Meet MANNA’s New CEO: Hannah Randall

Dear MANNA Family:

As the Board President of MANNA FoodBank, it is my pleasure to announce the selection of our new Chief Executive Officer, Hannah Randall.  The Board of Directors enthusiastically approved her to lead our organization beginning Monday, May 2. Because of your connection to and interest in MANNA, we wanted you to be among the first to know about this change for our organization before the announcement goes public.

MANNA experienced significant growth over the past five years under the leadership of Cindy Threlkeld, who retired on May 1.  We increased both the quality and quantity of food distributed, and renovated our facilities to be ready for the future.  We have a strong staff, a committed corps of volunteers, an engaged board, and a stable financial base.  MANNA is ready for the next phase of our journey towards a hunger-free Western North Carolina.

The transition committee, appointed by the MANNA Board, conducted an exhaustive search process that resulted in 128 candidates.  Hannah Randall emerged as an excellent choice to lead us into the future.  She demonstrated strong leadership skills early in her career, working her way from operations and engineering positions to become the youngest plant manager at Duke Energy.  She was quickly promoted to station manager, with full responsibility for staff and operations at three locations.  More recently, Hannah was named to the leadership team of the Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) division to work with Duke employees, regulators, and industry experts to change the EHS performance of Duke from the inside out.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at North Carolina State University and a Master of Business Administration from Elon University.

Hannah’s passion for non-profit work began at an early age. She has worked or volunteered for various non-profit organizations, including Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM), Carolina Cross Connection, and Animal Compassion Network (now part of Asheville Humane Society).  During her interviews, we came to understand that Hannah wants her life’s work to involve advocating and making a difference for those without a voice.

Perhaps what impressed me the most about Hannah, in addition to the skills mentioned above, is what I perceive as a strong passion for making the world a better place, along with a deep and genuine humility.  Her dynamic and collaborative leadership style will help create strong community partnerships that will have a major impact on hunger, and improve the health and well-being of the people we serve.

Warm regards,

Jim Mathews
MANNA Board President