resources is having a service-minded orientation. Priorities are relationship building with employees to develop trust and having compassionate policies that focus on work/life balance. Human Resources has to be available and communicating directly with staff, answering questions, taking suggestions and explaining policy. In essence being there for employees and supervisors.

Neil Haffey has been with the Food Bank since July 2012 and previously consulted for the Food Bank about 12 years prior. He oversees and leads the technology function and data collection/analysis for the Food Bank. He provides leadership and direction for the achievement of the organization’s strategic plan goals. Neil is also responsible for development of IT strategies and policies to address business issues.

Geoff joined the Greater Cleveland Food Bank team in December, 2020. As Director of Development, Geoff leads the Corporate Relations, Foundation Relations, Donor Relations, and the Donor Services teams. Geoff started his career as an auditor with Ernst & Young and then transitioned to the sports and entertainment industry at IMG where he lead finance and operations for the Global Partnerships division as Finance Director. Geoff then successfully transitioned from the for-profit to non-profit industry to help lead development efforts for Cleveland Play House, a resident company of Playhouse Square.

Vontrice Jones joined the Greater Cleveland Food Bank as the Senior Manager of Foundation Relations in December 2013 overseeing all aspects of grant writing on behalf of the Food Bank. In June 2019, she was promoted to Director of Agency Services overseeing the food distribution, compliance, and relationships of over 450 emergency feeding programs across a 6 county service territory. Her role is to assure that food is distributed equitably to families in need, and that partners are following all guidelines set forth by the Food Bank, Feeding America, as well as the State of Ohio and USDA. Vontrice and her team also support partners through capacity building initiatives and best practices around food distribution and serving families in need. She holds a Master’s Degree in Community Health Education and has nearly 20 years of experience in nonprofit settings working with diverse populations.

Kimberly LoVano joined the Food Bank in August 2012. She currently serves as the Director of Advocacy and Public Education, with previous positions specializing in research, advocacy, and community education. Kimberly leads efforts to engage legislators, public officials, and the general community in the fight against hunger. She also manages efforts to expand and protect national, state, and local nutrition programs as well as programs that improve the health and well-being of those served by the Food Bank.

Rod McGuire began working in food banking in 2008 and joined the Greater Cleveland Food Bank in 2012. As the Director of Food Resources, Rod leads the operations of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank Kitchen. The Kitchen prepares meals for child nutrition programs, senior programs, as well as supporting partner agencies. Additionally, Rod is responsible for product sourcing for USDA (TEFAP) and CSFP programs, Ohio Food Program products, as well as grocery items for distribution to agencies and food service products.

Jeremy Pitoniak joined the Greater Cleveland Food Bank team in 2019. Prior to working at the Food Bank, Jeremy spent 16 years working in food retail in distribution, transportation, and logistics management. As Director of Warehouse Operations, Jeremy brings his years of experience to the Food Bank’s warehouse to oversee all warehouse logistics including shipping and receiving, inventory control, and order processing.

Karen Pozna joined the Food Bank in May 2005 as the Communications Manager and was promoted to Director of Communications and Special Events in January 2011. In this role, she works with various media outlets in Northeast Ohio and serves as the Food Bank spokesperson. Karen oversees the production of all Food Bank promotional materials as well as the logistics for special events and the Food Bank website. She is also a key staff person in the planning of the annual Harvest for Hunger drive which happens annually in the spring.