Vicki B. Escarra is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Feeding America (formerly named America’s Second Harvest), the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief charity. Since joining the organization in 2006, she has led the organization through the most ambitious period of growth in its history, charting a course to feeding more Americans in need than ever before.
Escarra has established a new strategic plan for the organization, which will guide all of Feeding America’s efforts through 2012 and sets a vision for distributing more than 1 billion additional pounds of food each year (for a total of 2.95 billion pounds per year) and reaching an additional 5 million Americans who struggle with hunger (for a total of 30 million Americans). In support of those goals, Escarra has: led the organization through a re-branding process that will mobilize the public in support of Feeding America and domestic hunger-relief; coordinated network-wide support for progress in federal government programs, resulting in the passage of the 2008 Farm Bill; improved network relations and cooperation, leading to more effective local food distribution; launched a nationwide coordinated fundraising strategy; and developed corporate partnerships, including new retail store pickup programs with nationwide retailers that have resulted in unprecedented fresh foods available for local distribution.
Prior to arriving at Feeding America, Escarra was Executive Vice President, Chief Customer Service Officer of Delta Airlines. In that role, she managed the company’s customer service strategy, leading a workforce of 52,000. Earlier in her 30-year career with Delta, she served as Chief Marketing Officer, expanding revenue through unique agreements with organizational partners, a restructured customer loyalty program and a new customer research department.
Escarra currently serves on the boards of Health Net, Inc., the Congressional Hunger Center, the National Association of Professional Women and the Committee of 200. In September 2009, the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute presented Feeding America and Escarra with the prestigious "Freedom from Want" medal, which honored Escarra for leading Feeding America as it expanded its reach, developed new partnerships, and brought greater public awareness to the often-overlooked problem of hunger in America.
A native of Decatur, Georgia, Escarra holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Georgia State University, and has completed the Columbia University Executive Management Program and the Harvard University Executive Leadership Program.