Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) begins its 2021 fiscal year Oct. 1 with a new president and CEO, four new board members and a new chair of the board.
“With the arrival of our new President and CEO, Julie Butner, and with the prevalence the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been one the most pivotal years in the history of TAFB,” said current Board Chair Andy Fort.
“It is imperative to have a strong board of directors to guide us through new beginnings, and we are proud of the members that we are adding to the board,” Fort said.
The new board members are:
¬– Mercedes Bolen is Vice President of External Affairs and Community Relations for Hillwood, the developer of AllianceTexas and one of the top industrial, commercial and residential real estate developers in the country. She received both her bachelor of science in communications and her master of business administration from East Carolina University.
– Ashli Blumenfeld is the Co-President and Owner of Standard Meat, a family owned protein portioning operation founded by her great- grandfather Ben H. Rosenthal, which is a staple of the Fort Worth food industry. She received her bachelor of arts in communication cum laude from Tulane University with a business minor.
– Christy Lara is the Director of Public Relations and Communications for the Albertsons Companies Southern Division, which includes Tom Thumb, Albertsons and Randalls stores in DFW, Houston, Austin and Louisiana. She earned her bachelor of science and business administration degree from the University of Phoenix.
– Julie Williams is the Board President of One World Everybody Eats, a national network of pay-what-you-can cafes designed to build community and increase food security. Her husband, Jeff, is the Founder of Taste Project which operates Taste Community Restaurant, Fort Worth’s own nonprofit pay-what-you-can restaurant. She holds a bachelor’s of science degree in business from California State University, San Marcos.
Chair-elect Don Mills will replace Fort as chair of the board. Mills is a Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership at TCU and holds his doctorate in Higher Education from the University of North Texas.
– FWBP Staff