save the date for our fall open house on october 26th from 2-4pm!
Menu
Our board and staff lead a dedicated group of volunteers to achieve the mission of the Edmonds Food Bank.
Casey began working at the Edmonds Food Bank in 2018. She uses her background in business and degrees from the College of William and Mary (BBA) and Johns Hopkins University (MAS) to support the journey toward food security in Edmonds. In 2022 she earned a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University. Married for twenty-seven years, Casey and her husband Steve have two grown children. She is a member of the Edmonds Lions Club, Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, and Edmonds Petanque Club.
Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Jeremy joined the Edmonds Food Bank in January, 2024 as the organization’s first Director of Development. Jeremy holds an MBA in Nonprofit Management from American Jewish University in Los Angeles and a BA in Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. Jeremy has been raising funds for nonprofit organizations in the Pacific Northwest for the past twenty years, and his experience includes individual giving, special events, grants, and capital campaigns. Most recently, he has successfully raised funds for Snohomish County nonprofits including Compass Health and Imagine Children’s Museum. Jeremy’s passion is serving families and individuals facing hardship, and he is excited to share his passion with the Edmonds Food Bank to bolster fundraising efforts. When not raising funds at the Edmonds Food Bank, you’ll likely find Jeremy on the tennis court or spending time with his wife and their eleven-year-old son.
Lester is originally from the beautiful colonial city of Granada, Nicaragua. After over sixteen years of work with nonprofit organizations and community health programs around Central America, the past seven years of which he lived in Guatemala, Lester moved to Edmonds in May of 2021 with his wife Kim and their young son. Lester is also an English–Spanish medical interpreter, using skills cultivated throughout his years of work in the community clinic setting. In his free time, he corresponds with his seven-year-old daughter who lives in Denmark, trains Brazilian jiujitsu, goes hiking with his wife and son, cooks delicious Nicaraguan food, and reads both the news and Spanish novels of magical realism. Lester truly enjoys contributing to his community and helping people from different backgrounds, nationalities, and cultures. He is thrilled to be part of the team at the Edmonds Food Bank.
Karen is a California girl who has lived in the Pacific Northwest for 20 years. She graduated from San Jose State with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University. Karen spent years volunteering with her child’s PTA, including two years as PTA President. She ran her own business in Seattle until she switched gears and started a new career in nonprofit fundraising and development during the pandemic. In Karen’s spare time you can find her walking her dog Mr. Hugpaws, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. Karen is passionate about making sure people in her community have enough food to eat and is thrilled to be a part of the Edmonds community.
Like many of us, Gabrielle first worked with the food bank as a volunteer. She began full-time employment in 2021, after the Edmonds Food Bank became a 501(c)3. Gabrielle grew up in Port Angeles, Washington, went to the University of Washington and earned a master’s degree in teaching from City University of Seattle. She taught for ten years and substituted at Maplewood K–8 for fifteen years while raising her two daughters who are now in college. She loves animals, is a lifelong learner and enjoys gardening, travel, and dance. Gabrielle says, “I want to give back in any way that I can, and my heart has always been dedicated to service and helping those facing challenges beyond what I have experienced. I feel fortunate every single day that I have been given the opportunity to help our local community take on food insecurity.”
Kellie joined our staff after working as a volunteer with the Edmonds Food Bank for two years. She holds a degree in Communication and a minor in Latin American Studies. Her work experience includes community organizing, event planning and advising high school and college students. Kellie enjoys spending time with her partner and two young children, working on her Spanish language skills, following her beloved Seattle Mariners and nurturing community in her neighborhood.
Tracey and her family moved from Colorado to Edmonds, WA, in 2006. After raising her daughters, she became a paraeducator with the Edmonds School District working in the VOICE Program. It was during this time she saw food insecurity among families in the area. After completing a contract at Microsoft, she began volunteering at the Edmonds Food Bank in January 2023. Little did she know that would lead to her being hired! Tracey can be found at the EFB booth at Edmonds Summer Market every Saturday from May to October, as well as walking the waterfront with friends every chance she gets. In her free time, she enjoys visiting her daughters in Bellingham while they attend Western Washington University, playing with her two Great Pyrenees, quilting, and exploring the Pacific Northwest.
Yuliia joined our team after working with Edmonds Community College’s food pantry. She initially volunteered for the food bank as a document translator (Ukrainian and Russian) and food sorter. Yuliia came to the United States from Ukraine in 2017. She has two daughters with whom she loves to spend time. They play board games, read children’s books, and love outdoor activities. Yuliia likes gardening and enjoys walking. She likes working with people and loves animals—her family has two cats that she brought here from Ukraine!
When Kathy Hare attended Woodway High School (class of 1974!) her family would come to Edmonds Methodist Church and help package Thanksgiving dinner boxes. A few years later, Kathy and her husband moved to Edmonds. She knew that when she retired from her meaningful work as a hospital administrator that she wanted to find a way to give back to the community. After two years as a volunteer she joined the Edmonds Food Bank Board. In addition to her work at the food bank she is a doting Nana to seven grandchildren and wife to her husband of 42 years.
While originally from Michigan, Ashley Davis has made Washington her home for the past 15 years, many of which she has spent in the financial banking industry. She has fully embraced the Edmonds Community for over a dozen years, often volunteering for nonprofits such as the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, YWCA, Run to Win Outreach, and others. She believes in making a difference where you can and feels honored to be a member of the Edmonds Food Bank Board.
Judge Whitney Rivera was appointed as the Edmonds Municipal Court Judge in November, 2020. Judge Rivera grew up in Edmonds and graduated from Edmonds Woodway High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and literature from the University of Washington. She earned her Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School, where she worked as a student attorney at the Boston College Defenders representing clients charged with criminal offenses in Dorchester District Court.
After law school, Judge Rivera worked as a law clerk for Judge Anita L. Farris in the Snohomish County Superior Court. She served as both a trial and appellate public defender, arguing cases at various levels. Later, she supervised the misdemeanor unit at the Snohomish County Public Defender Association and received multiple awards from the Washington Defender Association. She practiced law in Snohomish County for 13 years before her appointment to the bench.
Judge Rivera is an avid runner and lives in Edmonds with her long-time partner, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Paul Thompson, and their three rescue dogs.
A Washington native, Chris grew up in Kirkland and went to Whitman College in Walla Walla and graduate school at Washington State University. He has been an engineer at Boeing for 28 years, currently working in new airplane product development.
An Edmonds resident since 1998, Chris was a volunteer coach for Sno King youth club for over 10 years and is passionate about giving back to the Edmonds community. He feels blessed to be a part of the EFB board, directly helping those who need it the most.
Mitra has dedicated the past five years of her career to working in the food insecurity sector, serving as the Director of Individual Giving at Food Lifeline. In her current role as Senior Consultant for the nonprofit consulting firm, the Ostera Group, Mitra works with nonprofit organizations across all sectors, providing a variety of fundraising services to help her clients maximize their impact. Mitra was fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with the team at Edmonds Food Bank as their fundraising consultant, where she developed their fundraising program infrastructure in preparation for their capital campaign. Born and raised in Richmond Beach and a graduate of Edmonds Woodway High School, Mitra is honored to volunteer her time as a member of the Board of Directors with the Edmonds Food Bank and continue working in service of their mission to alleviate food insecurity in Edmonds.
Joomi Kim has served as executive director of the Korean Community Service Center for the last 7 years of the organization’s 39-year history of serving the Korean American community in the greater Seattle metropolitan area. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in biology, Joomi worked in real estate and film production before finding her calling in the non-profit sector where she has put her talents to use in planning, budgeting, and implementing community services and programs. Beyond leading KCSC, Joomi’s deep commitment to the Korean American community is expressed by her tireless volunteer service as an interpreter/translator and as a church leader. In the wider world, Joomi serves on the City of Edmonds Homeless Task Force and as a board member of the Edmonds Food Bank.
Debbie Ryden moved to Washington state from beautiful Hawaii 45 years ago to attend college. Among her many careers, she worked in healthcare, real estate and leased a snackbar in a bingo hall. Debbie is now retired. Over 20 years ago, Debbie brought a relative to the food bank for food and met a passionate volunteer named Anne who warmly introduced her to the Director at that time, Peggy Kennedy. Debbie was deeply impacted by that interaction and since then has worn many hats over the last 20 years as an active volunteer at the Edmonds Food Bank.
Since retiring, Pat Shields has been actively involved in numerous local non-profit organizations, including the Hazel Miller Foundation as chair, the Edmonds Rotary where he held various roles, including President, and a ten-year tenure as an elected Edmonds School Board Director. Pat has five grown children who all reside in the Seattle area. As Chair of the Board of Directors, Pat serves as a partner with the Executive Director in achieving EFB’s mission. He provides leadership to the Board of Directors, chairing Board meetings and encouraging the Board’s role in strategic planning. He plays a leading role in fundraising activities, monitors financial planning and reports, and formally evaluates the performance of the Executive Director and of the EFB in achieving its mission.
Visit Edmonds Food Bank | Washington Gives (wagives.org) to donate or to learn more!