Krista Scalise, Chief Operating Officer, joined the Capital Area Food Bank in January 2022, and is responsible for operationalizing the food bank’s strategic objectives and advancing the fulfillment of its mission.

Prior to joining CAFB, Krista has enjoyed an accomplished career that has seen her lead organizations in both the private and public sectors. She had spent the prior 10 years becoming a trusted advisor to leaders at the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS). It was at DYRS that Krista’s ability to build relationships, develop process and lead teams allowed her to rapidly climb the ladder. In her most recent position, she served as COO of the DC DYRS where she directed business operations and strategic planning for 13 divisions. In addition to her success at DYRS, Krista has built, sustained, and sold multiple successful businesses.

Krista’s ability to quickly understand a business’s operations, coupled with her technical acumen and ability to make data driven decisions adds tremendous value to the team.

Krista holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Post University and a Master of Business Administration from Sacred Heart University. In addition, she is PMP trained, is a Six Sigma Greenbelt and has attained Executive Leadership Certifications from esteemed universities that include Harvard and The Wharton School of Business.

John Robertson, Chief Financial Officer, joined the Capital Area Food Bank in 2020.  John directs the financial and information technology functions at CAFB.

John graduated with honors from Cedarville University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and holds a juris doctor from George Mason University School of Law.  He began his career with KPMG where he spent twelve years as an auditor serving clients in the financial services and not-for-profit industries.  He worked in KPMG’s offices in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Moscow, Russia; Baku, Azerbaijan; and Washington, D.C.  During his time at KPMG, he was a national instructor for continuing professional education and was a professor of accounting at the Moscow State Linguistic University in Russia.  In addition to his time with KPMG, John has fifteen years of financial leadership experience, having served as CFO of the American Petroleum Institute; the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization and as a Director of Finance and Operations at the National Geographic Society.

John is a licensed CPA in the District of Columbia and is also a member of the Virginia State Bar.  He is a member of the American Institute of CPA’s, Greater Washington Society of CPA’s and the American and Virginia Bar Associations.

Jana Lee, Chief Human Resources Officer, joined CAFB in February 2022.  Jana and her team are responsible for the full spectrum of human resources at the food bank, including diversity, equity and inclusion work, talent acquisition, talent management, training/learning and development, compensation and benefits, performance management, employee relations, human resource management system, etc.

Jana graduated with honors from University of Maryland University College with a bachelor’s degree in Information Systems Management. Though she began her career in IT, Jana quickly realized her strong affinity for helping others and solving big organizational problems with a people focus destined her for human resources, and soon transitioned to an HR director role. Jana has more than 15 years of experience in Human Resources, helping organizations build strong organizational cultures, develop their DEI muscle, and transform human resources into a strategic business partner.

In addition to her Bachelor of Science degree, Jana holds a Certified Compensation Professional certification, and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management and World at Work – a global total awards association.

Abby Paige Fenton, Chief Advancement Officer, joined the Capital Area Food Bank in November of 2024 and leads the external affairs portfolio of the organization including fundraising, communications and marketing and community relations.

Prior to joining the CAFB, Abby served as Executive Director of the Whitman-Walker Foundation and Chief External Affairs Officer for Whitman-Walker for nine years. Additionally, during her 24 years in the DMV, she has served as the Director of Communications for ABC7/WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8 and has also been on staff at the DC Chamber of Commerce and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.

Abby has been featured in the Washington Business Journal’s Executive Profile; named one of the YWCA of the National Capital Region’s Women of Achievement; and was included in Washington Life Magazine’s list of the most influential people in Washington for four years in a row. She also worked as the Executive Producer for the award-winning feature film Cruzando.

Abby is a graduate of the class of 2012 from Leadership Greater Washington. She serves on the board of the Anacostia Business Improvement District and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and is Board Chair for Leashes of Valor – an organization that trains rescue dogs to be service dogs for Veterans living with PTSDand TBI. Abby is a graduate of Kenyon College.

Austin Hicks Chikwendu, Deputy Chief of Regional Partnerships, joined CAFB in 2019. Austin is responsible for identifying and building strategic partnerships with traditional food actors and nontraditional partners providing need-based services centered around root-causes, coalitions, and governmental agencies to further CAFB’s impact. She engages with County and Ward leaders and agency heads to educate the community on hunger issues. Austin provides oversight for the government nutrition programs operating across the CAFB service area, and oversees teams that manage relationships with over 400 DMV non-profit organizations.  

Austin has resided and worked in the District of Columbia for over 13 years.  She has an undergraduate degree from The University of Memphis and completed graduate work at Marymount University.  She spent 10 years with a national behavioral health organization where she progressed through the ranks, and has a track record for developing and executing nonprofit programs centered on creating opportunities for communities that may lack access to critical needs such as mental health, education, and food. 

Molly McGlinchy, Deputy Chief of Programs and Innovation, joined CAFB in 2008. Molly leads the strategy development and execution of CAFB’s holistic supply chain, direct distribution programs, senior hunger strategies and market-based initiatives with an emphasis on impact and sustainability.   

Because of her commitment to increasing food access while reducing food waste, Molly is continuously looking across the food supply chain for ways to work more efficiently, innovatively, and collaboratively with key partners in our community.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from James Madison University.  

Melanie Minzes, Deputy Chief Development Officer, joined CAFB in 2020. Melanie leads CAFB’s engagement with supporters from the private sector, individuals, foundations, and various government jurisdictions in Greater Washington. With her team, Melanie drives the revenue strategy that ensures CAFB is distributing nutritious food today and enabling brighter futures for the neighbors we serve.  

Previously, Melanie was with CARE, the global humanitarian organization, where she led CARE’s corporate partnerships team and managed multi-year, multifaceted partnerships with Fortune 100 companies. She is a cum laude graduate of Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, GA, and has called Washington, DC home for 25 years. 

Karl Spanbauer, Controller, joined CAFB in 2022. Karl directs the accounting, audit, and grant administration functions at CAFB.  He also oversees the robotic process automation (RPA) and AI automation solutions utilized by CAFB’s finance department. Since joining the food bank, he and his team have led the implementation of six key financial systems, revamped utilization of CAFB’s ERP system (NetSuite), and automated hundreds of manual processes.   

Karl graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy. He started his career as an auditor in public accounting where he served solely not-for-profit clients in the Washington, D.C. metro area.  Karl is a licensed CPA in Maryland and Virginia. He is published in the Journal of Accountancy and has presented at numerous industry conferences on his automation work at CAFB.  

Noha Abdalla
MyEyeDr.

Kris Balderston
Change Research

Bob Cohn*
The Economist

Ben Famous
The Glover Park Group

Adam Goldberg*
Trident DMG

Janet Goss
GMMB

Dyani Hanrahan
Giant LLC

Patti Reilly
Cabin8Communications

Lisa Osborne-Ross*
Community Advocate

Jamie Smith
West Exec Advisors

Jennifer Wayman
Hager Sharp

*denotes that member sits on CAFB Board of Directors

To amplify the voices of those it serves, the Capital Area Food Bank convenes a Client Leadership Council (CLC). The CLC brings together people with an array of perspectives and experiences from across the region, and seeks to empower members through a ten-month advocacy training program. Each year up to 24 individuals who live in the food bank’s service area will receive professional training through the CLC, enabling them to advocate on behalf of themselves and their communities, and serve as effective agents of change.

2020 Client Leadership Council

Nikkie Adeboye

Marvena Alston

Angela Alvarez

Travonna Brooks

Odessa Davis

Dzigbordi Egbenya-Hosso

Shauna Gray

Kimberly Harris

Shonta Jones

Melody Lawson

James Littlejohn

Joussell Lopez

George Mathis

Keith Miller

Sharron Newman

Jocelyn  Orr-Thompson

Vanessa Pierre

Jerry Rogers

Michelle Rogers

Amanda Scott

Jacqui Seay