VERONA, Va. — The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank has named Kari Jorgensen Diener as its new chief executive officer, effective Aug. 4.
Diener succeeds Michael McKee, who retired this summer after 12 years as the organization’s fourth CEO. Her appointment follows a national search by the board of directors.
She previously served as executive director of the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, an international network of more than 400 organizations, and has held leadership positions with Mercy Corps in Jordan and in advocacy work in Washington, D.C. She has also been involved in community service in the Shenandoah Valley, where she lives.
Diener is board chair of Gift & Thrift in Harrisonburg, mentors refugee families through Church World Service and plays in the Eastern Mennonite University community orchestra.
About the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, founded in 1981, is the largest hunger-relief organization in western and central Virginia. It serves 25 counties and eight cities through distribution centers in Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Winchester and its headquarters in Verona.
The food bank works with nearly 400 community partners, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and program sites. It reports an average of 148,200 guest visits each month.
It is a partner of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization.
Information from a release. Edited by Dan McDermott.
