Trisha Cunningham, most recently the chief citizenship officer for Texas Instruments where she was in charge of the company’s philanthropic efforts, has been named president and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB).
The NTFB board of directors announced the appointment June 28 in a news release. Cunningham takes the position after the death of long-time CEO Jan Pruitt in January.
The board praised Pruitt for increasing the amount of healthy food distributed to clients during her 20 years with the organization.
“I believe wholeheartedly in the mission and work of the North Texas Food Bank,” Cunningham said. “This is an organization that has proven results, working tirelessly to enrich the lives of the clients served.
“The work of NTFB and its many community partners to end hunger is foundational in transforming North Texas for the better. I am honored to accept this leadership position and will humbly carry the torch passed on to me by the late, great Jan Pruitt,” she said.
The board said that Cunningham will help NTFB achieve its 10-year plan – drawn up in 2015 – that includes providing more than 90 million meals annually, a $55 million fundraising campaign and construction of a new Collin County facility planned for 2018. NTFB serves 13 North Texas counties.
Cunningham has more than 30 years of experience with Texas Instruments. She has been recognized numerous times for her work in the community, from being named Corporate Social Responsibility Executive of the Year in 2011 to receiving the Women Leading Greater Good Award in 2013. She has also received multiple awards from the Girl Scouts of North East Texas, including the Honor Pin, the Outstanding Leader Award and the Outstanding Volunteer Award.
In addition to her time with TI, where she honed her marketing, communication and philanthropy skills, she holds an executive certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Texas at Dallas Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance. During her time at TI, Cunningham increased volunteer efforts by 13-fold, according to the NTFB website.
“We are confident that Trisha is the ideal leader to move [NTFB] forward,” Anurag Jain, incoming NTFB board chair, said in the release. “She comes to us with a tremendous amount of experience, bringing a unique skill set to this role; demonstrating knowledge of both executive-level strategy as well as corporate social responsibility.”