Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, announced today that Kelvin H. Taketa, retired President and CEO of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF), has been elected as Chair of the Feeding America National Board of Directors. His term will begin on July 1, the beginning of Feeding America’s 2023 fiscal year.
“Kelvin is a leader of vision with a passion for this work and a depth of experience that consistently redounds to the benefit of the board, our network and the people who are the center of all we do,” said CEO of Feeding America Claire Babineaux-Fontenot. “As we move into the future, I look forward to the opportunity to partner with Kelvin to continue to advance our mission and to serve our neighbors in need.”
Feeding America, the second largest nonprofit in the U.S. according to Forbes, is comprised of a network of 200 food banks, 21 statewide associations, and 60,000 partner food pantries and meal programs.
Taketa succeeds Gary Rodkin, retired CEO of ConAgra Foods. Taketa’s term will run for two years. He has served on the Feeding America board since 2016, currently serving as chair of the Governance Committee and as a member of the board’s Executive Committee.
“Feeding America plays a pivotal role in supporting individuals and families across our country,” said Kelvin Taketa. “I am honored to have been elected by my distinguished and dedicated board colleagues and I look forward to serving this mission and to moving into a future with our sights set on ensuring equitable access to nutritious food for all our neighbors.”
Taketa served as the CEO and President at HCF for 19 years. Under his leadership, the Foundation became the leader in facilitating charitable investments in Hawai’i and earned the distinction as a trusted community resource on charitable trends and best practices in Hawai’i.
A national leader and commentator about philanthropy and nonprofit organizations, Taketa has been recognized by The Non-Profit Times as one of the “50 most powerful and influential people” in the sector and was featured in the GiveSmart.org website on philanthropy.
Born and raised in Hawai‘i, Taketa graduated from Colorado College and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law. Since graduating from law school, he has spent his entire career as a non-profit executive, while also working in the private sector.
He helped found The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii as its Executive Director and then managed the fundraising, government relations and communications functions for The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the largest conservation organization in the world, out of its headquarters in Washington, DC. Over his 18-year career at TNC, Taketa received several national awards for his conservation leadership.
Taketa also founded and managed Sunrise Capital, LLC, a multi-million-dollar private equity company focused on aquaculture ventures in Hawaii. He has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards, including his current service on Hawaiian Electric Industries and as its Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee, Hawaiian Electric Company, the Hawaii Leadership Forum, Elemental Excelerator, the Stupski Foundation in San Francisco, and Feeding America. He previously served on the Board of the Independent Sector in Washington, D.C., Grove Farm (Kauai) and the founding boards of two other national organizations, Sustainable Conservation and Civic Ventures, now Encore.org.
The Feeding America Board of Directors is made up of a diverse group of individuals from both private corporations and non-profits. The group helps to set and guide Feeding America's strategic direction to help fulfill the vision on an America where no one is hungry.
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About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of more than 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 5.3 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on X.com.