Debbie Espinosa, MPS, CNP

Debbie’s cultural roots of dedication to family, community, and care for those in need have been the basis of her passion to work in the Nonprofit sector. As the daughter of an immigrant Filipino family, she attributes the foundation of her inner strength and character to lessons learned from her family’s journey to the US. Building on their belief that the American Dream can be achieved through hard work, perseverance, and caring for others before self, in February 2018, Debbie became the President & CEO of FIND Food Bank, the Desert’s Regional Food Bank.

With over 30 years as an experienced Non-profit professional, Debbie’s both planned and serendipitous path has afforded her experiences at the regional, national, and international levels. These include Director of Programs for the Contra Costa and Solano area (overseeing a 16 county food bank in Northern, CA),  the Compliance and Capacity Development Manager for 37 food banks in the Southwest Sector of the US at the National Office of Feeding America, and the Strategic Programs and Operations consultant for the Global Food Banking Network and Walmart Mexico y Centro America. There she supported the development of the first national food banking networks in Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. Debbie also actively engages in the advancement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Recognized for her work in nonprofit management, hunger relief, and DEI, Debbie has keynoted and led workshops at 5 national conferences in these subjects. From 2015-2017 she served as the National President of the Association of Certified Non-Profit Professionals. In 2015, she was featured in the Baylor University Business Review for her “hard-core business acumen” in cross-sector management of both Non-Profits and For-Profits. In 2017, she was a nominee for the Independent Sector’s NexGen award and was presented with a national Non-Profit Leadership Award by the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. In 2021, she was featured in multiple local, state, and national articles for her ability to pivot FIND to serve over 190,000 food insecure people (more than a 110% increase in people) within 6 weeks of the onset of the covid pandemic. And most recently, in 2022, she was awarded the Mary T. Roche Award from the Woman’s Leaders Forum of The Coachella Valley.

Debbie currently, holds 2 National positions in the Feeding America (FA) Network. She is the immediate Past Chair of the FA National Council, serving as the first person of color as the Chair of the highest elected body in the US, focused on overall strategy and innovation of the 200 Feeding America Network food banks in the US. She is also as member of the National Feeding America Strategic Framework Planning Council, whose goal is to establish the national 2030 Strategic Framework for the Feeding America network of food banks. She is a member on the Non-Profit Leadership Alliance National Board, and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) Riverside County Board. She has also served as a Board Member on the Feeding America National Board of Directors which is currently the largest non-profit organization in the US.

Debbie grew up in Puyallup, WA, relocating to California after graduating from college. She is proud to claim both the Pacific Northwest and California as her homes. Her education includes the International Baccalaureate Program, a Bachelor of Arts from Rockhurst University with a double major in Comparative Religion and Sociology with a minor in Human Service, a Masters of Professional Studies in Community and Economic Development from Penn State University, and is a Certified Non-Profit Professional (CNP).

Most importantly, Debbie has two wonderful daughters who are both in college and, a one-eyed Shih Tzu named Pabu (“Paw-boo”).  And, because of her passion for feeding people combined with her love for the Arts and all things outdoors (gardening, golfing, hiking, skiing, basking in the sun), the beautiful Coachella Valley makes her feel like she’s “Living the Dream” every day.