SEQUIM — Jen Colmore has been hired as Sequim Food Bank’s executive director and will succeed outgoing director Andra Smith.
Colmore, currently the food bank’s community engagement coordinator, will start later this month as Smith transitions to her new role on Feb. 24 as the executive director of the Washington Food Coalition, for which she will advocate for Washington’s hunger-relief network statewide.
Smith announced her plans in December to take the new position. She has served as Sequim Food Bank’s executive director since January 2016.
Board members said in a news release that they performed a comprehensive and competitive search before choosing Colmore.
“I am honored and grateful for the trust the board has placed in me,” Colmore stated in the release. “The Sequim Food Bank is a remarkable organization rooted in dignity, relationships, and community care. I look forward to building on that foundation alongside our staff, volunteers, partners, and neighbors.”
Board President Deon Kapetan said Colmore played a key role in strengthening donor relationships, expanding community partnerships, supporting volunteers and visitors and contributing to organizational strategy while she worked as the community engagement coordinator.
“(Colmore) brings a rare combination of vision, compassion and practical leadership,” Kapetan said. “She understands this organization from the inside out and has demonstrated the ability to lead through growth, complexity and change while staying grounded in our mission and values.”
Colmore started at the food bank as a volunteer before she joined the staff and led efforts, such as Everyone at the Table, the food bank’s first community fundraiser, which exceeded its inaugural goal by raising more than $70,000.
Colmore brings decades of executive nonprofit experience.
Since 2005, she has served as executive director for Living Compassion, a long-term nutrition, education and economic development initiative in Zambia which supports more than 1,000 children and families.
Her work encompasses fundraising, strategic planning and cross-cultural organizational leadership in complex environments.
“Jen leads with clarity, steadiness and deep respect for people,” Smith said. “Having seen her step into this work early on and grow into a trusted leader, I am incredibly confident in her ability to guide the Sequim Food Bank forward. This organization is in excellent hands.”
Board members wrote that all current programs and partnerships will continue without interruption.
Sequim Food Bank holds its distribution days from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays and from 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays and Saturdays. There also is a new Mobile Food Pantry that travels to set locations across the Sequim area Tuesdays through Fridays.
For more information about the Sequim Food Bank, 144 W. Alder St., and its various programs, visit sequimfoodbank.org.
