Second Harvest Heartland ~ Joining forces to end hunger in Minnesota

Executive Team

The executive team directs the mission and vision of Second Harvest Heartland.

	Rob Zeaske - Executive Director As Executive Director, Rob Zeaske has overall responsibility for leadership, planning and management of Second Harvest Heartland and provides leadership to strategic planning, development and implementation of effective hunger relief programs in accordance with Second Harvest’s mission and vision as articulated by the Board of Directors. His most recent experience includes his position as Senior Vice President of External Relations for Boston-based Jumpstart, where he was responsible for overseeing fundraising, government relations and marketing. Prior to his work with Jumpstart, Rob served as a Harvard Business School Service Leadership Fellow with Mercy Corps, where he led program strategy and managed the agency’s monitoring and evaluation for programs in 35 countries worldwide. Rob’s nonprofit work was preceded by work in the private sector with SCORE! Educational Centers. Rob holds a B.A. in political science from Stanford University and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He lives in south Minneapolis with his wife Jessica and three young children.
	Bob Chatmas - Chief Operating Officer Robert "Bob" Chatmas' role as Chief Operating Officer is to oversee the internal systems of Second Harvest Heartland to ensure the efficient and effective use of resources to achieve our mission. He is responsible for the development of sustainable, effective business processes and organizational learning to drive business excellence using continuous improvement strategies and techniques. Bob has a wealth of experience in operations management in the food industry, including Transportation Manager and and Plant Manager, 22 years with General Mills, Inc.; Plant Manager, Kohler Mix Specialties, a division of Michael Foods; and Plant General Manager at VICOM. Bob has an MBA in Operations Management from the Carlson School of Management and he received his BS in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas. He is married with two children and lives with his family in Chanhassen.
	Jon Guy - Vice President of Advancement Jon Guy is the Vice President of Advancement for Second Harvest Heartland. He is responsible for executing a broad-based development strategy to secure financial support through individuals, corporations, foundations, volunteers and government. Jon leads the activities of Second Harvest Heartland's public relations, marketing, communications and volunteer efforts. He has more than 33 years of management and leadership experience with an emphasis on financial management, donor acquisition and cultivation, planned giving, direct mail and other advancement activities. He held increasingly responsible positions during his 22-year career in financial management at General Mills, Inc., was Major Gift Officer for the American Refugee Committee and most recently served as Finance and Planned Giving Director for the Jeremiah Program in Minneapolis. Jon and his wife, Cathy, have three children, and live in Chanhassen.
	Carla Johnson - Vice President of Partner Relations As Vice President of Partner Relations, Carla Johnson is responsible for agency relations and community programs, including the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), Child and Senior Hunger programs, and other food distribution programs of the organization. Johnson, who joined the Second Harvest Heartland staff in May 2007, has a solid knowledge of and background in food banking, serving most recently as Executive Director of Channel One Food Bank & Food Shelf in Rochester, MN. Prior to that, she was Executive Director of the Northfield Community Action Center, a multi-service organization which provides support services and programs for low-income people. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits. Johnson holds an MA in Management from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and a BA in Psychology from St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN. She lives with husband Tom in Minneapolis, and together they have three grown children.
	Newell Searle - Vice President of External Relations Newell provides leadership and is responsible for fund development, public relations, marketing and advocacy. Additionally he focuses on cultivating relationships with key donors, public officials, business, media and community organizations. Newell joined Second Harvest Heartland in December 2002 as Director of Development and was appointed Vice President in October 2003. He brings to Second Harvest Heartland more than 20 years of experience in community and government affairs. His career includes a position as Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture, and Public Affairs Counselor at Cargill, Inc. He was an early board member of Second Harvest St. Paul Food Bank and a founding board member of the Greater Minneapolis Second Harvest Food Bank. Newell's educational background is a PhD, University of Minnesota; a BA, Macalester College; attendance at the University of Minnesota and Southern School of Agriculture. He lives with his wife in Minnetonka and together they have two daughters. Newell is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys fly fishing.
	Ray Ahlgren - Controller In his position as Controller, Ray Ahlgren is responsible for directing the fiscal functions of Second Harvest Heartland in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and with the financial management practices appropriate for non-profit organizations. Additionally, he is charged with managing information technology and planning/analysis in compliance with all state and federal laws and regulations and America’s Second Harvest guidelines. He previously served as Second Harvest Heartland's Director of Food Bank Operations. Ahlgren's career spans 39 years in the food industry and includes retail store management responsibilities and corporate information technology management roles at SuperValu, Inc. for more than twenty years. He holds a Food Marketing degree from Western Michigan University and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.
	Karen Anderson - Director of Human Resources Karen Anderson’s role as Director of Human Resources is to oversee all aspects of Second Harvest Heartland’s HR and office functions including recruitment, employee relations, policies/procedures, benefits, compensation/performance management, recordkeeping, safety, training and development, reception, mail, copying and contract services. Her role is to lead initiatives that contribute to positive employee morale and retention of employees through open communication, appropriate recognition and sound employment practices. She provides advice and counsel to the leadership team in work group and management effectiveness to develop a culture that embraces established best practices. Karen has 20 years of experience in management and Human Resources including a variety of for profit positions at Weisman Enterprises, Merrill Corporation and 10 years at IBM. Karen holds a BA from the University of Minnesota in Social Welfare with an emphasis on Psychology and a mini MBA from the Carlson School of Management. She lives in Elk River on Lake Orono and enjoys fishing, boating, family activities and reading.

Board of Directors

Second Harvest Heartland is guided by a Board of Directors representing agencies, the food industry, and the community.

Mike Banks (Advocacy Committee) - Ramsey County Human Services - Social Worker
Jill Bickford (Advancement Committee) - Bremer Financial Services - Senior Vice President
Regenia David (Vice Chair) (Executive and Board Development Committees) - State of MN Office of Enterprise Technology - Assistant Commissioner
Robert Gifford (Chair) - Ecolab - Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Operations
Jim Gilliam (Food Resources Committee) - Supervalu, Inc. - President, Northern/Northwest Region
Michael Griffin (Advocacy Committee) - Pax Christi Catholic Church - Pastoral Associate
Shirly Hughers (Secretary) - Ceridian Corp. - Vice President (retired)
Rob Johnson - Cargill, Inc. - Senior Vice President (retired)
Tom Jollie - Padilla Speer Beardsley - Vice President
Russ Kaegebein (Finance Committee) - Sodexho USA - Vice President
Tim Malecha (Finance Committee) - Larson Allen - Principal
Bill Miller (Treasurer) - Community Volunteer
Janet Schalk (Advancement Committee) - Target Technology Services - Senior Vice President, CIO
Jaye M. Snyder (Advancement Committee) - Community Volunteer
Grant Wacker - Wells Fargo Bank - Trust Department - Senior Trust & Financial Advisor
Mike Witt (Food Resource Committee) - Supervalu, Inc. - Vice President, Merchandising

Second Harvest Heartland Staff
Rob Zeaske (Executive Committee) - Executive Director
Bob Chatmas - Chief Operating Officer
Jon Guy (Advancement Committee) - Vice President of Advancement
Carla Johnson - Vice President of Partner Relations
Newell Searle - Vice President of External Relations
Ray Ahlgren - Controller
Karen Anderson - Director of Human Resources
Sandra Stanton - Executive Assistant