FoodCorps Announces New President

FoodCorps Announces New President

Educator and justice advocate Dr. Robert S. Harvey to propel FoodCorps towards 2030 goals

Media Contact: 
foodcorps@sunshinesachs.com

NEW YORK CITY (February 8, 2022) – Today FoodCorps, a national nonprofit that connects kids to healthy food in schools, announced the appointment of Dr. Robert S. Harvey as its first president. Dr. Harvey will work closely with FoodCorps’ Chief Executive Officer to co-lead the organization. 

“I am thrilled to partner with Dr. Harvey as we bring FoodCorps’ ambitious 2030 goal to life: a future where every child has access to food education and nourishing food in school,” says Curt Ellis, co-founder and CEO of FoodCorps. “Rob is going to be an outstanding partner and leader in that effort, especially with his deep experience at the crossroads of education and justice.”

Dr. Harvey is an educator, community strategist, advocate for justice and equity, and writer. Prior to joining FoodCorps, he served as Superintendent of East Harlem Scholars Academies, a network of New York City community-based public charter schools, and as Chief Academic Officer of East Harlem Tutorial Program, managing a multi-site, out-of-school time and postsecondary pathways program and a teaching residency. He is also a Pahara Institute Fellow and Visiting Professor in the Practice of Public Leadership at Memphis Theological Seminary. 

Prior to his work in New York City, Dr. Harvey served as chief operating officer of Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically Black college in Louisville, and as an elementary school leader in Memphis. Throughout his work, he has led with deep commitment to innovating for the public good, developing people, and creating equitable conditions for belonging.  

“I am honored to work alongside, learn from, and engage in leading the thoughtful, dedicated, and passionate educators, advocates, policymakers, and all stakeholders who embody a bold vision of ensuring healthy food access for all children in this nation as a human right,” stated Dr. Robert Harvey. “At this critical moment of bending the arc of the moral universe for our nation, and a moment in which we must act with the greatest urgency to ensure that all children have healthy food access ‘for their bodies and minds, for their dignity and their spirits,’ echoing the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., I could not imagine a more aligned continuation of my life’s calling than joining the FoodCorps team as president.”

FoodCorps’ Board Chair, John Gomperts, executive fellow at the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading echoed the enthusiasm about Dr. Harvey’s appointment: “The Board is enormously impressed with Rob’s vision of an education system that recognizes and meets the needs and gifts of each and every child, and the special, powerful role that food can play. We know more clearly than ever that schools do best when they take a holistic approach to young people’s learning and development. We are excited for all the ways that Rob’s vision, energy, and genius will lead FoodCorps into its next chapter.”

“As a board member, I’ve seen the internal journey of the FoodCorps team to hold themselves accountable to goals of organizational excellence and equity, key drivers of their ability to deliver on such a bold vision,” said Aliya Hussaini, M.D., M.Sc., FoodCorps board member and health portfolio director at the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. “Rob Harvey’s leadership in taking FoodCorps to the next level of organizational strength and execution will maximize the contributions of a fantastic team relentlessly focused on food justice.”

Dr. Harvey has a doctorate in leadership and society from Memphis Theological Seminary; master of theological studies and certificate of school management and leadership from Harvard University; bachelor’s degree from Bryant University, and has completed the Harvard Institute for Superintendents and District Leaders. He is the author of Abolitionist Leadership in Schools: Undoing Systemic Injustice through Communally Conscious Education (Routledge, 2021) and co-author of Teaching as Protest: Emancipating Classrooms through Racial Consciousness (Routledge, 2022). Additionally, he has written for various publications, including Education Week, Chalkbeat, Education Dive, and TheGrio.

About FoodCorps 
Together with communities, FoodCorps connects kids to healthy food in school so that every child—regardless of race, place, or class—gets the nourishment they need to thrive. Our AmeriCorps leaders transform schools into places where all students learn what healthy food is, care where it comes from, and eat it every day. Building on this foundation of direct impact, FoodCorps develops leaders, forges networks, and pursues policy reforms that in time have the potential to improve all of our nation’s 100,000 schools. To learn more about FoodCorps’ work across the country, visit http://www.foodcorps.org or follow @foodcorps on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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