In the midst of DC Central Kitchen’s 35th year of strengthening bodies, empowering minds, and building communities, the DCCK Board of Directors bid adieu to beloved members, welcomed six new individuals, and named an experienced member as the new Board Chair.
The new Chair of our Board of Directors, Leticia Proctor, Executive Vice President of Donohoe Hospitality Services, told us about her experience on the board and why she is proud to be a part of it. “It feels great to join an organization that models what they preach. To find one that truly gives back for the last 35 years is incredible.” Proctor may be new in her role, but she is not new to DCCK. She served ably as our Board Treasurer last year and first joined the Board in 2022 building on a long tradition of partnership between DCCK and Donohoe.
When asked about her goals as the new Board Chair, she took a long-term view. “I want to ensure we leave this Board in better condition for future boards,” Proctor said. “We are going to be mindful, thoughtful and continue to evolve as the needs change. We’re aligning with the mission and that is front of mind for me. What moves me most about this Board is we’re not just feeding people. [Our work] is about job creation so they can sustain themselves. That changes the standard for so many people.”
The board also added six new members: Founder and Executive Director of Dreaming Out Loud Chris Bradshaw, Executive Chef of Marriott’s Downtown Bethesda location Dupree Braswell, Vice President of Global Marketing, Communications, and Government Relations at Lineage Megan Hendricksen, Founder and Executive Director of JK Community Farm Sam Kuhn, Research Professor at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Dr. Elise Pas, and President & CEO of Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington Shawn Townsend. This diverse group’s collection of experience in community-centered agriculture, nonprofit leadership, cold storage and logistics, public health innovation, restaurant industry leadership, and culinary excellence makes them an ideal cadre of leaders and thought partners for the next chapter in our history.
In addition to welcoming a new chair, DC Central Kitchen CEO Mike Curtin gave a heartfelt thanks to each of the present exiting board members with a parting gift, a handmade ceramic plate made by DCCK supporter and advocate Julia Cardone of Flint Hill School, who has brought her students to volunteer at the Kitchen for more than a decade. Curtin expounded on what each person brought to the Kitchen. Each exiting board member spoke glowingly about both DCCK and what serving on the board meant to them.
The youngest person leaving the board, Georgetown University graduate and GOOD Projects founder Darius Baxter, expressed his gratitude for what his time with DCCK meant to him personally and professionally. After launching his own nonprofit focused on educational achievement and community empowerment in Southwest DC before even finishing his degree, Baxter knows something about achievement: “I look at the success of what we’ve been able to accomplish as an organization not just in Southwest but around the world and there’s hasn’t been an organization more impactful in my personal and professional life than DC Central Kitchen.”
Helping DCCK through the darkest days of the pandemic, Anna Bard of Wells Fargo spoke about not just what the Kitchen does, but the way the work is approached. “Aside from the mission of DC Central Kitchen and all that you’re able to accomplish but being able to always lead with dignity and humility at the core has made this such an honor.”
Exiting Board Chair Lisa Creamer said being part of DC Central Kitchen, “has felt like family.” Part of the DCCK family for more than a decade, Creamer is now our newest Pillar of the Community, an honor reserved for the folks that have made a significant impact on the history and success of DCCK throughout our 35-year history. We thank Lisa and our outgoing Board Members for their leadership during the depths of the pandemic and highs of opening our long-awaited new headquarters and look forward to future growth and impact with the support and guidance of our newest volunteer leaders.
In her exiting remarks, Creamer remained just as supportive and complimentary of the Kitchen’s work. ”You have an incredible ability to remain courageous and persistent through incredible challenges. That we get to join in on that has been an incredible honor. Thank you for letting me be a part of it.”
In addition to Darius, Anna, and Lisa, Barry James, Liz Noe, and Jerome Tennille are exiting after 3 years of service and Heidi Brock and Carol Steenland after 6 years.
But like CEO Mike Curtin said, just because these individuals are no longer on the board, they are still part of the DCCK family.
