Board Announces Leadership Transition
Mendo Food Network (MFN) is announcing a planned leadership transition this fall. After nine years of dedicated service, Executive Director Amanda Friscia will step down from her position effective September 30.
During her tenure, Amanda guided Mendo Food Network through significant growth and complex challenges. She led emergency food distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic, mobilizing rapid-response systems to ensure residents across Mendocino County continued to receive food without interruption. Amanda led a team that expanded food access countywide, strengthening programs and partnerships that now reach thousands of residents in remote and rural communities that have long faced barriers to services. She bolstered MFN’s infrastructure by optimizing its supply chain network, most notably by leading the acquisition and remodeling of our Willits warehouse. As a result, between 2022 and 2026, Mendo Food Network doubled the number of households served.
MFN has benefited greatly from Amanda’s leadership style and temperament. She leads with patience and a spirit of collaboration and is respected and beloved by staff, volunteers, and partners. Our friends and neighbors who rely on the Mendo Food Network for support also benefit from the tone of dignity and respect that Amanda has set.
MFN’s Board of Directors is leading a coordinated search for MFN’s next Executive Director. We are fortunate to have the steady leadership of MFN’s Deputy Director, Rachelle Sutherland, who has a broad range of experience with MFN and has been instrumental in developing vital programs like our pop-up distributions and expanding our partner network to reach every corner of Mendocino County. Rachelle has worked closely with Amanda for nine years and will provide continuity, seasoned operational leadership, and support for staff, partners, and community relationships throughout this transition.
Amanda, senior staff, and our board of directors are working together to ensure MFN is well-positioned for this next chapter and that our leadership transition is aligned with our organization’s mission and values.
Over the coming months, MFN’s focus will remain on stability, service continuity, and responsiveness to evolving community needs.
Our mission will not change. MFN will continue to ensure that residents across Mendocino County have reliable access to nutritious food and essential resources, delivered with compassion and dignity.
Our programs and services will continue. Countywide food distribution, pop-ups, partner agency support, and core food bank operations will proceed without interruption.
Our network of partners and resources remains strong and continues to grow. We work alongside a wide network of community organizations across the county to ensure people can continue to access food where they live.
