Leadership

The ACDA Board of Directors provides insight and industry knowledge from across the U.S. to help members stay up to date on best practices, trainings and resources in USDA Food Distribution Programs. They create programing that equips members with a foundational understanding of the USDA Food Distribution Programs in order to maximize federal entitlement dollars.

ACDA Board of Directors

Tara Koster, President

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
(701) 328-3210
tkoster@nd.gov

About the President

Tara Koster has almost 13 years of experience with the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, where she has worked with various household programs, including the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Since 2014, she has focused exclusively on the USDA Foods in Schools program. Tara has been a member of the American Commodity Distribution Association since 2012, serving on multiple subcommittees and serving on the board as the State Agency representative.

Jaclyn Cantu, Past President

Director of USDA Foods, Texas Department of Agriculture

(512) 475-0066
jaclyn.cantu@texasagriculture.gov

About the Past President

Jaclyn Cantu is the director for USDA Foods with the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Food and Nutrition Division. Jackie has been with the agency for 17 years holding various positions. For the past eight years, Jackie has overseen the operations of USDA Foods for the National School Lunch Program, Summer Food Service Program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, Seniors Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and Disaster Assistance. She received her bachelor’s degree in dietetics from Bowling Green State University and is a native of Ohio. Jackie moved to central Texas in 2003 to complete her dietetic internship at Texas State University and now lives in Austin, Texas.

Nicholas Barber, Vice President

Director of Food Distribution, OGS Food Distribution

(518) 474-5122
nicholas.barber@ogs.ny.gov

About the Vice President

Nick Barber is the Director of Food Distribution with the Office of General Services (OGS) for the State of New York. He has been in his role with the state since July of 2022. Previous to his state service, he had over 20 years’ experience in restaurants, colleges, nursing homes, hospitals and K-12. Nick oversees the warehousing and distribution of USDA Foods for The National School Lunch Program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Summer Food Service Program and Special Milk Program. He received his bachelor’s degree from Buffalo State College in Business Administration. In his free time, he enjoys hunting, fishing, coaching baseball and spending quality time with his family and two golden retrievers.

Lucinda Ward, Treasurer

USDA Foods Distribution Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

(781) 338-6466
lucinda.a.ward@mass.gov

About the Treasurer

Lucinda Ward is the USDA Foods Distribution Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She oversees the operations of USDA Foods for the National School Lunch Program, Summer Food Service Program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, Nutrition Services Incentive Program, and Disaster Assistance, as well as managing the MA state-contracted warehouse. Lucinda has been in school food service for over 23 years and holds a M.Ed. in Nutrition Education, B.S. in Food & Nutrition, is a Registered Dietitian, a School Nutrition Specialist/Level 4 Certified with SNA, and Food Distribution Expert- Certified Level 2 with ACDA. In her down time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family and 2 rescued dogs.

Caryn Long Earl, Secretary

Director of Bureau of Food Assistance at PA Department of Agriculture Bureau of Food Assistance

(717) 772.2688
cearl@pa.gov

About the Secretary

Caryn Long Earl is the Director of the Bureau of Food Assistance for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA). Serving in this role since May 2017, Ms. Long Earl directs the administration of several multi-million dollar federal and state food distribution programs. These programs include The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), distribution of USDA Foods to federal child nutrition programs, the WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs, the Pennsylvania State Food Purchase Program, and the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System. Prior to holding the role of Bureau Director, Ms. Long Earl served for two years as the Special Assistant to Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding.

Before joining PDA in May 2015, Ms. Long Earl spent more than a 15 years working on federal policy issues related to food safety and food security. This includes previous public service with USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service and as a Congressional Agriculture Fellow for a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee during the consideration of the 2008 Farm Bill. Upon leaving federal service, she served for four years as a Senior Policy Advisor at Feeding America, where she focused on federal appropriations and legislation related to TEFAP and CSFP, and for three years as Executive Director of Feeding Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania state association of Feeding America food banks. Ms. Long Earl received Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and in Communication/Journalism from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Management from the University of Maryland.

Area Representatives and Leadership

State Agency Representative

Brian Davis

Assistant Administrator, Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s Office of Nutrition

brian.davis@education.ohio.gov

Industry Representative

Jennifer Armstrong

V.P of Sales for K - 12, Don Lee Farms

jennifer.armstrong@donleefarms.com

School District Recipient Agency Representative

Dalla Emerson

Food Service Director, Bowling Green Independent School District

dalla.emerson@bgreen.kyschools.us

Associate Representative

Stephanie Ewing

Chief Government Officer, GS Foods Group/Gold Star Foods

sewing@gsfoodsgroup.com

Community Feeding Representative

Dr. Katherine Byers

Government Relations Officer, Houston Food Bank
kbyers@houstonfoodbank.org

Committees

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee will develop and deliver to the membership new educational tools which are accessible to all membership categories. This committee is responsible for printed material, website and social media communications.

Alicia Arnett, Co-Chair
Jaime Malnar, Co-Chair

TEFAP and CSFP Committee

The TEFAP and CSFP Committee shall promote membership programs and educational programming geared toward organizations participating in the USDA TEFAP & CSFP programs.

Julia Lemp, Co-Chair
Gabrielle Viens, Co-Chair

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee works with the staff team to develop an annual budget and provide oversight on all financial reporting and investing for reporting to the ACDA board of directors.

Jeffrey Ruff, Chair

Education Committee

The Education Committee develops and implements programs and activities which will provide ACDA members with the opportunity to achieve the level of knowledge and skill necessary to serve the public with competence and professionalism.

Deborah Cameron, Chair

Public Policy Committee

The Public Policy Committee shall evaluate, interpret, recommend and respond to federal legislation and inform the membership of legislative issues that may affect the Association. It also develops legislative policy and position for consideration by the ACDA Executive Board and acts on behalf and at the direction of the Board on legislative matters.

Monica Deines-Henderson, Co-Chair
Caryn Long Earl, Co-Chair

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee shall promote membership within all eligible categories and encourage active participation in the Association.

Alicia Maloney, Co-Chair
Damasita Sanchez, Co-Chair

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee shall investigate the availability and qualifications of state/territory member representatives as nominees for elective offices and select qualified nominees for such office.

Nicholas Barber, Co-Chair
Tara Koster, Co-Chair

Processing Committee

The Processing Committee shall develop and update uniform processing documents to make recommendations to the ACDA board of directors on processing issues and proposed regulations and act as a liaison between the various USDA offices involved with processing and the Association.

Mike Birkmeyer, Co-Chair
Cheri Schneider, Co-Chair

Conference Planning Committee

The Conference Planning Committee plans educational sessions and content for the annual ACDA conference.

Christine Farmer, Co-Chair
Tracy Whitehead, Co-Chair

Leadership Committee

The Leadership Committee identifies and supports qualified members for leadership roles, while recognizing volunteer contributions and fostering the development of future leaders.

Jaclyn Cantu, Chair

Past Presidents

Learn about former presidents of the ACDA board of directors.

DOWNLOAD PAST PRESIDENTS LIST

ACDA By-Laws

DOWNLOAD BY-LAWS

Get Involved

As a mission-driven organization, we rely on volunteers to turn our vision into reality. Explore opportunities to get involved and learn how we can work together to nourish the nation.

ACDA

P.O. Box 841
Pensacola, FL 32591
Phone: (850) 480-7332
E-Mail: info@commodityfoods.org