Crystal FitzSimons, Interim President
Naiha Anib, IT Technician
Alexandra Ashbrook, WIC and Root Causes Director
Martha Assefa, Anti-Hunger Associate, D.C. Hunger Solutions
Diane Bacote, Staff Assistant, Administration and Regranting
Jordan Baker, Senior Communications Manager
Colleen Barton, Communications Director
Cherise Bathersfield, Editorial Production Manager
Jacqueline Bavaro, Senior Program Manager, New Jersey Food Security Initiative
Susan Beaudoin, Senior Program Manager, WIC and Root Causes
Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director
Kelsey Boone, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst
Alexis Bylander, Interim Child Nutrition Programs & Policy Director
Rashan A. Datcher, Director of Human Resources
Andrea Dulanto, Anti-Hunger Program Coordinator, Maryland Hunger Solutions
Jessica Durovy, State Initiatives Development Associate
Michelle Griffin, Staff Associate
Julia Gross, Senior Anti-Hunger Program Associate, Maryland Hunger Solutions
Clarissa Hayes, Deputy Director, Child Nutrition Programs & Policy
Steve Hayward, Senior Communications Coordinator
Erin Hysom, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst
LaMonika Jones, Director, State Initiatives
Betsy Kerrigan, Director of Network Engagement
Timothy Klipp-Lockhart, Government Affairs Manager
Irene Lewis, Senior Policy and Research Analyst
Sally Mancini, WIC CIAO Advisor
Mary Maziarz, WIC CIAO Senior Technical Assistance Mentor
Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP Deputy Director
Etienne Melcher Philbin, Chief of Staff
Tommi-Grace Melito Alvaro, WIC CIAO Project Lead
Brielle Pinzini, Anti-Hunger Program Associate, Maryland Hunger Solutions
JD Robinson, Senior Anti-Hunger Program Associate, Maryland Hunger Solutions
Nomi Small, Network and Events Manager
Maggie Snow, Anti-Hunger Program Associate, D.C. Hunger Solutions
Marko Stankovic, Senior Development Associate
Ellen Teller, Chief Government Affairs Officer
Polly Thibodeau, Development Director
Muhammad Usman, Financial Analyst
Eli Yussuf, Grants Administrator
Crystal FitzSimons
Crystal FitzSimons is the Interim President for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), leading the organization to achieve its vision: A nation in which all people have the nutritious food they need to lead healthy and productive lives; and mission: To improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions.
Prior to taking on the Interim President role, Crystal oversaw FRAC’s work to improve and strengthen the school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs. She analyzed policy to advocate for legislative and regulatory improvements to increase children’s access to the child nutrition programs. She helped develop strategy and direct national partnerships and field efforts to achieve program improvements through legislative and administrative changes. Recent successful efforts include the Pandemic and Summer EBT Programs; the child nutrition waivers during the pandemic that allowed schools to offer school meals to all their students at no charge, the nationwide expansion of the Afterschool Meal Program; and the Community Eligibility Provision.
She led FRAC’s efforts to provide technical assistance on the school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs to national, state, and local partners. Crystal also has helped develop successful partnerships to support increased access to the child nutrition programs including the National Healthy School Meals for All Coalition; Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom, a project with the National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation, the National Education Association Healthy Futures, and the School Nutrition Foundation; and CHAMPS (Cities Combating Hunger through the Afterschool Meal Program and Summer) with the National League of Cities.
Crystal is a sought-out policy expert for briefings, webinars, conferences, and state legislative hearings. She also is regularly quoted in the media, such as The New York Times, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Politico, the Washington Post, USA Today, and local media.
Crystal is the author or co-author of numerous reports. Recent publications include: The Reach of School Breakfast and Lunch During the 2022-2023 School Year; The Case for Healthy School Meals for All; Community Eligibility: the Key to Hunger-Free Schools, School Year 2022-2023; Large School District Report Operating School Nutrition Programs as the Nation Recovers From the Pandemic; and Hunger Doesn’t Take A Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report.
Her previous work experience includes the Center for Community Change and Housing Comes First. She holds a BA in Philosophy and Sociology from Carroll College in Wisconsin and an MSW from Washington University in Missouri.
Naiha Anib
Bio to come.
Alexandra Ashbrook
Alex is the Director of WIC and Root Causes at FRAC. She works to drive new initiatives and partnerships to improve public policies to end hunger in the U.S. Current focus areas include spearheading FRAC’s efforts to reduce food insecurity among older adults and immigrant families and engage the anti-hunger network in permissible election-related activities to build the political will necessary to end hunger. She helps build out partnerships including those with medical and health organizations, veterans, military families, and LGBTQ communities.
From 2007–2015, Alex served as the director of D.C. Hunger Solutions, an initiative of FRAC, where she led efforts to create a hunger-free community and improve the nutrition, health, economic security, and well-being of low-income residents of the nation’s capital. From 1996–2006, Alex served as a senior program director at Street Law, the national nonprofit dedicated to transforming democratic ideals into citizen action. Alex received her J.D. magna cum laude and LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from Haverford College.
Martha Assefa
Bio to come.
Diane Bacote
Diane has worked with FRAC since 2016 and was hired in March 2021 moved into the role of Staff Assistant, Administration and Regranting. She works closely with the Director of Human Resources and Operations and D.C. Hunger Solutions.
Diane’s background experience is in human resources. She has worked in the private sector as the Church Administrator for National Baptist Memorial Church, the Department of Energy as a Senior Administrative Assistant, and as the Support Services Specialist for the Office of the People’s Counsel of DC.
She has recently completed her B.A. in Business Administration from Strayer University.
Jordan Baker
Jordan Baker joined FRAC in April 2020 as the senior communications manager. In this role, she is responsible for initiating and implementing media relations strategies and creating compelling content across a range of platforms.
Most recently, she served as the Communications & Outreach Manager for the National Campus Leadership Council (NCLC), growing NCLC’s presence among student body leaders and the broader higher education policy community. In her role, she managed day-to-day digital, media, and advocacy activities on behalf of the organization. Prior to NCLC, she served as an Assistant Account Executive for JPA Health Communications, managing media opportunities, social media campaigns, and event planning on behalf of healthcare and wellness clients.
She holds a Master of Arts in Professional Communication degree from Southern Utah University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts as a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU). She is an active member of the JCSU DC Alumni Chapter and ColorCommDC, a business community for women of color in the communications industry.
Colleen Barton
Colleen joined FRAC in October 2014, as communications director. In this role, she spearheads the development and implementation of a multi-faceted strategic communications framework to help advance the organization’s mission to end hunger in America.
Prior to FRAC, Colleen was the founder and principal of Red Jacket Communications, LLC, a boutique public relations and event firm. Colleen designed and executed strategic communications plans for global and national policy and program initiatives, research reports, brand development, fundraising promotions, product launches, and major events. Her clients included government contractors, small businesses, and international and national nonprofits. In her previous work with nonprofits, including Catholic Charities USA, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and Save the Children, Colleen created and implemented communications efforts that increased awareness, advocacy and greater investment in programs and services aimed at underserved populations. At Save the Children, she built a media program in a newly created public affairs department, and led the U.S. agency’s media response to major humanitarian crises, including post-9/11, the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Haiti Earthquake as well as the agency’s first advocacy-awareness campaign, Every Mother, Every Child and its signature research report, The State of the World’s Mothers.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Homestretch, a nonprofit in Northern Virginia that helps transition families out of homelessness.
Colleen received her B.A. in English, with a public relations concentration, from the State University of New York at Fredonia.
Cherise Bathersfield
Cherise Bathersfield is the Food Research & Action Center’s (FRAC) Editorial Production Manager. She edits and writes content across a range of platforms that compellingly conveys FRAC’s mission, proposals, positions, work, and leadership; and manages the production process, including design, of FRAC’s publications and other editorial projects.
For more than 10 years, Cherise has worked as a marketing and communications writer and/or editor for nonprofits and associations such as the Greater New York Hospital Association and the American Psychological Association. Previous to that, she was a research editor at several national consumer magazines in New York.
Cherise graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, and completed the Cornell University Brand Management Certificate and the New York University Public Relations Certificate programs.
Jacqueline Bavaro
Jackie joined FRAC in August 2023 as the Project Manager of the New Jersey Food Security Initiative (NJSFI). She now serves as the Senior Program Manager. In this role, she is responsible for facilitating community-centered and collaborative efforts to increase food security and advance health equity in New Jersey.
Jackie previously worked with the NJ YMCA State Alliance managing their SNAP-Ed, SNAP Navigator, and other community food programs. In this capacity, she provided training and technical assistance to a variety of diverse community partners and coordinated efforts with NJ State Agencies. She is a certified instructor for Adult Mental Health First Aid and the Cost of Poverty Experience. Jackie has received the YMCA of the USA’s 30 Under 30 Award for her project leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
She has a B.S. in Dietetics from the University of Delaware and a Master of Public Health from Montclair State University.
Susan Beaudoin
Susan joined FRAC in September 2012. In her current role as senior program manager, WIC and Root Causes, she supports work to implement cross-program projects and drive new nutrition and anti-hunger strategic initiatives at FRAC. In her previous role as FRAC’s senior development associate for state initiatives, she was responsible for fundraising activities to support FRAC’s state-based efforts with D.C. Hunger Solutions and Maryland Hunger Solutions.
Prior to joining FRAC, Susan served as coordinator of the Food and Health Network of South Central New York and worked with the Washington Youth Garden and the Rural Health Network of South Central New York.
Susan holds a B.A. in political science from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and a Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership at Georgetown University.
Salaam Bhatti
Salaam joined FRAC in November 2023 as the SNAP Director. In this role, he works to strengthen SNAP access and benefit adequacy. Salaam works closely with the Interim President to develop, lead, and track annual work plans; set and meet unit goals; collaborate with other unit Directors to assist in achieving FRAC’s strategic plan goals; and expand the unit’s innovation and work.
Salaam joins FRAC after working at the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC). While at VPLC, he successfully lobbied to fully repeal the drug felon ban for SNAP and TANF, twice achieved record increases to TANF cash benefits, subsidized reduced-priced school meals, repealed the TANF family cap, ended lunch shaming policies in schools, and received a unanimous vote to expand SNAP for over 20,000 families. Salaam also helped develop a mobile-friendly, SNAP screening tool which is used by tens of thousands of people & multiple non-profits and has been rolled out to be available for all states and D.C. He received the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Albright College for his work in alleviating poverty and promoting Muslim-Jewish relations. Salaam also received the inaugural Stuart A. Freudberg Award for Regional Partnership for his work with Maryland and DC Hunger Solutions to address food insecurity across the metropolitan Washington area from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.
Salaam has a J.D. from Touro Law School, is barred in New York and Virginia, and received his Bachelors in Political Science and International Relations from Albright College (with a year abroad in the University of Aberdeen).
Kelsey Boone
Kelsey joined FRAC in July of 2020 as a policy analyst on the child nutrition team before becoming a senior policy analyst in September of 2022. In this role she is responsible for FRAC’s work on Pandemic EBT and Summer EBT, as well as supporting the team’s work on matters relating to summer and afterschool meals
Kelsey comes to FRAC from the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities where she worked as an intern on the Food Assistance team. Her background includes interning at Economic Mobility Pathways in Boston, where she focused on advocacy efforts aimed at state safety net programs. She has a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and an M.P.P. from the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
Alexis Bylander
Alexis serves as the Interim Child Nutrition Programs & Policy Director at FRAC, originally joining the organization in November 2020 as a Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst. In this role, she serves as a resource for state advocates lobbying on behalf of healthy school meals for all legislation.
Alexis has extensive experience with grant management and advocacy campaigns, specifically around the federal nutrition programs and tobacco prevention.
Alexis holds a B.A. in Political Science from Concordia College, an M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and served as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center.
Rashan A. Datcher
Rashan joined FRAC in May 2011 and is FRAC’s Director of Human Resources.
Rashan has a B.A. in business administration from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta Georgia and an M.A. in human resource management from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Andrea Dulanto
Andrea (she/ they) joined FRAC in June 2021 as an Anti-Hunger Program Assistant, and currently serves as the Anti-Hunger Program Coordinator. In this role, they assist with SNAP outreach through the Maryland Hunger Solutions hotline. They also support outreach through the development of relationships with community partners and other organizations.
Their professional experience includes working as an English as a Second Language instructor and writing tutor. They have also contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.
Andrea has a B.A. in Literature from Antioch College, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Florida International University.
Jessica Durovy
Jessica joined FRAC in July of 2020 as the State Initiatives Development Associate. In this role, she supports D.C. Hunger Solutions and Maryland Hunger Solutions in their development initiatives. She does this by drafting grant proposals and reports, maintaining funder relationships, and conducting research.
Jessica has over ten years of development, program management, and education experience. Her background includes development and programming work with Peace Corps Azerbaijan, The International Rescue Committee, The Highland Center, and The Arab-American Family Support Center.
She has a B.S. in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Old Dominion University, and an M.A. in International Affairs and Nonprofit Management from The New School.
Michelle Griffin
Michelle Griffin joined FRAC in May 2016 and is a staff associate. She works closely with the Director of Human Resources and Operations and the Director of Finance. Michelle has over 15 years of bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, and accounts payable experience and has worked in both the nonprofit sector and in banking.
Michelle has an Associate Degree in accounting, and she plans to return to complete her studies to acquire her bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Julia Gross
Julia joined Maryland Hunger Solutions, an initiative of FRAC, in October 2018. In her role as senior anti-hunger program associate, she works to support and expand participation in child nutrition programs around the state of Maryland through advocacy, community engagement, and the promotion of best-practices.
Before coming to Maryland Hunger Solutions, Julia served in Peace Corps Albania from 2016-2018 as a Health Extension Specialist, where she taught health education and life-skills development in primary schools. Prior to Peace Corps, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA to support after-school and summer nutrition programs in Maryland, and again as a health educator at a center for low-income and homeless women in Spokane, WA.
She received her B.A. in Anthropology from San Diego State University, and holds a Master of Public Health from Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
Clarissa Hayes
Clarissa Hayes joined FRAC in February 2015. As Deputy Director, Child Nutrition Programs and Policy, she works to expand access to the Summer Nutrition Programs, Afterschool Nutrition Programs, and CACFP.
Before joining FRAC, Clarissa worked at Maryland Hunger Solutions (an initiative of FRAC) to increase participation in the child nutrition programs across the state. She has also completed two years of national community service through AmeriCorps NCCC and AmeriCorps VISTA.
Clarissa earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin.
Steve Hayward
Steve joined FRAC in March 2022. As Senior Communications Coordinator, he manages FRAC’s web properties, including FRAC.org, MDHungerSolutions.org, and DCHungerSolutions.org; coordinates email campaigns; and serves as technical support for webinars.
Before joining FRAC, Steve served for six years as the Lead Content Developer at Eagle Peak Marketing, a boutique digital marketing agency in Philadelphia, where he focused on search engine optimization (SEO) and written content development.
Steve earned a Bachelor of Liberal Arts with a concentration in Comparative Literature from the Harvard Extension School.
Erin Hysom
Erin joined FRAC in January 2023 as a Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst on the School and Out-of-School Time team. In this role, she serves as a resource to schools and partners seeking to expand participation in the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs.
Erin has nearly fifteen years’ experience working on federal nutrition programs, starting as a dietitian with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to administering and operating the Child Nutrition Programs at the federal, state, and local level. Most recently, Erin served as a regional supervisor overseeing the production, service, and growth of 10,000+ school meals per day, in one of the 50 largest school districts in the country.
Erin holds a B.S. in Nutritional Sciences – Dietetics from Rutgers University, and an MPH in Public Health – Maternal and Child Health from The George Washington University. Additionally, she completed her dietetic internship with Saint Elizabeth University, formerly known as The College of Saint Elizabeth.
LaMonika Jones
LaMonika Jones is the Director of State Initiatives, overseeing the work of D.C. Hunger Solutions, Maryland Hunger Solutions and NJFSI, all initiatives of FRAC.
She joined D.C. Hunger Solutions in September 2021 as the Anti-Hunger Program Analyst – Child Nutrition Programs. In this role, she was responsible for working to increase participation and improve benefits in the child nutrition programs (WIC; school meals; summer, after school and child care meals) in the District of Columbia through advocacy, research, coalition-building, outreach, technical assistance, public education and program monitoring.
Previously, LaMonika served as the Procurement and Purchasing Compliance Officer with Georgia Dept. of Early Care and Learning working within the Nutrition Services Division providing technical assistance and monitoring oversight for child nutrition program providers participating in Child and Adult Food Care Program and Summer Food Service Program. She also served as a Steering Committee member of the Georgia Farm to Early Care and Education Coalition focusing on the use of local food systems in early child care and K-12.
LaMonika has a B.A. in Political Science and Communication from Oakland University, and a M.Ed. in Urban Teacher Leadership from Georgia State University. She is currently a 2021-2022 Equity Leaders Action Network (ELAN) Fellow working diligently to advance policies, practices, programs, and initiatives that intentionally redress racial marginalization and create racial equity in early childhood systems. She is also an Advisory Board Member for National Farm to School Network; Co-Chair of Fair Budget Coalition Food Access Issue Group; and Co-Chair of FRAC’s Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.
Betsy Kerrigan
Betsy joined FRAC in July 2022 as a returning staff member. Previously she served as the field organizer and she has returned as the director of network engagement. In this role she is responsible for helping coordinate FRAC’s many conferences and strategically growing the network.
Betsy has worked in various non-profits with a focus on alleviating hunger and strengthening nutrition programs. She also spent 6 years in the construction industry working in office support roles for highway projects,
She has a B.A. in English from Mary Washington College.
Timothy Klipp-Lockhart
Tim joined FRAC in January 2022 as the Government Affairs Manager. In this role, he is responsible for communicating and maintaining the development and implementation of FRAC’s legislative agenda. Along with the rest of the Legislative Affairs team, Tim works with Congress, the White House, national organizations, FRAC’s diverse state and local grassroots field network, to help improve the access and participation to domestic anti-hunger programs for low-income individuals and families.
Tim has over 12 years of local and national nonprofit government affairs and program management experience. He previously served as a Project Associate on the Economic Justice Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, where he was responsible for planning and implementing a nationwide settlement implementation to facilitate expunging the records 1500 class action members. He also gained extensive experience with event planning and policy advocacy centered on gender and racial equity in conjunction with the Public Policy Project. Prior to work at the Lawyers’ Committee, Tim worked in Congressman Ben Ray Lujan’s D.C. office, and for a local non-profit in Lincoln, NE.
Tim has a B.A. in Music Education from Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, NE, and a MSW from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Irene Lewis
Irene joined FRAC in June 2022 and now serves as the Senior Policy and Research Analyst. In this role, she supports strategies to improve SNAP benefit access and adequacy through research and engagement with national and state partners.
Prior to joining FRAC, Irene interned at the USDA Food and Nutrition Service in the Civil Rights Division as part of the MPA-DC Program at Ohio State University. During this time, she completed a research capstone that examined racial equity in USDA’s grant programs. Additionally, Irene has extensive experience engaging in food security and other agricultural policy issues. She is a member of the National Society of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences).
She has a B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, LA, and a Master of Public Administration from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.
Sally Mancini
Sally Mancini serves as FRAC’s WIC CIAO Advisor.
She joined FRAC in December 2022 as the Project Manager for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Community Innovation and Outreach (WIC CIAO) Project.
Sally has over twenty years of public health, non-profit grant management experience. Throughout her career, she’s worked collaboratively with national, state, and community partners to improve health outcomes for children and families with a focus on advancing health equity. Most recently, Sally was the Director of Advocacy Resources at the UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health.
Sally holds a B.A. in International Affairs from Gordon College and an MPH from the University of Connecticut.
Mary Maziarz
Mary joined FRAC in December 2024 as the WIC Community Innovation and Outreach Project Senior Technical Assistance Mentor. In this role, she is responsible for providing technical assistance to WIC CIAO subgrantees.
Mary has spent over 10 years in the nonprofit and public health space, beginning at a local WIC agency in New York State. She has focused her professional career in program and project management, as well as technical assistance. Mary has been active in the New York State WIC Association in various capacities, including conference planning and WIC program advocacy work.
She has a B.S in Nutrition and Dietetics from Buffalo State University and an M.S in School and Community Health from Canisius University.
Etienne Melcher Philbin
Etienne joined FRAC in November 2007 and serves as the organization’s Chief of Staff. In her previous role as deputy director, school and out-of-school time programs, she worked with a diverse group of national and state partners to expand access to the child nutrition programs, including school meals and Pandemic EBT. Before joining the child nutrition unit, Etienne worked on FRAC’s legislative team, advocating for federal legislation to strengthen domestic anti-hunger programs for low-income individuals and families.
Prior to joining FRAC, Etienne worked with RESULTS’ domestic policy campaign on early childhood development issues.
She has a B.A. in political science and religious studies from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN.
Tommi-Grace Melito Alvaro
Tommi-Grace Melito Alvaro serves as FRAC’s WIC CIAO Project Lead.
Tommi-Grace joined FRAC in January 2024 as the Senior Technical Assistance Mentor for the WIC Community Innovation and Outreach (CIAO) Project.
She has over a decade of experience working in public and private nonprofit human services. She has focused her career on working across sectors to improve the provision and development of public policies and services with an equity focused and trauma informed lens. Before coming to FRAC, Tommi-Grace specialized in program building and management, technical assistance, sector-wide coordination and coalition building, and advocacy. Most recently, Tommi-Grace was the Advocacy and Coalition Manager at the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island.
She has an MPP from Stony Brook University, an MSW from University at Buffalo, and a B.A. in Black Studies from SUNY New Paltz.
Brielle Pinzini
Bio to come.
Gina Plata Nino
Gina joined FRAC in November 2022. As SNAP Deputy Director, she works with the SNAP team to seek ways to improve SNAP’s reach and support for low-income households, including people and families working their way up the economic ladder. She helps to produce and direct hands-on support to national, state and community-based organizations, state and local government agencies, private nonprofit organizations, and activists, providing legislative and technical assistance to strengthen SNAP’s access, benefit adequacy, reach, and quality customer service.
Prior to joining FRAC she worked with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute as a lead advocate on the Hunger Free Campus legislative campaign and helped address related food security issues among college students. She also assisted with targeted help on the passage of current legislation working with MA Legislative delegation. She worked with state and federal agencies to eliminate systemic barriers to food access. Prior to joining MLRI, she managed the Food Security Project – a collaboration of the Worcester County Food Bank and Central West Justice Center. There she also worked as a benefits attorney where she gained knowledge and experience in working with broad safety net benefits and systems.
Gina began her career by clerking at the Massachusetts State Appeals Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the first circuit. She has received numerous awards, including Top Women of Law from Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (2022) and YWCA’s Katherine F. Erskine Award (2021). She has a J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law and a B.A. from Montclair State University.
JD Robinson
JD joined Maryland Hunger Solutions, an initiative of FRAC, as an Outreach Intern in 2018, and is currently the Senior Anti-Hunger Program Associate. He works to increase participation and access to the SNAP program for all Marylanders by coordinating outreach efforts with staff and volunteers. He also engages local partners and organizations in training and educating their staff on SNAP and food insecurity issues.
JD previously worked as a bartender in Baltimore, and volunteered on local farms.
JD holds a B.A in communication from McDaniel College.
Nomi Small
Nomi joined FRAC in March 2020 as the Network and Events Coordinator. She now serves as the Network and Events Manager. In this role, she coordinates and supports FRAC’s network of anti-hunger advocates and manages logistics for FRAC’s events.
Prior to her current role, she was FRAC’s communications coordinator. In her previous role, she was responsible for maintaining and updating the FRAC’s website, wrote and distributed the weekly FRAC News Digest, and provided technical assistance for FRAC’s webinars. Before joining FRAC, Nomi interned with the Oklahoma Food Banks in their Advocacy and Public Policy Department. She also worked as a Park Ranger with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Cape Cod Canal.
She holds a B.A. in sociology from Dickinson College.
Maggie Snow
Maggie joined DC Hunger Solutions, an initiative of FRAC, in November 2024. As an Anti-Hunger Program Associate, she is responsible for working to increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by providing direct assistance to DC residents calling to apply for SNAP benefits and coordinating outreach and advocacy efforts to partner organizations.
Prior to joining DC Hunger Solutions, Maggie held a variety of direct service roles, first as a tutor and outreach worker for Albemarle County Migrant Aid in Charlottesville, VA and a high school Spanish teacher/Teach for America Corps Member in Laurel, DE. Most recently, she worked as a Child Find Coordinator for Early Stages at DCPS and Intake Coordinator at Food & Friends, both in Washington, DC. She is bilingual and passionate about increasing food security in the District.
Maggie holds a B.A. in English and Spanish from the University of Virginia, and a M.A.T. from Relay Graduate School of Education.
Marko Stankovic
Marko joined FRAC in April 2012. As senior development associate, his job duties include doing research on prospective funders, maintaining communication with donors and grantmakers, submitting grant proposals and reports, processing all donations and grants, and event management. Prior to joining FRAC, he had fundraising internships at the International Student House and Education USA. Marko holds an M.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University.
Ellen Teller
As chief government affairs officer, Ellen Teller directs the development and implementation of FRAC’s legislative agenda. Working with Congress, national organizations, and FRAC’s diverse state and local grassroots field network, Ellen advocates for improved access and participation to domestic anti-hunger programs for low-income individuals and families.
Ellen joined FRAC in 1986 as a staff attorney and had previously worked at the American Bar Association’s Section on Individual Rights and Responsibilities, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and the Consumer Federation of America.
Ellen has a B.A. in political science and English literature (1978) from the State University of New York College at Oneonta, and a J.D. from Western New England College School of Law (1983). She is a Member of the DC Bar and serves on a the Boards of the Coalition on Human Needs (Chair); Manna Food Center, Rockville, Maryland; ActionAid USA; and the Bill Emerson Hunger Fellows Advisory Committee, Congressional Hunger Center. Honors include: National WIC Association Leadership Award, 2006; Commodity Supplemental Food Program Association Award, 2003 & 2010; and the Congressional Hunger Center Emerson Fellows’ Fairy Godmother Award, 2008.
Polly Thibodeau
Polly joined FRAC in February 2013 and is Development Director. In this role, she crafts funding proposals and reports for institutional funders in support of FRAC’s breadth of work.
Polly has 15 years of experience writing and managing grants. She previously served as the Director of Development at Joy of Motion Dance Center, where she was responsible for planning and implementing all of its contributed income activities. Prior to that, Polly provided comprehensive research and grants administration for a portfolio of externally funded projects, including a $3 million Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Center for Risk Science and Public Health at The George Washington University. She has also written grants for the local modern dance company Dana Tai Soon Burgess & Co. and Rebuilding Together Montgomery County.
She has a B.A. in sociology from Hood College and a B.A. in dance from The George Washington University.
Muhammad Usman
Muhammad joined FRAC in June 2023 as a Financial Analyst. In this role, he is responsible for planning and preparation of the budgets for the entity and for individual funders.
Prior to Joining FRAC, Muhammad worked for public accounting firms, CohnReznick LLP and DHG LLP (Forvis).
Muhammad received a B.A in Finance and Accounting from Brooklyn College, City University of New York.
Eli Yussuf
Eli joined FRAC in May 2023 as the Grants Administrator. In this role, he is responsible for providing financial and administrative support throughout the life cycle of a wide variety of internal programs and Externally Funded Programs (EFPs), specifically in the areas of project development and implementation and monitoring.
Eli has seven years of grant management experience in the nonprofit sector, starting with an internship role dedicated to grant report analysis at the United Way of the Bluegrass in Lexington, KY before eventually serving as the lead in grantmaking and grant writing efforts as their grants manager. He then moved to the Washington, DC area to work with HumanitiesDC as their grants manager before joining FRAC.
Eli has a B.A. in Political Science and Medicine, Health, & Society (MHS) from Vanderbilt University, and an M.P.A. in Public Administration from the Martin School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Kentucky.
