Category: News || By Staff and Submitted Report

The region's largest food bank has stayed close to home in its search for a new chief executive officer.

Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, based in Duquesne, has named Lisa A. Scales to lead the organization. Scales, who currently serves as the food bank's chief operating officer, has worked for the organization for 16 years.

She succeeds D. Jermaine Husser, who announced in June that he was leaving the food bank after less than a year. Husser, a native of Charleston, S.C., said his family was unhappy living in the Pittsburgh area.

A resident of Wilkinsburg, where she serves on the school board, Scales is an attorney by training who graduated from Greensburg's Seton Hill University and the Boston University School of Law.

"Lisa Scales has earned the confidence and respect of our Board as she has proven over the years to be one of the underlying strengths of this organization," said Matt Swider, president of the food bank's board of directors. "Her operations experience, leadership skills and passion for the cause will continue to serve the Food Bank's mission well throughout southwestern Pennsylvania."

Founded in 1980, the food bank collects and distributes food to the needy through a network of 400 food pantries in 11 southwestern Pennsylvania counties from its 94,000 square foot warehouse in Duquesne.

"There is an ever-growing need to help the hungry in our own back yard, and our plans focus on continued development of (the food bank) to meet these demands in a challenging economy," Scales said. "We are grateful to all of our agency's partners, volunteers and the support of individuals, foundations and corporate donors to help fulfill our mission.

"It is a privilege for me to serve along our dedicated staff in this capacity," she said.

In addition to her work for the food bank, Scales also sits on the grant-making committee of the Three Rivers Community Foundation and has been active in the Community Food Security Coalition, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, and the Eastern Region Association of Food Banks.

She participated in disaster relief efforts in New York City following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and in Louisiana following Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina.

Swider called Scales "a humanitarian who has dedicated her career to support those living with hunger and poverty" and said she deserves a share of the credit for the food bank's continued stability. During the last fiscal year, he said, the food bank served more meals and food than ever before in its history.

In her most recent role, Scales was responsible for daily operations of the food bank, as well as volunteer programs, agency relations, nutrition services and procurement and marketing of product to member agencies.

(Editor's Note: This story was written mainly from a press release by Iris Valanti, spokeswoman for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Scales' photo courtesy Leadership Pittsburgh Inc.)

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