Amy Diehl

Community Kitchen Coordinator

Amy had been volunteering for ten years and thought so highly of the organization that she was volunteering three days a week. When a job opportunity opened up at the Community Kitchen, she thought it would be a perfect fit! When she’s not at work, Amy likes to travel, read, run, and spend time with her daughter Emily.

Andrew Brengle

Warehouse Assistant

Andrew came to Food Gatherers after being a Weekly Warrior volunteer at the Food Gatherers Community Kitchen for many years. He is thankful for the opportunity to be on the team, as he feels a strong responsibility to reduce suffering in the world.

Andrew Paniagua

Community Food Programs Coordinator

Born in Australia to an Australian mother and Spanish father, Andrew worked as a language teacher in Australia, Spain, and the United States prior to joining Food Gatherers. Andrew is passionate about community service and is excited to use his international background and experience in education to help reach the communities that Food Gatherers serves in the fight against hunger. Andrew also enjoys cooking, gardening, soccer, cricket, wrestling crocodiles, and spending time with his family.

Charlotte Csicsila

Chief Development Officer

Sharing the belief that access to food is a basic human right, Charlotte joined Food Gatherers as Chief Development Officer in 2024. Charlotte brings more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit fund development field and a passion for helping people find fulfillment through opportunities to contribute to a mission that improves lives in our community. When she’s not gathering for work, Charlotte enjoys family time and hiking in the great outdoors.

Christina Roberts

Community Kitchen Coordinator

Christina started by helping out at the Community Kitchen teaching knife safety with the Community Kitchen Job Training Program. The program was designed to engage students in learning skills that could transfer to getting a job in the food service industry. Christina is so grateful to be working with all the generous and kind volunteers in the Community Kitchen, making and serving meals to help those who are food insecure. For fun she loves camping, swimming, music festivals and spending time with friends.

Dan Seling

Warehouse Manager

Growing up, Food Gatherers was a big part of Dan’s life. His family has attended Grillin’ for many years and for several years he was a regular volunteer at Food Gatherers Community Kitchen. He is proud to now be a staff member of such a great organization and team. It is fulfilling to know that the work that he does daily helps to provide an important community service.

Danielle Wyman

Volunteer Coordinator

Danielle joined Food Gatherers in November of 2021. She transitioned from a position in natural resource stewardship and is interested in the interconnectedness between environmental health and human nutrition. She is very excited to be playing a role in the fight against hunger with Food Gatherers. Danielle was born and raised in Maine where she loved to snowboard and surf with her family. Since moving to Michigan, she enjoys riding her bike, practicing yoga, and crafting.

Dave Buchel

Inventory Control Coordinator

Starting as a volunteer in May 2011 and becoming a staff member five months later, Dave has enjoyed being a part of the Food Gatherers family, helping people in need in Washtenaw County. He feels very fortunate to be a part of FG, especially within the incredibly giving community of greater Ann Arbor.

Eileen Spring

President / CEO
eileen@foodgatherers.org

Eileen Spring joined Food Gatherers in 1994 to oversee fundraising and volunteer management. She soon became the CEO and it’s been a whirlwind of a joyful journey to fight hunger where we live. She is constantly inspired by the staff, volunteers, and community partners to share more food and goodwill. She believes that in a land of plenty, no one should be hungry. When not gathering, Eileen loves to travel and play Scrabble.

Emma Cochran

Manager of Annual Giving & Grant Development

Emma joined Food Gatherers in 2024. In her past work helping low-income individuals access health services, she saw how much health and nutrition impact a person’s life. She is excited to work for this great organization that helps so many in the community. When not at work, she enjoys reading, playing violin with the Dexter Community Orchestra, and testing new recipes.

Franky Bennett

Food Runner

Franky has been a lifelong resident of the Detroit Metro area and is always looking to give back to the community, trying to leave things better than the way he found them if he can. After volunteering for many years with special needs kids, the chance to work with Food Gatherers seemed like a perfect fit. Traveling and making music are also great passions, and being eager to learn new things makes every day an adventure. There is no better way to meet people and try to bring the community together than being a part of Food Gatherers.

Gabrielle Tazzia

Development Admin Support

Gabrielle joined Food Gatherers in 2024 as an administrative assistant but has been involved with the fight against hunger since 2001 when she used to drag her young children to Hunger Coalition sites to serve meals. Since then she has been a regular volunteer at the Community Kitchen and at the warehouse front desk in addition to doing behind the scenes administrative work. In her spare time she enjoys playing in the dirt (i.e. gardening), riding her bike around town, and working on a variety of fiber arts related activities.

Jae Brown

Food Runner

As a creative with a background in the arts, Jae always looked for work that satisfied him on a deeper level. Along his journey he has gathered many diverse experiences, developing a jack-of-all-trades approach to life. Having a father who had benefited greatly from the work of Food Gatherers, it almost seemed like common sense for him to join the team, giving action to one of his many strongly held convictions.

James Everhart

Manager of Volunteer Programs

James graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. He enjoys working with all of the great volunteers!

Jeff Grigg

Food Runner

Jeff joined our food runner team in 2013. He enjoys the relationships he has with the donors, agencies, and co-workers, and, more importantly, serving the mission of providing nutritious food to people in need. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and has lived in several cities around the U.S. and in South Korea.

Jeff Wells

Food Run Manager

Jeff joined Food Gatherers in August of 2016. He is very enthusiastic about fighting food insecurity, serving his community, and feels lucky to be on the front lines in our fight against hunger. Jeff is also a musician and has 2 children that he loves to spend time with.

John Reed

Director of Warehouse Operations

John Reed, Director of Warehouse Operations, has been with Food Gatherers since September 2002, helping build and shape our strong, service-oriented team. John thrives on the depth and breadth of appreciation Food Gatherers receives for their work and feels fortunate to have been entrusted to perform this important work with an amazing collection of people in service to Washtenaw County.

Jordan Jackson, MSW

HR Manager and Board Liaison

Jordan joined the Food Gatherers team as a volunteer in January 2012. He was hired as a Food Runner in December 2013 and is now the HR Manager and Board Liaison. Jordan enjoys running long distances, cycling, and listening to strange music. Jordan is honored to be part of a team that provides nutritious food to the community and that believes that access to food is a basic human right!

Josh Cantor

Food Runner

Food Runner Josh Cantor loves helping people through his work and appreciates the company of his fellow Gatherers. A staff member since April 2009, Josh takes pleasure in helping the community in small ways and working for a good cause. His favorite Food Gatherers memory is the day he was hired.

Larry Sanna

Program Evaluator

Larry Sanna, Program Evaluator, researches strategies to alleviate hunger by increasing access to healthy food across Food Gatherers’ programs. He has experience as a market and consumer researcher, communications content designer, consultant, and professor. Having volunteered at Food Gatherers since 2012, Larry is thrilled to help reduce food insecurity and to make a real difference for those in need.

LeRonica Roberts

Community Food Programs Manager

LeRonica was born and raised in Washtenaw County. She enjoys doing things with family and is happy to be part of an organization that is passionate about helping those in need with dignity. Fun fact: LeRonica met and talked with President Bill Clinton every morning while he was running for President!

Lynn Fiorentino

Office Coordinator

Lynn joined Food Gatherers after many years of volunteering for Food Gatherers at Grillin’ and the Community Kitchen. She is grateful for the opportunity to serve her community and coworkers in her position as Office Coordinator and loves delivering cheerful announcements over the intercom. When not pretending to be the warehouse DJ, she loves reading, coddling her cats, making things, and more reading.

Markell Miller, MPH

Director of Community Food Programs

Upon moving to Michigan in 2013, Markell was immediately drawn to Food Gatherers and the palpable, positive “we’ll figure it out” spirit. Markell is grateful for the trust and responsibility the greater Washtenaw community has given Food Gatherers and is committed to serving the community in her role. She feels lucky to be at an organization that is dually focused on meeting the current need and working to prevent that need in the first place.

Pat Fallon

Volunteer Coordinator

Gatherer, Pat Mechanical Dossier
Wingspan: 3ish Ft.
Carrot Capacity: Unknown
Hydraulic Potential: 10
Subject played a key role in the hand cart incident of 1991. The Pat model outfitted with top-of-the-line gathering tech and is expected to transport 1000s of pounds of food each day.

Rick Larson-Asplund

Food Runner

Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Rick graduated from EMU and taught alternative students in Washington State, Oregon, and Michigan. Having a strong commitment to the local community, he has worked for the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and various for-profit businesses. He is excited to have joined the team in Washtenaw County providing food wherever it is needed and strongly believes that everyone has a right to basic needs. Rick is happily married and enjoys cooking, gardening, fishing, soccer, and Caribbean/Latino culture. One Love!

Robert Peterson

Food Runner

Robert was born and raised in Washtenaw County. For over seven years, he worked as an elementary school teacher. His first connection with Food Gatherers was as a summer mobile food driver with the Summer Food Service Program, where he distributed free meals to kids and teens. After three summers, he decided to join Food Gatherers’ team full-time. Robert says, “I love being a part of the change, no matter how big or small.”

Rolanda Logan

Community Food Programs Coordinator

Rolanda joined Food Gatherers in October 2020. She is an Ypsilanti native who enjoys serving her community. Before joining FG, she led youth and schools programming, teaching children about wellness, healthy eating, and connecting families to healthy food resources. She then continued with supporting seniors facing hunger throughout Ypsi. Rolanda is honored to be a part of Food Gatherers to continue helping and advocating for anyone facing hunger. When not at FG, she enjoys exploring new places, yoga, and spending time with her husband and family.

Rusty Brach

Finance Manager

Rusty Brach started doing accounting on ledger sheets back in the seventh grade to help out his mother at the family business. That was about the time he learned how to garden, helping the family grow food for the table. In the intervening years, he’s still doing accounting and still growing food. The two pursuits have contributed to his lifelong interest in food security and eliminating hunger. He is honored to serve Food Gatherers as their Finance Manager and hopes to give back to the community that has been such a rich part of his life. Here’s to green eye-shades and dirty fingernails!

Scott Mihalik

Food Runner

Scott joined Food Gatherers in August 2018 as a part-time Warehouse Assistant and as a full-time Food Runner in December 2018. He lives in Ann Arbor after previously living in Saline, and he is thrilled to be working hands-on to help mitigate food insecurity in our community. When not at FG, he enjoys going to museums and other cultural destinations, playing board games, and running in circles at weekly track workouts with friends.

Scott Roubeck

Community Kitchen Manager

Gatherer since April 2008, Scott Roubeck offers comfort, stability, and hope to hungry clients, one nutritious and delicious plate at a time, in our Community Kitchen as a Community Kitchen Manager. His favorite Food Gatherers’ memory is: “One day a local pizzeria donated 40 pizzas for us to serve at lunch. Afterward, a client who eats with us every day came up to me in tears. I thought she was upset. She said that she always gets a great meal at the Community Kitchen but was moved to tears because she had not eaten restaurant food in several years. She said it made her feel very special!”

Scott Stark

Food Runner

Scott joined Food Gatherers in December of 2018 as a Food Runner. Scott lives in Ypsilanti with his girlfriend. When Scott is not working, he loves golf, hunting, and fishing, but nothing compares to spending time with his children and granddaughter Teagen.

Suzi Peterson Steward

Community Kitchen Coordinator

Suzi Peterson Steward became a volunteer back in 2013. Her background is in arts administration, specifically in music and theatre. She has always had a passion for serving the homeless and food insecure in this community and was thrilled to join the Community Kitchen as a part-time coordinator after she retired from her theatre management job.

Tom Neil

Warehouse Assistant

Tom started at Food Gatherers in the fall of 2020. Having previously been in the automotive repair business, he wanted to do more fulfilling work. In his spare time, he enjoys playing music and gaming with friends.

Trever Champine

Food Runner

Trever Champine has been with Food Gatherers since July 2010 and loves his work as a Food Runner. Trever enjoys the happy environment he finds at Food Gatherers, his time at Grillin’ each year, living life to the fullest, and helping the community.

Dan Shafer

Food Runner

Amy Diehl

Andrew Brengle

Andrew Paniagua

Charlotte Csicsila

Christina Roberts

Dan Seling

Danielle Wyman

Dave Buchel

Eileen Spring

Emma Cochran

Franky Bennett

Gabrielle Tazzia

Jae Brown

James Everhart

Jeff Grigg

Jeff Wells

John Reed

Jordan Jackson, MSW

Josh Cantor

Larry Sanna

LeRonica Roberts

Lynn Fiorentino

Markell Miller, MPH

Pat Fallon

Rick Larson-Asplund

Robert Peterson

Rolanda Logan

Rusty Brach

Scott Mihalik

Scott Roubeck

Scott Stark

Suzi Peterson Steward

Tom Neil

Trever Champine

Staff

Dan Shafer