President and CEO of Feed the Children, Emily Callahan has over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and corporate sectors. Prior to taking the helm at FTC in January, Callahan worked with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Susan G. Komen. In her current role, Callahan is working to guide the organization as it embarks on a new strategic plan, growing FTC globally with new partners and aiming to serve more children and families around the world. We recently caught up with Callahan and got her thoughts on …
… her life-long interest in the nonprofit sector.
One of my greatest professional passions is to help make the world a better place, especially for kids. I have spent a lot of my career focused on efforts that help improve the lives of children because I believe that all kids deserve a chance to grow up happy and healthy. I also feel called and compelled to further these efforts around the world and I am motivated to help Feed the Children become a larger global movement. Working all together, I know we can save the lives of children worldwide and enable them to thrive.
… positive surprises in her new role.
During my first week at Feed the Children, the devastating wildfires began in California. I was humbled by the outpouring of generosity from our partners who wanted to provide immediate support for affected families and their children. These partners provided products and sponsored events to help us quickly get these items into the hands of those who needed us most, and our staff members worked diligently to make sure everything ran smoothly.
I think that speaks volumes to the kind of organization that Feed the Children is and the heart of our mission. We provide food and essentials to help families thrive every day worldwide, but in times of crisis, we are also nimble enough to provide critical support for those experiencing unexpected challenges.
… FTC’s mission.
We are committed to ending childhood hunger. In the U.S. and around the world, we provide children and families with the food and essentials kids need to grow and thrive. I find it interesting that even the word “feed” anchors our organization’s name, and it provides important insight into our multifaceted work. When you really look at what we are trying to accomplish every day, there’s obviously the distribution of food that is vital to our core mission. But we also feed hearts, minds and souls by providing essential items that help improve the quality of life for children and families.
… her day-to-day.
My job, in partnership with the board, is setting the vision, strategy and growth plans for the organization and leading the incredible staff and operations made possible by our generous donors to save the lives of more children worldwide. In my first few months, I’ve been meeting with our internal team and seeking to truly understand our work across all levels and the array of critical functions that bring our mission to life.
I’ve also been spending time with our dedicated Board of Directors to align on the exciting direction for our future. 2029 marks 50 years of the incredible work of Feed the Children. But, that milestone is not about the past – it’s all about looking forward because sadly the needs of children around the world are growing rapidly. Too many are still dying of hunger and disease – problems we have the ability to solve if we all come together now. So much opportunity exists for us to build upon our successes to date and create even greater impact as we serve communities here at home and abroad.
… what Oklahomans should know about FTC, and how to get involved.
We want Oklahomans to know that we are proud of our roots, and we can’t thrive without your generous giving and help. From our humble beginnings in Oklahoma, we have grown to be an internationally recognized movement providing food, essentials and resources to children and families in nearly every state in America and in eight countries internationally. With a goal as ambitious as defeating childhood hunger, we know that it takes all of us working together and we invite the community to be a part of our work.
There are several ways to get involved, including donating at feedthechildren.org and especially considering becoming a monthly donor or volunteering at our Oklahoma City Distribution Center or at a local Resource Rally. As we expand our programmatic work in Oklahoma City, we have launched pilot programs to help deepen our local impact. We hope these new programs create additional opportunities for Oklahomans to join us as we work towards creating a world where no child goes to bed hungry.
… her goals.
In partnership with our board of directors and our incredible team, we are examining how we can increase our fundraising efforts, including both monetary and gift-in-kind, as we seek to expand our work and reach more children and families both here at home and around the world. I am committed to growing our global impact and I think an important step in that process is empowering our employees to drive transformational change. I will also work with our team to increase our brand recognition locally, regionally, nationally and internationally so that children and families worldwide know we are here to help them survive and thrive. We have a well-recognized brand and I’m confident we can further increase our awareness to attract more champions as we work tirelessly to end childhood hunger.
… pride in her new role.
As a proud, native Oklahoman, it was a dream to be named CEO for Feed the Children, an organization I deeply admire. With the incredible momentum of late and a powerful, comprehensive mission that goes far beyond just feeding children, I see so much potential for Feed the Children to be the mission that unites us all for the children who need us most – at a time when unity is most needed. I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity serve and am excited to see what we will accomplish together.
