WELCOME TO
SWIPE OUT HUNGER

Swipe Out Hunger is the leading nonprofit addressing hunger among college students. We promote on-campus solutions, policy and advocacy pathways, and community building practices to address student hunger.

We work closely with leaders on-the-ground to not only ensure today’s students have access to meals, but to also address student hunger upstream with sustainable legislation and policies. Our national movement spans more than 550 colleges in all 50 states and Canada and has served 4.8 million nutritious meals to date.

TEAM

AllAdministrationProgramsAdvocacyCommunicationsPhilanthropic Partnerships
Operations & Technology Coordinator

Briettny Curtner

Programs Coordinator

Christina Hasaan

Research Fellow

Christine Nguyen

Grants Manager

Courtney Pate

Network Engagement Manager

Heather Parrie

Executive Director

Jaime Hansen

Director of Communications

Janelle Raymundo

Communications Coordinator

Jazmin Lopez

Chief Operations Officer

Josh Steinberg

National Advocacy Intern

Julia Ruth

Lia Guzman
New York Organizer

Lia Guzman Genao

Partnerships Coordinator

Mariela Barraza

Director of Philanthropic Partnerships

Renee Houle Catanzano

Rennica Junio
Social Media Fellow

Rennica Junio

Director of Advocacy

Robb Friedlander

Sage
Programs Manager

Sage McCoy

National Policy Manager

Shelley Mann

Director of Programs

Sydnie Monegan

National Field Manager

Zoe Duffield

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Operations & Technology Coordinator

Briettny Curtner

Briettny Curtner (she/hers) is the Operations & Technology Coordinator at Swipe Out Hunger. She works behind the scenes to support the organization’s sustainability and promote efficient workflows. She brings over 5 years of experience in program and operations management across 3 public universities. Her impact has been significant, including partnering with SAMSHA bringing awareness to suicide prevention, elevating the voices of Black and African American undergraduate women through research on misogynoir, and equitably allocating $1M of grant and private funds to 200+ students and student-led organizations. Additionally, Briettny is a proud first-generation college graduate earning a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Masters in Education, Counseling, and Student Personnel. Although native to California, Briettny currently resides in Utah. When she’s not hiking or mountain biking, you can find her playing video games.

Programs Coordinator

Christina Hasaan

Christina Hasaan is the Programs Coordinator at Swipe Out Hunger. Christina received her B.A. in Sociology from Temple University. Before attending Temple, she transferred from the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) where she earned her Associates Degree in Liberal Arts, Social Behavior. Christina is a first-generation non-traditional student who believes that knowledge is the key to success, and everyone should have access to that key. As a teen mom she fought for equal public education in her high school and as an undergraduate student she continued to connect the gap between useful education and the people who need it most. She has been involved in creating change around campus by being a part of multiple organizations. She is a Philadelphia native who also enjoys gardening and taking her children to the park. 

Research Fellow

Christine Nguyen

Christine Nguyen is a Research Fellow at Swipe Out Hunger. She holds a B.S. in Public Health Science from the University of California, Irvine, where she was first exposed to food and basic needs insecurities on campus and in the surrounding community. Prior to joining Swipe Out Hunger, Christine was the ASUCI Food Security Co-Commissioner; she worked with other undergraduates and FRESH Basic Needs Hub to provide students with support and resources, such as “Zot Out Hunger.” Christine is currently a 2nd year MPH student at UCI and spends her free time with her family, friends, and Shiba Inu, Finn.

Grants Manager

Courtney Pate

Courtney Pate is the Grants Manager at Swipe Out Hunger, supporting philanthropic partnerships through proposal development and impact reporting. While working in the food service and grocery industries, she witnessed issues of food waste and inaccessibility, which led her to a career focused on food justice, education, and advocacy. She brings many years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and grants management, having provided funding support for food access and education programs in different communities across the country. Born and raised in Florida, you can usually find Courtney enjoying swampy nature walks around Louisiana or cuddling her cat.

Network Engagement Manager

Heather Parrie

Heather Parrie (HP) is the Network Engagement Manager at Swipe Out Hunger, where they connect and support the organization’s network of colleges. HP got their start in anti-hunger advocacy while studying at the University of Missouri, where they worked with the on-campus food pantry and completed a SNAP internship with Feeding Missouri, providing SNAP assistance and outreach around mid-Missouri and piloting a SNAP assistance program in Missouri prisons. After Mizzou, they went to work for The Campus Kitchens Project, and based at The Campus Kitchen at Northwestern, built community partnerships, managed summer food programs, and worked with students to build and strengthen anti-hunger initiatives on their campus. Before joining the Swipe Out Hunger team, they worked for Chicago-based project development studio and restaurant group Land and Sea Department, where they helped organize their staff pandemic relief fund and food delivery program. You can find them in Chicago, hitting up their local movie theatre, taking care of their pets and plants, and dreaming of their next trip. 

Executive Director

Jaime Hansen

Jaime Hansen is the Executive Director at Swipe Out Hunger. With over 20 years in the community benefit sector, Jaime has worked with national, state, and multi-county agencies to achieve stability and mission-driven success. Jaime currently resides in Boise, Idaho — a state with a strong agricultural community but large barriers to food and nutrition access. Her passion for justice and equity for basic needs is shaped by her childhood. With nomadic parents, she was offered an opportunity to live in different states across the country. Jaime has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychological Sciences as well as a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and returns to school every fall to teach Nonprofit Management at Boise State University. You can often find Jaime in the vast wilderness of Idaho on a raft or in snowshoes. She loves all things food and regularly experiments in cooking with her partner Xanti, a 5-year-old with dance fever, and their two dogs.

Director of Communications

Janelle Raymundo

Janelle (she/her) is the Director of Communications at Swipe Out Hunger, leading the organization’s communications strategy and branding. She received her B.A. in Social Work from Rutgers University, where she first engaged in addressing food insecurity, sustainability, and food justice through Alternative Breaks and serving the local community. Janelle then earned her M.Ed. in Higher Education & Student Affairs Administration from the University of Vermont and worked closely with students while developing digital marketing and design assets for offices across campus. Prior to joining Swipe Out Hunger, she worked in marketing and communications at Rutgers University with a focus on social media and student outreach. Janelle lives in New Jersey and enjoys taking care of her plants, spending time with her dog, and cooking.

Communications Coordinator

Jazmin Lopez

Jazmin (she/ella) is the Communications Coordinator at Swipe out Hunger, supporting the organization’s communications strategy and utilizing storytelling to further community building. She earned her B.A. at Yale University where she focused on health equity and media studies, while building community with other first-generation, low-income students. With experience across the non-profit and public health sectors, she has developed skills in copywriting and content management along with a foundation in data science. From collaborating with the Sudan Ministry of Health to transform local university research to filming a documentary about the HIV epidemic in eSwatini with the CDC, Jazmin’s experiences have solidified her passion for intersectional storytelling. Her approach to solving food insecurity is also informed by her personal experiences, which encourage her to prioritize empathy and asset-based framing. When Jazmin is not running with her dogs around Houston, you can find her knitting, eating pozole, or explaining why Paddington should be added to the Criterion Collection.

Chief Operations Officer

Josh Steinberg

Josh is the Chief Operations Officer at Swipe Out Hunger, where he is responsible for supporting the organization’s sustainability. Josh was born in Liverpool, England and grew up in Northwest Indiana. During college, Josh developed a passion for understanding the sociopolitical and economic underpinnings of hunger and food insecurity worldwide, especially while working in the office of Senator Richard Lugar where Josh focused his research on global food security for The Lugar Center. After graduating from Indiana University, Josh worked for the Illinois Department of Public Health, where he helped write legislation advocating for healthy communities throughout Illinois. Prior to joining Swipe Out Hunger, Josh was the Program Director at Tzedek America, where he developed educational programs for teens and young adults that focused on social justice issues in Los Angeles from a Jewish perspective. Josh earned his Masters in Jewish Professional Studies at Spertus College. He lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife Shani and their goldendoodle, Waldo.

National Advocacy Intern

Julia Ruth

Julia Ruth is the National Advocacy Intern at Swipe Out Hunger. She is a college student at Ohio State University, majoring in Public Policy with minors in Global Public Health and Epidemiology. She grew up in East Lansing, Michigan. Prior to joining Swipe Out Hunger, Julia interned with the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry where she worked within the nutrition portfolio and found her passion for state and federal nutrition policy. Through her work, Julia aspires to be a fierce advocate for equitable food access for all individuals of all demographics and to create change to address social and health disparities.

New York Organizer

Lia Guzman Genao

Lia Guzman Genao is the New York Organizer for Swipe Out Hunger. Lia is a college student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, majoring in Law & Society with a minor in Political Science. She was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States at the age of 13. This experience has helped her understand firsthand the struggles that working-class families face on a daily basis. She strongly believes in the power of civic engagement as a way to create systemic change. Through her work, Lia hopes to uplift, empower, and advocate for people of all backgrounds in the political process.

Partnerships Coordinator

Mariela Barraza

Mariela is the Partnerships Coordinator at Swipe Out Hunger where she helps strengthen the engagement of campuses and anti-hunger nonprofit partners. Mariela holds a B.A. in Sociology from The University of California, Santa Barbara, where she found her passion for reliable access to nutritious food for all. Prior to joining Swipe Out Hunger, Mariela was a CalFresh, Food Security, and Basic Needs advocate at Basic Needs UCSB where she had the unique experience of helping connect students to resources as an undergraduate student herself. Mariela strongly values an intersectional lens in food justice work to best support underrepresented students and students of all backgrounds. She enjoys coming together with friends and family through food and traveling.

Director of Philanthropic Partnerships

Renee Houle Catanzano

Renee Houle Catanzano is the Director of Philanthropic Partnerships at Swipe Out Hunger, leading the organization’s fundraising efforts and opportunities. With more than 10 years of nonprofit fundraising experience in human services and academic settings, Renee has a unique perspective on creating financial pathways to meet organizational milestones and long-term goals. Prior to joining Swipe Out Hunger, Renee served as Capital Campaign Manager at U.S.VETS, managing the fundraising program for the development of veteran supportive housing across the country. Before U.S.VETS, she was the Capital Campaign Manager and Director of Individual Giving at Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit focused on providing everyday essentials to children in homeless and low-income situations.  Renee’s passion lies in addressing barriers to basic needs, and she strives to engage others in improving our individual and collective well-being. Originally from Boston, MA, Renee holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Northeastern University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management degree from Bentley University. You can find Renee living in Los Angeles with her husband and rescue kitten Wednesday, drinking coffee, and playing her music way too loud.

Social Media Fellow

Rennica Junio

Rennica is the Social Media Fellow at Swipe Out Hunger. She is currently a second year pursuing a degree in communications at the University of California Los Angeles. It was at UCLA where she joined UCLA Swipe Out Hunger during her first year and eventually became the Social Media & Graphics Head, taking care of curating educational posts to inform students on food insecurity as well as advertising and marketing Swipe Out Hunger events around the community. In her free time, she loves to spend time with family, jam out to music, and geek out on Marvel.

Director of Advocacy

Robb Friedlander

Robb is the Director of Advocacy at Swipe Out Hunger, where he drives forward national and local advocacy campaigns focused on ending student hunger through campus, regional, and national solutions as part of the Research & Development Lab. Robb’s passion for organizing students for change began more than a decade ago and has extended into many different movements. From organizing disenfranchised communities for candidate campaigns, immigrant families for comprehensive immigration reform, or students for climate justice, he continues to believe in the power of grassroots movements to change our country. Before coming to Swipe Out Hunger, Robb served as the Advocacy Manager at Feeding America, where he organized and grew the advocacy power of our nation’s more than 200 food banks. Robb is fired up and ready to go, to keep building the movement he knows will one-day end hunger in America. Robb is originally from Kansas City (Go Chiefs!) and graduated from Hofstra University on Long Island, NY. You can find Robb in Brooklyn, NY living with his wife, adorable dog KayCee, and all the craft beer he can drink.

Programs Manager

Sage McCoy

Sage McCoy is the Programs Manager at Swipe Out Hunger. She found her passion for working against food insecurity through her passion for college student development. Sage holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.Ed. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Arkansas. She fell in love with the University of Arkansas’ Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry while volunteering, and in 2019 she was excited to be hired as the staff advisor for Full Circle Food Pantry and Razorback Food Recovery programs. For 3 years, Sage worked for the Center for Community Engagement at the UofA, advising and developing the young leaders that led and operated these service-focused food programs. She brings student and leadership development skills, a lens of compassion, and a fiery determination to empower student leaders to step up, ask hard questions, and do good work for their communities. Sage lives in Northwest Arkansas where she loves bothering her 3 adorably misbehaved cats and taking off into nature to sleep in her Subaru.

National Policy Manager

Shelley Mann

Shelley is the National Policy Manager at Swipe Out Hunger. Her enthusiasm for food justice brought her to the front doors of more than 36 food banks during her many years in this work. Shelley has always been a passionate advocate for social change and believes that the answer to food equity can only be found through gender, racial, and economic justice. Shelley’s focus has primarily been in the SNAP program. Most of which has been spent developing, evaluating, and directing food bank outreach programs to ensure that people have access to the benefits they are entitled to. Shelley joins us from the Food Bank for the Heartland and lives in Nebraska.

Director of Programs

Sydnie Monegan

Sydnie is the Director of Programs at Swipe Out Hunger. While working in community development for the past 15 years, Sydnie has come face to face with food insecurity at every point of her career. It became apparent to Sydnie that access to food was undeniably the most essential social determinant of health. Whether it was organizing the 30+ pantries servicing one of Chicago’s most under resourced communities, Englewood, to establishing the University Food Pantry at Chicago State University, Sydnie is committed to Food Justice. Sydnie holds a B.A. in Political Science and an M.PA in Public Administration. For years, Sydnie has been empowering, advising and developing young leaders to lead and operate service-focused food programs. She brings leadership and community development skills, a lens of empathy, and a determination to address the inequities in food accessibility.

National Field Manager

Zoe Duffield

Zoe is the National Field Manager at Swipe Out Hunger. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Connecticut, where her passion of advocacy grew while experiencing the multitude of social change issues college students face everyday. Prior to joining Swipe Out Hunger, Zoe was a Campus Organizer with MASSPIRg Students, where she trained and developed the next generation of student activists on campaigns ranging from climate change to food insecurity. Originally from the Bay Area, Zoe now resides in Western MA, where she enjoys hiking and cooking in her free time.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Secretary & Audit Chair

Ben Woo

Treasurer

Dr. Christopher J. Nellum

Chair of the Board

David Croom

Director of the Board

David Nasser Haverim

Chair Emeritus

Libby Jacobson

Director of the Board

Michael Block

Director of the Board

Dr. Rashida Crutchfield

Director of the Board

Ruth Suzman

Director of the Board

Sanjay Reddy

Secretary & Audit Chair

Ben Woo

Ben Woo is the Founder and Managing Director of QC Strategy, a research-based consultancy that lives in the gap between ad agencies and strategy consulting firms. Having worked for both in the past (TBWA\Chiat\Day and Monitor Group, respectively), he draws on his marketing strategy and growth strategy experience in a breadth of industries including consumers goods, healthcare, technology and not-for-profit. Ben serves as the Secretary & Audit Chair for the Board of Directors at Swipe Out Hunger. Ben holds a B.A. from Northwestern University in Economics and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences, and spends his free time cooking, surfing, golfing, volunteering, and going to concerts.

Treasurer

Dr. Christopher J. Nellum

Dr. Christopher Nellum (he/him/his) is the Executive Director of The Education Trust–West, a nonprofit education equity organization focused on educational justice and closing achievement and opportunity gaps for students of color and students from lower-income communities from preschool through college.  Nellum co-led the creation of a three-year strategic plan and deepened the organization’s expertise in early childhood education, K-12, and higher education. He has led successful advocacy efforts to ensure equity in the K-12 accountability system, create a statewide cradle-to-career data system, address food insecurity for college students, and ensure that every high school senior completes a financial aid application before they graduate. In addition, Nellum was the founding co-chair of the California Higher Education Equity Coalition.  Nellum has worked with the National Center for Institutional Diversity, Young Invincibles, and the American Council on Education. Nellum completed his undergraduate degree at UC Santa Barbara, master’s degree at CSU Long Beach, and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. He mentors young Black and Latinx students through his volunteer work with college access programs like Berkeley Community Scholars. Nellum is serving in the biggest role of his lifetime as a father of a baby girl. He is married to Dr. Alexis Jackson, an Oakland native and marine conservation scientist and ocean policy advocate.

Chair of the Board

David Croom

David Croom is Assistant Director of Ascend at the Aspen Institute, where he leads the Postsecondary Success for Parents (PSP) Initiative. Centered on a two-generation (2Gen) approach, which focuses on creating opportunities to address the needs of children and the adults in their lives simultaneously, the PSP Initiative urges postsecondary leaders to identify and meet the needs of student parents and their families, by connecting with policymakers to strengthen political will among states and regions, and bringing innovative family-support models to the forefront.  David has a background in postsecondary and policy initiatives from coast to coast. Prior to joining Ascend, David was HBCU Lead and Higher Education Designer at Education Design Lab where he led an institutional engagement with UNCF’s Career Pathways Initiative. For over four years, David was a strategy officer in Lumina Foundation’s Washington, D.C. office where he focused on federal policy and pursued issues pertaining to postsecondary finance. Before Lumina, he was a policy analyst focused on federal postsecondary education in ACT’s office of strategic initiatives and, during graduate school, spent a year working at nonprofit PolicyLink with their California Boys and Men of Color Initiative work as well as consulting the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and nonprofit California Competes. David holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and a bachelor’s degree from MIT’s Sloan School of Management with a minor in political science.

Director of the Board

David Nasser Haverim

David is a businessman having launched and run several successful businesses in the garment industry after moving to the states with little to start. David turned to invest his successes in philanthropy through his nonprofit World Unity Organization that supports local efforts to bring people together. He has his B.A. from the Florida International University. 

Chair Emeritus

Libby Jacobson

Libby Jacobson is a business development and strategy consultant for nascent impact enterprises in the greater Los Angeles area. Libby’s background includes 13 years of Wall Street experience in institutional equity research and sales. While raising her four children, she spent many years volunteering. It was then that she realized the need to create sustainable solutions for issues affecting her local and global communities. Addressing homelessness has been her passion and priority. Libby is a Chartered Financial Analyst and earned an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas in Austin and an M.S. in Social Entrepreneurship from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab at USC, the Social Enterprise committee for Downtown Women’s Center and is Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors for Swipe Out Hunger. Currently, she is also involved with outreach to homeless young adults at Safe Place for Youth where she is helping to build out their social enterprise, as well.

Director of the Board

Michael Block

Michael Block is an entrepreneur and philanthropist. He began his career at Hasbro and continues in the toy and game industry with over 20 year’s experience in international sales and marketing. In addition, he has been in the health and wellness industry for the past 10 years owning greenmonkey® yoga and currently is a private investor in several initiatives. He currently sits on the Boards of Voices for Children, Feeding South Florida,  Swipe Out Hunger and the Block Family Foundation. Michael earned his BA from American University. 

Director of the Board

Dr. Rashida Crutchfield

Dr. Rashida Crutchfield is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and Director of the Center for Equitable Higher Education, which is a research center dedicated to studying and promoting economic, food, and housing justice. She is also an advocate committed to amplifying the voices of marginalized communities through research and service. Prior to her work at CSULB, she served on the staff of Covenant House California, a shelter for 18-to-24-year-olds experiencing homelessness. This experience blossomed a passion to support this student population. Dr. Crutchfield was a Principal Investigator for the California State University Office of the Chancellor study on food and housing security. Her work has been instrumental in the development of programs and services for students experiencing housing and food insecurity at all 23 CSU campuses. Her continued research and advocacy on basic needs for students has garnered statewide and national attention. She has provided input on state policy and provides consultation and support to agencies, and higher education staff, faculty, and administrators across the nation.  Dr. Crutchfield has authored or co-authored many articles, including “The starving student narrative: How normalizing deprivation reinforces basic need insecurity in higher education”. Co-authored with Drs. Ronald Hallett and Jennifer Maguire, her text Addressing Homelessness and Housing Insecurity in Higher Education: Strategies for Educational Leaders is used as a manual for developing programs and services to support student basic needs throughout the country.

Director of the Board

Ruth Suzman

Ruth Suzman is a dedicated volunteer, philanthropist, and non-profit advisor. Having earned degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University, today Ruth works with organizations that help advance social justice and organizations that help strengthen the Jewish community. She is currently serving as global board chair for BBYO, the leading pluralistic Jewish youth movement. Nationally, Ruth is a board member of the Vanderbilt University Hillel (Nashville), she serves on the advisory council of the College of Liberal Arts at UT (Austin) and on the board of directors of the MB and Edna Zale Foundation (Dallas). In her local work, Ruth is Chair Emerita of the Board of the Westchester Community College Foundation, and a member of the advisory council to the Westchester Community Foundation (local division of the NY Community Trust). Additionally, Ruth serves as a member of the Visiting Committee to the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC). She is proud to be a part of the movement to end hunger on college campuses.

Director of the Board

Sanjay Reddy

Sanjay is a co-founding partner of Unlock Venture Partners, an early stage venture capital firm focused on investing in tech companies in Seattle and Los Angeles. Sanjay has demonstrated successes in diverse arenas, including M&A banking on Wall Street (Salomon Smith Barney), entertainment and digital media in Hollywood (Gemstar-TV Guide), and technology in Silicon Valley (Covad Communications). Apart from being an executive at mid-size and large cap public companies, Sanjay also has broad experience with private technology startups (as a co-founder/investor/advisor/operator) and has successfully completed the sale of the last three companies he has worked at, including the public sale of Gemstar-TV Guide in 2008. Sanjay currently serves on the board of the Price Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UCLA Anderson; he holds a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University and an MBA in Finance from UCLA Anderson.

LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

Learn more about Leadership Council.

Anthony D. Barros

Loyola Marymount University

Dr. Brett Bruner

Missouri Western State University

Jaime L. Russell, Ed.D.

University of North Carolina, Wilmington

Jonathan Subttlefield

Western Washington University

Joy Kostansek

University of Cincinnati

Katherine Cowley

University of Montana

Katherine Morales

Hudson County Community College

Keith A. Soster

University of Michigan

Laura Robinson-Doyle, Ph.D.

Southern Methodist University

Leigh Ann Stutts-Wuellner

University of Southern California

Lisa Unger, Ph.D.

Brazosport College

Robyn King

SUNY Schenectady County Community College

Shannon K. Orr

Bowling Green State University

Vashi Worley Moore

Phoenix College

William Guerrero

University of Bridgeport

OUR FOUNDING STORY

Founded by Rachel Sumekh and her friends at the University of California Los Angeles in 2010, Swipe Out Hunger is now the leading national nonprofit working to end college student hunger. Its original model is the Swipe Drive, which enables students to donate their extra meals to their peers facing food insecurity on campus. From there, Rachel and her growing team scaled this program to other campuses, centering student voices and action in the national conversation to end college hunger.

Rachel grew from a shy college student into a national leader and an expert on college hunger and basic needs. Her work with Swipe Out Hunger has been recognized by The Obama White House as a “Champion of Change,” and the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Under her leadership, Swipe Out Hunger has evolved from one student-led organization to the systems-changing nonprofit we are today.