Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico names new leader

Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico has named a new president and CEO, the nonprofit announced following an extensive search process to replace its former leader who announced her resignation earlier this year.

Dana Yost, who has 13 years of experience in food banking, will take over Aug. 31. Yost comes from the Arizona Food Bank Network, where he served as vice president of supply chain operations. He will be the sixth person to lead the food bank since its founding in 1979.

“Roadrunner Food Bank’s board of directors collaborated with The Batten Group Executive Search & Consulting to find the best candidate,” said Dinah Garcia Tolley, board chair for Roadrunner Food Bank. “We are most excited about Yost’s visionary leadership, passion and experience. With his leadership, we believe Roadrunner Food Bank will make an even greater impact (on) our New Mexico communities.”

Yost replaces former president and CEO Mag Strittmatter, who announced her retirement in late April. Strittmatter officially retired from the position in June and Linda Weeden filled in as interim president and CEO until Roadrunner Food Bank’s board of directors found a full-time replacement.

Yost’s role at the Arizona Food Bank Network saw him manage the Nogales Produce Rescue Operation and other operations to help build coalitions between U.S.-based and Mexico-based food banks focused on supporting produce across international borders.

His work with the Nogales team, the news release said, helped bring more than 100 million pounds of edible produce to the Arizona Food Bank Network and other food banks across the country.

Yost also served as the chief operations officer of the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona from 2016 through 2021 — where he oversaw daily operations for the food bank’s main facility in Tucson and its produce rescue and repack facility in Nogales — and was a founding member of the Southwest Produce Cooperative.

He has a bachelor’s degree in English from Grand Canyon University and a master’s degree in English from Northern Arizona University, according to the news release.

In a statement to the Journal, Yost said it “takes a community to truly make a difference when it comes to food insecurity.”

“Part of our role is to be a convener in coalition and partnership-building for our neighbors facing hunger in our state,” he said. “I invite everyone to the table to help us in this work — from individuals to organizations to businesses small and large to local and state governmental entities, and communities of color. We are all in this together. It will take all of us to change the narrative of what it means for our communities to be hunger-free in today’s world.”