About Us:
Management Team Bios
David Davenport
President & CEO
David Davenport joined the Food Bank in March 2008 as President & CEO. David was born in Baltimore, Maryland and moved with his family to the Houston area in 1974.
David went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University where he currently serves as a member of the Former Students Advisory Board for the Department of Political Science.
Soon after graduation from college, David began a successful career with the YMCA serving communities here in Texas as well as internationally in Japan, Mexico and Brazil.
In 2004, David became the Executive Director of End Hunger Network—then a small food rescue organization. Since 2004, End Hunger Network has received national acclaim as one of the most effective and innovative organizations of its type in the United States. Growing from seven employees in 2004 to thirty six in 2007, End Hunger Network serves as a national model for food rescue and human service serving the most vulnerable members of the greater Houston community.
David has been an active Rotarian for over a decade and is a Paul Harris Fellow.
A bi-lateral lung transplant survivor, David is an advocate for organ donation and removing the barriers of participation in organ donor programs.
David and his wife, Ginger, have three children, Lauren (11), Danielle (11) and Brandon (5).
Karla Cantu
Agency Relations Director
Karla Cantu is an Austin native and has been with the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas for 6 years. She and her staff of two cover 21 counties in Central Texas and more than 370 Partner Agencies. She serves on the America's Second Harvest Agency Relations Council. Prior to working in the non-profit field, Karla was with the State of Texas for 9 years with the last three of those years at the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission. Karla has also volunteered with CASA for 6 years and is involved in various other volunteer roles.
Konnie Craig
Distribution Services Director
Konnie began her role at the Food Bank in April of 2003 as the bookkeeper and I.T. assistant. In May of 2008, she accepted the position of Distribution Services Director and is in charge of all warehouse inventories from receiving to product distribution.
Prior to her Food Bank position, she was a 12-year-veteran of the automotive sales world. She served as assistant office manager in one of Austin’s largest dealerships.
Paige DeLeon
Volunteer Services Director
Paige joined CAFB in October 2006. and serves as Volunteer Services Director. She focuses on expanding volunteer programs while building and growing a diverse and dedicated volunteer community. Paige is inspired daily by relentless and generous volunteers who help support the Food Bank’s ongoing cause and mission. Prior to entering the non-profit world, she worked in marketing and advertising for seven years in New York. Paige grew up in Enid, Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.A in Journalism. As a recent transplant, she loves serving both the Food Bank and community in her role. She lives in South Austin with her husband and dogs, Leroy and Murphy.
Cheryl Dunn
Finance/HR Manager
Cheryl joined the Food Bank as Bookkeeper in January 2006 and has recently transitioned into her current position as HR/Finance Manager. Prior to joining the Food Bank, Cheryl spent twenty-two years in retail accounting and office management.
Cheryl enjoys spreading the mission of the Food Bank to her friends and family and enjoys the opportunities of personal growth that come from working for a non-profit organization.
Cheryl resides with her family and many pets in Buda but frequently spends her weekends on Lake Buchannan with their "lake friends."
Monica Y. Escobar
Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Education Manager
Monica Y. Escobar joined the Capital Area of Food Bank in April 2007 as the Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Education Manager of the CHOICES Program. After completion of her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from UT-Austin, she moved to Corpus Christi, Texas to complete a Dietetic Internship and Masters of Science in Human Science through Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
She then relocated back to her hometown of Elsa, Texas located in the Rio Grande Valley to conduct research for her Masters degree. Her research was on the impact of nutrition education on food consumption patters among fourth-generation Hispanic children.
In addition to her work with CAFB, she also does contract work as a Registered Dietitian with AIDS Services of Austin and volunteers time with her sorority Sigma Delta Lambda, as part of the National Executive Board.
Some of her favorite things to do are traveling and dancing. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family and enjoys the downtown Austin scene with friends.
Lisa Goddard
Advocacy and Online Marketing Manager
Lisa joined CAFB in September 2006 as the Advocacy and Online Marketing Manager. Since 1996, Lisa has been providing online marketing expertise to Internet companies including Comet Systems, Inc. and NaturallyCurly.com, and was a founding member of HotJobs.com. Prior to joining the Food Bank, Lisa volunteered as an AmeriCorps*VISTA.
Lisa holds a BA from Marist College, an MBA from St. Edward's University, is a member of the American Marketing Association and a current Sustainable Food Center board member. In 2003, she received her Registered Yoga Teacher certification, focusing on Ashtanga Yoga.
Lisa, her husband, Dr. Fred L. McGhee and son Alexander enjoy growing fresh vegetables and herbs in their organic garden.
Adrienne Harrold
Capacity Building Manager
Adrienne joined the Food Bank in November 2006 to lead the new capacity building program. She works with the Agency Relations team to develop innovative ways to help strengthen Partner Agency capacity and the effective use of networks to fight hunger. Focusing on the highest-need counties in Central Texas, Adrienne assesses the current operational capacity of the Partner Agencies, identifying common opportunities and challenges, and then works with her team to respond with resources and support. New initiatives in this program include custom agency action plans, county-wide hunger roundtable events, workshops on issues such as fundraising, and a new step-by-step "Capacity Building Roadmap" designed to guide any Partner Agency towards long-term strength and sustainability.
Prior to the Food Bank, Adrienne worked at a policy think-tank organization in New York and a financial research firm in San Francisco. She received a B.A. in political science from U.C. Berkeley.
Adrienne Longenecker
Vice President, Community Relations
Adrienne Longenecker spent the first half of her adult life pursuing and living as a professional modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, aspiring through her performances to give people experiences they may not otherwise have.
Currently, in her role at the Food Bank, Adrienne's goal is the same but with a new focus: giving people the experience of living with food security; something they may not have without the Food Bank. As the Deputy Director of Community Relations she oversees the work of 10 professionals charged with engaging our community in the fight against hunger through volunteerism and philanthropy. Having grown up in Austin, Adrienne is thrilled to have returned and found employment with the Food Bank.
Adrienne first worked in the non-profit sector as the Marketing Coordinator for the Roanoke Ballet Theatre while enrolled in graduate courses at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. Upon her decision to leave the performing arts, and in order to get closer to home, Adrienne joined the for-profit sector as the Marketing Director for Turner Engineers, Inc. of Dallas, TX where she lived and worked for five years.
She earned her bachelor of fine arts from the University of Texas in 1997 and remains connected to modern dance through her position on the board of Sharir + Bustamante Danceworks. Adrienne is also a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Philanthropy Day Planning Committee, and the Leadership Austin Essential Class 2008. Adrienne, her husband Steve Mader and their young son Vance reside in South Austin.
Dana Shelton
Food Resources Director
Dana joined the CAFB team in November, 2007. He has lived and worked in Central Texas for over 30 years and has served in a variety of marketing, management and public service roles. His background includes 15 years in restaurant marketing and management for two national restaurant franchisors as well as having served as an advertising agency Creative Director specializing in fine dining restaurants.
Prior to his restaurant experience, Dana was with the State of Texas as Division Director of Business Development at the Texas Department of Commerce and as Director of the Texas Film Commission.
As Director of the TFC, Dana expedited over 200 feature films and television productions including Lonesome Dove and Tender Mercies as well as countless television commercials and documentary productions. He also led successful domestic and international marketing efforts to promote Texas as a motion picture production destination.
Dana began his career as a photojournalist shooting on assignment for corporate and editorial clients including Exxon, Shell Oil, Time Magazine, Texas Monthly and the National Geographic Society.
He is a graduate of U.T., Austin with a B.S. in Radio/TV/Film.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Dana served on active duty as staff photojournalist for Airman Magazine, the official magazine of the U.S.A.F.
He has served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Film Commissioners International, the KLRU PBS-TV Community Advisory Board, and as Communications Chair for the Central Texas Chapter of the March of Dimes.
Xavier Perez
Product Recovery Manager
Xavier joined CAFB in January of 2001 as a Warehouse Assistant. He has worked in several different areas of the warehouse, including the cooler, freezer and distribution. In 2003, he transferred to Product Recovery where he is the current manager.
Xavier has previously worked as a teacher’s assistant, Production Supervisor and air-conditioning journeyman. Xavier’s inspiration comes from his father, Dr. Roberto C. Perez, who passed away six months before his arrival at the Food Bank.
Kerri Qunell
Vice President, Communications
Kerri's role is to educate the public, media and community organizations of the mission, activities, programs, events and other services of the Food Bank through public relations and communications programs. She joined the CAFB team in May, 2005.
Previously, Kerri was the Community Relations Director for KEYE - TV, Austin's CBS television station. She worked to grow KEYE's community initiatives through awareness, marketing and partnerships, and promoted the station's commitment to making a positive difference in the communities they serve. Kerri has also worked at Dell, SicolaMartin and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.
Kerri is a member of Association for Women in Communications, is a 2004 Leadership Austin graduate, and a current Leadership Austin board member. She was accepted to the 2008 Frank McBee, Jr. Fellowship Program in Civic Entrepreneurship, a program of Austin Area Research Organization (AARO). Kerri is involved with Emerging Professionals in Conservation through Hill Country Conservancy, and Friends of Urban Roots, an advisory board for YouthLaunch. She served as President of Young Women's Alliance (YWA), served on the YWA board for eight years, and was named "YWA Member of the Decade" in 2003. Kerri was the 2006 "Austin Under 40" winner in the Community Service category. She serves as a regular guest speaker and mentor at Texas State University-San Marcos, where she received her BA in Journalism.
Kerri and her husband, Jason, are active community volunteers and have a 3-year-old daughter, Avery Tessa.
Glenda Shayne
Vice President, Programs and Agency Relations
Glenda Shayne began her career at CAFB in July of 1999, and her position has evolved over that time as the number of Partner Agencies and programs have increased. Glenda's role at the Food Bank is to develop and implement various programs and to provide oversight to 11 team members operating program and agency relations. She works closely with CAFB Partner Agencies and program sites, as well as with potential partners to develop effectively and efficiently.
Glenda is an active member of the Basic Needs Coalition of Central Texas and serves on the Food Security Committee. Glenda received a Master of Science in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington. She was an active member of the America’s Second Harvest Agency Relations Council for a number of years, as well as a speaker and panelist for several workshops in effective food pantry operation, program development, gap analysis and asset mapping.
Glenda has a son, Dustin, who is a senior at Texas State University.
Amy Silvey
Development Director
Amy Silvey was appointed to Development Director in February, 2007 after joining the Food Bank team as Development Assistant in January, 2006.
Before entering the world of fundraising, Amy received an undergraduate degree in Art History from the University of California at Santa Cruz as well as a Masters Degree in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University. She relocated to Austin in August, 2006 after spending more than six years working for a private family foundation in Los Angeles. In this position, Amy worked with the Foundation’s traveling art exhibitions where she was responsible for writing educational and promotional materials as well as assisting in the creation of new exhibitions and initiatives. Amy was also fortunate enough to occasionally travel with the exhibitions to exciting destinations such as Australia and Singapore where she supervised the art transportation and spoke about the collection.
Kate Smallwood
Community Events Manager
As the Community Events Manager, Kate is a member of the Food Bank’s Development team. She works with a variety of individuals, community organizations and corporate workplaces to coordinate and support events, Food & Fund Drives and Cause-Related Marketing campaigns to benefit the Food Bank as well as promote awareness about the community’s role in ending hunger. She joined the CAFB team in January of 2006 as the Community Events Specialist.
Kate has a fervent interest in community building and fostering self-sustainability, specifically through efforts that provide basic human needs. Through previous employment including roles at Central Texas Senior Ministries, of which Meals on Wheels is part, and the Texas Senate, she has seen how lacking a basic need, such as food, has a tremendous affect on a person’s life and the community at large.
Originally from Waco, Texas, Kate holds a BA in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin with focus on historical and contemporary American socioeconomic cultures.
Dawn Smyth
CFO/Vice President of Finance and Administration
Dawn oversees the financial, administrative, and personnel activities of the Food Bank. Before joining the staff at the Food Bank in 2001, Dawn lived in Miami, Florida for six years where she was the Vice President of Operations for Goodwill Industries. Her employment in the non-profit sector began in 1991 when she went to work for the Goodwill Industries in her hometown of Beaumont, Texas as the Vice President of Administration. Dawn has served on the Allocations Committee of the United Way of Miami and is an active member of the Austin Human Resources Management Association.
Dawn earned her bachelors degree in Psychology with a minor in Accounting at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas and received a Master of Public Administration degree from Florida International University in Miami, Florida. She is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), which is awarded by the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).
Dawn and her husband, Aaron, live in Dripping Springs with their children, Katie and Jeremy.
Ken Washington
Programs Director
Ken joined the Food Bank as Programs Director in October 2007. Along with a staff of five, his duties include the management and oversight of various external activities including Kids Cafe, the BackPack Program, CHOICES Nutrition Education Program, Food Stamp Outreach and Education, Fresh Food for Families, Healthy Options Program for the Elderly (HOPE), and others. He brings over 22 years of food banking experience to the position, in addition to management experience in the aerospace and entertainment industries.
For 8 years, Ken was the Director of Operations at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, where he managed inventory management, warehouse, agency relations, computer systems, donations, facilities, and volunteer management operations. While at the LA Food Bank, along with the Executive Director, Ken established what became the nations' largest community garden. He also spent 15 years as a board member of the Westside Food Bank in Santa Monica, California. He spent a number of years as Director of Home Video Operations at Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Activision Video.
But Ken’s passion has always been the fight against hunger and homelessness in Los Angeles, and now in his hometown of Austin. As Operations Director of the Jewish Family Service Pantry Program, he managed three sites that provided food and programmed services to over 5,000 people per month. He was invited to Tel Aviv Israel, along with the President of America’s Second Harvest, and USDA representatives to help establish food bank policies and procedures in Israel’s fledgling efforts to attack hunger and homelessness there. In addition, he was Operations Director at the Salvation Army’s Austin Shelter for Homeless Women and Children. At this 60-bed facility, he managed efforts to help desperate families return to normalcy.
An avid golfer, and lover of theatre and music, Ken is thrilled to be a part of the hunger/homelessness solution in Austin and surrounding communities.
Charlie Ward
Vice President, Operations
Charlie is responsible for supervising staff in the different areas of warehouse operations including transportation, inventory control, product recovery and management of the physical plant.
He has 27 years experience in commercial food service warehousing procedures. Charlie has a certification from Clemson University in food safety and also has his Lift Truck Safety certification along with his Class A Commercial driver’s license.
Charlie and his family live the quiet, country life on ten acres of land in Buda, Texas.
Michael Wooten
Warehouse Manager
Michael Wooten has been with the Capital Area Food Bank since July 2005. Michael has quickly moved up the ranks in the Food Bank Warehouse, from working as an Assistant to becoming Warehouse Lead, and most recently, to being promoted to Warehouse Manager. His ten years of warehouse experience have made him a valuable team member at the Food Bank. He is looking forward to continuing his vital work helping the Food Bank fight hunger in Central Texas.
Michael lives in the
Photography provided by: Golden Moments Portrait and Event Photography
