The Congressional Hunger Center has announced Claire Casey, President of AARP Foundation, as its newest member of its board of directors and named Katharine Emerson its new Chairwoman. Emerson fills the chairman role long occupied by Rep. James P. McGovern, who completed his board term and joins the Center’s Congressional Advisory Council.
The board also elected Jim Scheibel as the new Board Secretary.
Katharine Emerson is the Chief of Staff for World Food Program USA and previously held roles focused on political engagement, public policy, and strategic partnerships with Bayer and National Corn Growers’ Association. A passionate advocate to end hunger, Emerson has been a longstanding board member of the Congressional Hunger Center and also served on the board of the National Environmental Education Foundation. She earned a B.A. in politics from Washington and Lee University.
“I take on this new role with determination to pay forward the legacy of my parents, who devoted their careers to public service and solving hunger, and to help nurture the next generation of leaders to solve one of our most critical global challenges,” said incoming board chair Katharine Emerson. “I’m honored to follow my longtime friend and mentor, Rep. Jim McGovern, and thrilled to welcome Claire Casey to the board.”
As president of AARP Foundation, Claire Casey guides the strategic direction of the nation’s leading organization committed to reducing poverty for older adults. She has more than two decades of experience leading organizations through transformation and growth and providing evidence-based strategic advisory services to Fortune 100 corporations, foundations, governments, and international institutions. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Financial Times, International Economy, Americas Quarterly, The Telegraph, and Foreign Policy. She holds a master’s in international economics and international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a bachelor’s in international politics and economics from Middlebury College.
“Millions of older Americans are food insecure,” said Casey. “I am honored to contribute to this organization’s mission to develop a new generation of leaders in the movement to end hunger for everyone.”
The Hunger Center also recently welcomed five new members to its Alum Council, including:
- Angela Zhang (Emerson ‘23), Ph.D. student, University of Southern California;
- Breanna Gomillion (Leland ’23), Advocacy Officer, Helen Keller International;
- Julian Cohen (Zero Hunger Intern ’24), student, Brown University;
- London Dejarnette (Zero Hunger Intern ’22), Food Programs Coordinator, Oberlin Community Services; and
- Margaux Johnson Green (Emerson ’20), Public Health Analyst, Health Resources and Services Administration.
First convened in 2019, the Alum Council fosters a community of engaged alums who support the professional development of current fellows and other alums, and who remain active leaders in the movement for a food-secure world.
Founded in 1993 by a bipartisan group of Members of Congress, the Hunger Center is dedicated to the principle that everyone deserves good food. We develop, inspire, and connect leaders in the movement to end hunger, and advocate for public policies that will create a food secure world.