Staff and Board

We are a roll-up your sleeves and get it done group of people

Staff Members

Denise is a versatile Executive Director with over 10 years of leadership expertise in the Idaho nonprofit sector. She has strong working relationships with strategic partners around the state. In 2021, after seven years with the Idaho Farmers Market Association, Denise took the reins of the Task Force. In this role, she promotes the mission and optimizes organizational effectiveness. Denise is passionate about managing and overseeing the association’s daily operations, including obtaining funding, appreciating donors, facilitating Board activities, managing staff, and ensuring compliance with all local, state, and federal rules and regulations. Formerly, as Director of the Idaho Farmers Market Association, Denise successfully expanded access to local foods for SNAP recipients.

Kasey Giles
AmeriCorps VISTA

Kasey is an aspiring Registered Dietitian with an interest in finding ways to increase access to local produce, close the gap between producer and consumer, and ensure that all communities feel supported nutritionally. With a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics and a Minor in Public Health, as well as years of community health-centered work and volunteer experience, she hopes to build on her knowledge and grow in her understanding of the impacts community organizations and public policy play on community health.

Nyenuchi Okemgbo Marketing

Nyenuchi Okemgbo is a student athlete at Boise State University who’s passionate about people getting the resources they need. She is a communications major but has done some graphic design work in the past. She joined the team to see the ins and outs of fighting hunger insecurity and now posts on the Task Force’s social media pages.

Oliver Thompson
Volunteer Extraordinaire

Oliver Thompson is an emerging leader in the field of public health. After a long career in corporate high tech (Apple and HP), Oliver has been exploring opportunities to make a difference in the areas of health equity, environmental justice, and food security. Thrilled to be working in partnership with the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force, Oliver also keeps himself busy with walks and bike rides on the Greenbelt, feeding the birds, and playing the violin in a couple of local bands.

Board Members

Dawn Pierce, LPN

Dawn Pierce is the National Organizing Manager for Hunger Free America and a Licensed Practical Nurse. She has lived in Boise, Idaho, for 33 years. Dawn offers a lived experience as a hunger and poverty survivor. She shared the story of losing her job during the great recession, needing SNAP, while raising a teenage son and managing health concerns at the 2103 Bread for the World’s National Gathering and in the 2016 World Institute’s Hunger Report. In 2016, Dawn participated in a White House panel discussion with Rep. Jim McGovern highlighting child hunger in America. She attended the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Dawn serves on the Alliance to End Hunger Advisory Council and is a community advocate for the Idaho Food Bank.She is a former member of the Bread for the World Board of Directors.

Barbara Gordon EdD, RDN

Barbara Gordon is an Associate Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Idaho State University and Registered Dietitian. She has decades of experience developing, implementing, and evaluating programming for nonprofit organizations, including the American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association. For five years, she served as the Executive Director of the Interstitial Cystitis Association, a nonprofit advocating for patients with chronic bladder pain. Barbara’s expertise spans health communications, health literacy, programming, and nonprofit management. Dr. Gordon has presented and published on food security issues, including evaluations on the efficacy of fruit and vegetable prescription programs. She is a vice chair of the Idaho Interfaith Roundtable Against Hunger Board of Conveners.

Kayla Brisby, LCSW

Kayla Brisby is a licensed Clinical Social Worker and Non-Capital Mitigation Specialist. As a social worker, Kayla has worked in several different community settings. Experiences range from community mental health to the criminal legal system to college student services at Boise State University. Kayla also had the opportunity to complete an internship as a Care Navigator with the Idaho Hunger Relief Task Force while pursuing her undergraduate degree. Through this internship and her professional experiences, Kayla has developed a passion for fighting food insecurity, advocating for social justice, and cultivating communities. Kayla holds both a bachelor's and master's degree in Social Work from Boise State University. She is honored for the opportunity to be of service to others as a member of the IHRTF Board of Directors.

Do you belief in the mission of the IHRTF? Then we want you! We are looking for new board members.

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