Our Board

Kären Woodruff

Board Chair
Wells Fargo

  • Kären Woodruff is Vice President, Corporate Philanthropy and Community Relations, for the Wells Fargo Foundation for Northern and Central California Region. She has 30 years of experience in business development, marketing, outreach, community engagement and relationship building at various organizations. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, she served as Associate Executive Director for Stanford Youth Solutions, Director of Corporate Relations with UC Davis Health System and Director of New Business Development at Amdocs. Kären has served on several local boards, including Disabled Sports USA, St. Ignatius Parish School and Kids Helping Kids. She is currently a board member of the Los Rios Foundation and SFBFS’ Board Chair.

Linda Meyers

Vice Chair
Retired Educator

  • Linda Meyers came to the board with a background in academic health care administration and elementary school education. She is a passionate mentor for students of all ages, a passion that extends to her other community activities such as the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Society Alliance and the UC Davis School of Medicine Admissions Committee. Linda is a graduate of Sacramento State with a degree in sociology/social work and a California Professional Clear Multiple-Subjects Teaching Credential. Linda, her husband, Fred, and their son have active lifestyles in the region, and their vacations have taken them to many of the National Parks in North America and other parts of the world. Linda looks forward to many years of active engagement in the Sacramento region. Linda is currently SFBFS’ Board Vice Chair.

Keith Ketcher

Secretary
Deloitte

  • Keith Ketcher is a Principal with Deloitte Consulting in the Government and Public Services practice. He and his teams partner with state government agencies to create, maintain and enhance technology solutions for large-scale health and human services programs. Keith and his wife, Gina, have two sons. They are involved with many community-based activities and events and active members of their church. Keith serves as Secretary of the SFBFS Board of Directors.

Helen Singmaster

Treasurer
Raley’s

  • Helen Singmaster Hernández is the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Raley’s. Helen previously worked in the Sacramento office of Downey Brand, participating in several mergers and acquisitions, including Raley’s acquisition of Nob Hill Foods. She has over 20 years of experience in the grocery and pharmacy business. Helen has a BA in Slavic languages and literatures from UC Berkeley and a JD from the University of Notre Dame Law School. She has served on the Board of St. John’s Shelter for Women and Children and co-chaired the first Mentor Program at C.K. McClatchy High School’s Law & Public Policy Academy. Helen, a mom, stepmom and abuela, shares her love of swimming and the great outdoors with her husband, Paul. Helen is currently the Chair of SFBFS’ Finance Committee.

Lydia Ramirez

Chair, Audit Committee
Five Star Bank

  • Lydia Ramirez serves as Five Star Bank’s Senior Vice President, Chief Operations & DEI Officer. She previously served as their Senior Vice President & Director of Operations and the Senior Vice President, Director of Branch Administration. Lydia has over 16 years of experience in senior level banking and is skilled in strategic inclusion implementation, operational process and sales management. Before joining Five Star Bank, she served as Vice President & Multi-Branch Manager at MUFG Union Bank. Lydia graduated from the University of California, Davis, with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, and recently graduated from California State University, Sacramento, with a Master of Business Administration. Lydia is also a graduate of CBA Executive Banking School. She serves on the board of directors (as chair) and executive committee of Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the board of directors of North Natomas Little League and is Chair of SFBFS’ Audit Committee.

Nancy Smith-Fagan

Chair, Development Committee
YMCA of Superior California

  • Nancy Smith-Fagan comes to the SFBFS board with a diverse background in nonprofit administration and fundraising; currently serving as the Executive Director of Development at YMCA of Superior California. Among her past career highlights, Nancy served as Associate Director/Director of Operations for the Greater Philadelphia Food Bank. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Diego and a master’s degree from Temple University. Nancy and her husband, Kevin, have three sons. Nancy serves as Chair of SFBFS’ Development Committee.

Chris Griger

Chair, Nominating & Governance Committee

Sutter Medical Group

  • Chris Griger, MD, MBA, FAAP, is the President and CEO of Sutter Medical Group, a 1,150 clinician multispecialty medical group based in Sacramento, California, affiliated with Sutter Health. She previously held positions as the President and Board Chair of the Santa Cruz Medical Clinic (SCMC), Vice Chair of the Board of the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group (PAFMG) and President of Affinity Medical Group (AMG) in Menasha, Wisconsin.

    Her board experience includes 23 years on various medical group boards. She is a current member of the board of Sutter Health Plus. She has served on Santa Cruz-Monterey County MediCal Managed Care Commission (the board for the Central Coast Alliance for Health) and Network Health Plan in Wisconsin. She also served on the Sutter Health Peninsula Coastal Region Board of Trustees, the Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center Community Board, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Board, the Pacific Collegiate Charter School Board and the Community Children’s Center, Santa Cruz, Board. She currently serves as Chair of SFBFS’ Nominating & Governance Committee.

    Dr. Griger received her undergraduate degree from Pennsylvania State University and her MD from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. She did her pediatric residency and chief residency at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, and then a fellowship in pediatric nephrology at the University of California San Francisco. She received her MBA from the University of California Irvine. She practiced pediatrics in Santa Cruz for 30 years and now sees patients in the SMF/SMG Roseville Pediatrics care center.

Jeanine Dinsmore

Antioch Progressive Church

  • Jeanine Dinsmore is Director of the Children’s Programs for Antioch Progressive Church. She has 20+ years of experience working with children and families in the Meadowview community. Jeanine graduated on the Dean’s List from California State University, Sacramento, with a bachelor’s degree in child development, EDCE. Jeanine accepted the appointment of Director of Food Program for Antioch Progressive Church in 2012. Her passion for SFBFS stems from her various activities as a volunteer with Community Bible Study, Bible Study Fellowship, Young Life, Reading Partners Sacramento and Joseph Sims Elementary, to name a few. Jeanine and her husband have two grown children and are active members of their church. She is an avid teacup collector, with her collection currently being 47 teacups with saucers.

Ashlee Gilliam

Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard

  • Ashlee Gilliam is an associate attorney at Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard. Ashlee represents public and private sector entities in all employment matters; her background is in civil litigation. She received her BA from the University of California at Riverside and her JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She has a passion for advocating for marginalized communities and empowering the community with legal knowledge. Ashlee enjoys traveling and speaking at various events/nonprofits centered on women’s empowerment and professional development.

Pamela Maxwell

U.S. Bank

  • Pam Maxwell joined U.S. Bank in July of 2010 and currently works as the Community Affairs Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility. Pam is responsible for the development, coordination and management of community relations and development activities within the Sacramento area, Northern California and Northern Nevada. She collaborates with community groups focusing on affordable housing, small business development, capacity building and financial education. The primary focus of her work is serving community needs within low-to-moderate income neighborhoods and meeting corporate CRA objectives. In addition, she manages the corporate giving budget for Sacramento, Northern California and Northern Nevada.

    Pam has been working in the banking industry for almost 30 years. She previously worked for Wells Fargo in Retail Banking for 19+ years. She is a board member of Sacramento Ballet, Greater Sacramento Urban League, Sacramento Steps Forward, El Dorado Community Foundation and El Dorado County Opportunity Knocks. She serves on the Program Committee of Sacramento Self Help Housing, on the Advisory Committee of the Assistance League Sierra Foothills and on the Placerville Steering Committee for Hands4Hope. She has previously served as a board member of Junior Achievement of Sacramento, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sacramento and Hands4Hope. She resides in Shingle Springs with her husband and two daughters.

Jennifer Restivo

SMUD

  • Jennifer Restivo is the Director of Planning and Performance at SMUD. Reporting to the CFO, she oversees the budget and is also responsible for enterprise performance management.

    Jennifer joined SMUD in 1999 as an accountant and has progressed steadily through the ranks, holding positions including assistant controller and manager of the Budget Office as well as having overseen the Pricing team. Before joining SMUD, she worked for two different manufacturing companies. She holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Accounting from California State University, Sacramento.

    She also serves as a board member of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Father Mike Ritter

St. Robert Parish

  • Fr. Ritter is a native of Carmichael, CA, and currently the Parochial Administrator at St. Robert Parish, Sacramento. He is also currently serving as Chair of the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Sacramento.

    Fr. Mike began his priesthood studies at the Benedictine Mount Angel Seminary in Saint Benedict, OR. Afterwards, he studied theology in Menlo Park, where he served as cantor and was part of the seminary choir. During his first year of theology, Fr. Mike was assigned for pastoral work in Vallejo to help in youth ministry. He spent his pastoral year in Redding, returning to Menlo Park for seminary, where he was president of the student body. Fr. Mike returned to Saint Benedict to complete his Masters of Divinity degree, with honors.

    Fr. Mike returned to the Sacramento area to attend Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training at UC Davis Medical Center. He then spent his second pastoral year in Winters, building up the parish youth ministry and getting involved in campus ministry at the UC Davis Newman Center.

    Fr. Mike was ordained a priest in 2015 at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. His first assignment was two years at Saint Charles Parish in South Sacramento, followed by his move to Saint John the Baptist in Chico, where he could continue his passionate work with college students.

David Shabazian

California Department of Conservation

  • David Shabazian is Director of the California Department of Conservation. Prior to this appointment, David was a program manager at the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, where his work included promoting progressive urban planning strategies and building a nationally recognized program focused on rural economic development and environmental sustainability. A significant part of his work supports regional food systems that create jobs and economic development by linking rural and urban areas to provide local healthy food for all markets, including underserved communities. He received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and a master’s in transportation technology and policy, both from UC Davis. David is an alumnus of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation and a board member for the Center for Land-Based Learning.

Blake Young

President/CEO
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services

  • Blake is President/CEO of Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS). SFBFS has over 11,000 volunteers and a staff of 80. Blake has served in this role since 2005. Prior to leading the organization, Blake spent nine years in operations and public relations for SFBFS.

    Blake also serves as a board member for Soil Born Farms, a 70-acre education farm.

    Blake graduated from Chico State University and served in the United States Army. Blake is married to Antonia and has two daughters.

Emeritus

Patrick McClain
Hanson McClain Advisors

Charles Sylva
Retired – Real Estate Development

Tina Thomas
Thomas Law Group