Bernie Beaudreau  
VP for Development, The Global FoodBanking Network

Bernard J. Beaudreau has been executive director of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank since October 1995. Prior to this, he most recently held the position of director of resource and constituency development for Oxfam America, where he was employed for 11 years, managing an 11 million dollar fundraising budget and managing about 65 employees. His work with Oxfam took him on tours to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. Prior to his work at OXFAM America, he worked in the office of development at the Community College of Rhode Island; in community development planning at the Women's Development Corporation; in program planning at OIC of Rhode Island and South County Community Action.

Bernie is a native of Rhode Island, attended public schools and holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master's Degree in Community Planning from the University of Rhode Island. He has served on the board of the George A. Wiley Center. He has published numerous op-eds, articles and studies on public policy, fundraising, housing and health needs.

As Executive Director, Bernie worked with government, philanthropic, corporate and advocacy organizations to hold the first Rhode Island Children in Poverty Summit on November 18 & 19, 1999. He also let an eastern U.S. initiative to hold the first Hunger Summit in October, 1998 among 100 food banks from Maine to Florida to develop a strategic vision for ending hunger in America. He is the 1999 recipient of the Sister Carol McGovern Advocacy Award of the Fund for Community Progress. In 2002, he received the Dick Goebel Public Service Award, a national recognition among all food banks by America’s Second Harvest and the Food Research and Action Center for excellence in public policy advocacy within the context of effective food bank programming. He also served on the national grants committee of Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger. In 2003, the Food Bank completed a successful $8 million capital campaign and moved the Food Bank from West Warwick to a larger facility in Providence. Over the past three years the Food Bank has continued to expand its distribution of food and grocery products and implement new programs.

In November 2006, Bernie joined The Global FoodBanking Network, a new organization based in Chicago working on international hunger relief through the introduction and expansion of food banks.

Articles by Bernie Beaudreau: (1)