NPAG Seeks CEO for Food Bank of Delaware

January 25, 2021 – Washington, D.C.-based NPAG has been enlisted to find the next president and chief executive officer for the Food Bank of Delaware (FBD) in Newark, DE. Leading the assignment are senior advisor Tamar Datan and associate Andres Marcuse-Gonzalez. Working collaboratively with the board of directors and staff, the new president and CEO will be expected to develop and articulate a shared vision, a community-informed strategy and a programmatic agenda that incorporates and reflects the food bank’s values, and presents a blueprint for future evolution and growth, said NPAG. The new leader will articulate the vision and direction for core activities and programs and implement strong systems for measuring success against objectives.

The president and CEO will also be charged with cultivating existing relationships with partner organizations, elected officials, cross-sector partners and members of the community; and create new relationships to maximize the food bank’s reach and impact. “The president and CEO will ensure that FBD is listening and learning with authenticity and establishing effective lines of communication that will help build a culture of trust, mutual accountability and continuous improvement in the food bank’s work,” said NPAG. “The individual will seek to engage across urban and rural geographies, and the broad cultural and political spectrum in Delaware.”

Creating and contributing to a nurturing, empowering and accountable workplace culture that ensures that all employees feel supported and fully engaged in the food bank’s mission will be an essential part of the job. Likewise, working with senior leadership to develop a sustainable, long-term fundraising strategy, building on and extending the Food Bank of Delaware’s strong base of philanthropic support will be critical.

Key Qualifications

The Food Bank of Delaware wants its next leader to be a strong relationship builder with a demonstrated track record of creating and effectively managing partnerships across various sectors, including community leaders, elected officials, and constituents. He or she should be a politically savvy leader who will place the organization’s mission above personal biases and political convictions, said NPAG.

The right candidate will be an apt listener receptive to new ideas and capable of receiving and analyzing information from those they are serving and creating solutions that meet the needs of constituents. Ideally, the individual will also have experience building and leading a high-functioning, diverse team; management savvy to develop a senior team that balances and effectively supports the CEO’s skill-set; and a commitment to fostering an internal team culture that reflects the food bank’s core values. Being a macro-manager who will give their team the freedom to do their work while setting the overall direction for the organization would also be in the candidate’s favor.

The right candidate will further be a humble servant-leader with high emotional intelligence, effective communication skills and a compelling personal presence that reflects and embodies the food bank’s mission and values, said NPAG.

Founded in 1981, the Food Bank of Delaware has provided food assistance to residents of Delaware for 40 years in its quest to create a community free of hunger. From its beginnings in the basement of a church, FBD has become the preeminent hunger relief non-profit in the state, delivering 12 million pounds of food in 2020 alone through its network of over 600 partners throughout Delaware.

Meeting Client Needs

NPAG, founded in 2002, specializes in top-tier social sector talent strategy and executive search. The firm has completed over 500 searches, with a significant percentage at the president/CEO level. NPAG offers the full suite of search and consulting services tailored to meet each client needs. “We are not ‘headhunters,’” said the firm. “We facilitate meaningful, informed, two-way conversations with field leaders and bring strategic thought partnership to our clients.” The firm’s searches range in length based on the complexity of each engagement, but on average take four to five months. NPAG also emphasizes equity, diversity and inclusion, both as values the firm upholds and as key strategic concepts that show up in all stages of its work.

Ms. Datan joined NPAG in 2015, as its first senior advisor. Previously, she served as executive director of TrueSpark, a national non-profit whose mission is to expose, immerse and engage America’s youth on issues of character by watching inspiring movies. In addition to serving as a consultant for national and international non-profits, her earlier positions include executive vice president at the Amazon Conservation Team and vice president and director of The Nature Conservancy’s compatible ventures group. In these capacities, she promoted economic development compatible with conservation in distressed rural communities. She has also served as venture fund officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts, where she managed a portfolio of over $100 million in grants over seven years, supporting education, conservation, civic action and social justice.

Mr. Marcuse-Gonzalez joined NPAG last year. Previously, he was assistant director for development operations at the Atlantic Council, where he developed processes and standard operating processes to support fundraising at the organization. Before that, he was with Freedom House, a democracy and human rights organization where he served as a development associate.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media