Shelli Herman and Associates Seeks Chief Development Officer for Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County
March 15, 2023 – Los Angeles-based Shelli Herman and Associates has been selected by Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County (SHFB) to lead its search for a chief development officer.
At the start of 2022, Shelli Herman & Associates helped recruit Claudia Bonilla Keller as CEO. The new CDO will actively partner with Ms. Bonilla Keller, who aspires to uplift the mission and provide dignified, equitable, and consistent access to nutritious food, creating a foundation for community health. The chief development officer will play an important role in the creation and execution of the food bank’s future strategy, especially as it relates to philanthropy. Bringing an aspirational outlook, the CDO will join what the non-profit describes as “a team of mission-driven, collaborative, qualified, and warm professionals dedicated to doing what it takes to improve quality of life for Orange County’s most vulnerable.”
The chief development officer will be expected to share the organization’s unwavering commitment to quality of service and innovation. According to the search firm, this hands-on leader must be comfortable in a high-growth environment that is diverse, inclusive, and dynamic, where everyone plays a part in maintaining and fostering the culture.
“This leader must possess and project the utmost integrity and highest standards of professional conduct and must be qualified by accomplishment and experience to garner the trust of a committed and motivated philanthropic community,” Shelli Herman and Associates said. “The successful candidate will have a minimum of five years of leadership-level fundraising experience gained in an organization that is known for world-class mission delivery. They will have a proven track record in a comprehensive advancement function that includes major/leadership giving, grants, planned giving, special events, annual giving, and campaign management.” The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience providing quantifiable results in a complex organization with a high growth trajectory. The ideal candidate for this position will have held all prior positions for a meaningful period, thereby establishing their ability to be successful and make a verifiable impact in each environment.
Related: Shelli Herman and Associates Recruits CFO for Catalina Island Conservancy
Collaborating with individual, foundation, and business donors, as well as with food manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, growers, packers, and others in the food industry, SHFB and its partners reduce hunger and improve nutrition for an average of 332,000 people every month, including 111,000 children, 66,000 seniors living on fixed incomes, veterans, people with disabilities, and those without homes. Last year alone, Second Harvest distributed more than 32.4 million pounds of food and, since being established in 1983, the organization has distributed more than 450 million pounds of food through hunger relief programs. SHFB is a member of Feeding America’s network of 200 food banks.
Proven Recruiters
Shelli Herman and Associates has a long roster of clients, including Otis College of Art and Design; Catalina Island Conservancy; the Annenberg Foundation; Pacific Northwest College of Art; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; and University of California, Los Angeles.
Shelli Herman and Associates Recruits CEO for Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County
Shelli Herman and Associates has assisted in the recruitment of Claudia Bonilla Keller as chief executive officer of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, in California. Second Harvest board chair Dave Coffaro, speaking on behalf of the board of directors, said: “Claudia is the right leader to carry the organization into the future.” Mr. Coffaro, who has been serving as interim CEO since the departure of Harald Herrmann, will help support Ms. Keller through January to ensure a smooth transition. Ms. Keller has served as chief mission officer since January 2020. She becomes the food bank’s second female to hold the top leadership position. “Second Harvest Food Bank is an organization that exemplifies excellence in everything we do,” said Ms. Keller. “I’m honored to work with a great team of staff, board members, our partner network, donors and the community. I’m thrilled to lead the organization in our next phase of assuring food security for all in Orange County.”
Shelli Herman, who has 20 years of executive recruitment experience, has a strong record of leading searches and building upper management teams for a diverse clientele, including Fortune 500 companies. She has completed senior-level assignments in many industries, including consumer products, healthcare, high technology, and finance, as well as for non-profit and cultural organizations.
A sampling of Ms. Herman’s personal client roster includes AICAD: the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design; the Annenberg Foundation; the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation; California Institute of the Arts; The Capital Group Companies Inc.; City Year Los Angeles; Loyola Marymount University; Maryland Institute College of Art; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park); the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, Irvine; and The Whitney Museum of American Art.
Related: Shelli Herman and Associates Recruits CEO for Fresno Chaffee Zoo
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
