Living Hopefully.
Gina Crumbliss brings over 30 years of non-profit experience to her role as President & CEO of the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. Serving in a variety of capacities—including senior staff member, board member, committee chair, and volunteer—Gina has tirelessly worked to strengthen the Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia community through her involvement at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Zoo, and the Rotary Club of Chattanooga Hamilton Place.
She joined the Food Bank in 2016, bringing with her a successful track record as a bank executive, a strong reputation for achieving desired results, and a passion for leading non-profit organizations to advance social good. A Chattanooga native, Gina graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Covenant College. She’s a graduate of the American Bankers Association School of Bank Marketing & Management and a graduate of Leadership Chattanooga. In April 2016, Gina was recognized as a 2016 Women of Distinction Honoree.
Melanie Hammontree has 15 years of fundraising experience, seven of which have been spent in nonprofit organizations. Melanie originally joined the Food Bank in September 2017 as development officer for northwest Georgia during which she held responsibility for the nine Georgia counties served by the Food Bank. She was promoted in May 2019 to oversee development efforts for the Food Bank’s entire service area. Prior experience includes the Dalton Arts Project and Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo).
Laura Kilpatrick was named Chattanooga Area Food Bank’s Director of Agency and Government Relations in early 2017. She began her journey with the Food Bank in 2009 as an intern during her senior year of college. A year later, she became the Agency Services and SNAP Outreach Coordinator for our 20-county region, where she dedicated her efforts to implementing programs and working closely with our agency partners. She has a well-rounded understanding of food banking, partnering with agencies, and program challenges and solutions, and she is very passionate about ensuring that food bank programs address the real needs of the communities served.
Laura holds a Bachelors degree in Human Services: Nonprofit Management and a Masters degree in Public Administration: Nonprofit Management from
the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Throughout her Master’s program she focused her research and work on food insecurity and public policy
addressing hunger issues in America.
Sophie Moore has 15 years of public relations and communications experience, primarily in healthcare settings. She is responsible for leading strategic
communications and creating new channels of food distribution to improve health in the Food Bank’s service region. Sophie has worked in diverse settings
for government, corporate, agency and nonprofit organizations. Most recently, she was Director of Communications and Public Relations for Community
Health Systems, a publicly traded hospital operator in Franklin, Tenn. Previously, she held roles in at the Nashville Health Care Council and State
of Tennessee including the Department of Health, Department of Revenue and the First Lady’s Office. She began her career at GolinHarris in Atlanta,
an international public relations firm, where she was responsible for clients in the healthcare sector.
Originally from North Georgia, Sophie graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Human and Organizational Development. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Tennessee, Southeastern Chapter.
Chris Payne joined the Chattanooga Area Food Bank in August 2019, bringing three decades of experience working in manufacturing facilities. His materials and operational management expertise support the distribution of more than 15 million pounds of food annually across the Food Bank’s 20-county service area. Having previously worked in organizations with complex supply chain operations, Chris’ background offers best practices for even more quickly and efficiently connecting those facing hunger with the resources they need. Shortly after he began working at the Food Bank, he oversaw a USDA commodities food distribution that served more than 700 families. Of that experience, Chris said it was the most fun he had at work in nearly 30 years.
Before joining the Food Bank, Chris was plant manager for Hppelzer’s Athens, Tennessee plant. He previously served in several roles at Woodbridge Foam increasing in responsibility over 15 years, including plant manager. A Chattanooga native, Chris holds degrees from the University of Phoenix and Chattanooga State Community College in Business Management, and has completed BenchMark Leadership Training.
