Debbie Espinosa, MPS, CNP

Las raíces culturales de Debbie de dedicación a la familia, la comunidad y el cuidado de los necesitados han sido la base de su pasión por trabajar en el sector sin fines de lucro. Como hija de una familia de inmigrantes filipinos, atribuye la base de su fuerza interior y carácter a las lecciones aprendidas del viaje de su familia a los Estados Unidos. Sobre la base de su creencia de que el sueño americano se puede lograr a través del trabajo duro, la perseverancia y el cuidado de los demás antes que de uno mismo, en febrero de 2018, Debbie se convirtió en presidenta y directora ejecutiva de FIND Food Bank, el banco regional de alimentos del desierto.

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 Revisión de negocios de la Universidad de Baylor 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 articulos nacionales por su capacidad de pivotar FIND para servir a más de 190,000 personas con inseguridad alimentaria (más de un 110% aumento de personas) 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 3 National positions in the Feeding America (FA) Network. She is the first person of color to Chair the FA National Council, the highest elected body in the US which is focused on overall strategy and innovation of the 200 Feeding America Network food banks in the US. Debbie serves as a Board Member on the Feeding America National Board of Directors which is the largest non-profit organization in the US, and she is part of leadership for the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisory Council of the Feeding America Network.  She also is a member on the following Boards of Directors: Non-Profit Leadership Alliance National Board, CalFoods Logistics State Board, and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program Riverside County Board.

Debbie creció en Puyallup, WA, y se mudó a California después de graduarse de la universidad. Ella se enorgullece de reclamar el noroeste del Pacífico y California como sus hogares. Su educación incluye el Programa de Bachillerato Internacional, una Licenciatura en Artes de la Universidad de Rockhurst con una doble especialización en Religión y Sociología Comparada con una especialización en Servicio Humano, una Maestría en Estudios Profesionales en Desarrollo Comunitario y Económico de la Universidad de Penn State, y está certificada Profesional sin fines de lucro (CNP).

Most importantly, Debbie has two beautiful daughters who attend college and high school, a one-eyed Shih Tzu, Pabu (“Paw-boo”) and two kittens Atlas and Ube (“Ooo-bay”), who are the joys of her life.  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.