Full Name
Natasha Pernicka
Job Title
Executive Director
Company
The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York/The Food Pantries for the Capital District
Speaker Bio
Natasha Pernicka has been leading The Food Pantries for the Capital District as Executive Director since 2011 and The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York since 2023. With more than 20 years in the nonprofit sector, Natasha has developed and implemented new programs, created growth in fund development efforts, and led strategic initiatives throughout her career. She has experience in hunger relief, food as/is medicine, homelessness/housing, mental health, older adults, and youth development.
Her work with The Food Pantries includes increasing revenue and in-kind support more than 250% over her tenure, increasing programmatic impact for more than 65 food pantries who provide more than 4 million meals for 69,000 people annually, and leading the Filling the Gap Food Pantry System and Community Needs Assessment and initiatives. Initiatives include: Launching the New York State Food as Medicine Coalition; New York State Food Connect Resource database and map; and the creation of the New York State Community Food Assistance Network, now known as The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York.
In addition, Natasha has served as the Chair of the Nonprofit Business Advisory Group of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the Food Access, Food Equity, and Food as Medicine workgroups of the New York State Hunger and Food Policy Council, the Albany and Rensselaer County FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Boards, the Steering Committee for the Greater Capital Region Food System Assessment, the New York eHealth Collaborative CBO & VBP Advisory and Policy Committees, a member of the The Roundtable Steering Committee, Nutrition Security Workgroup member of the NYS Master Plan for Aging, and has served on the board of Women in Development of Northeastern New York. She is a guest lecturer on food insecurity, nonprofit leadership, and has presented at events such as the New York State Anti-Hunger Conference, on air on WAMC’s Roundtable, New York NOW, and Capitol Tonight, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. In addition, she is a graduate of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Tech Valley program.
Her work with The Food Pantries includes increasing revenue and in-kind support more than 250% over her tenure, increasing programmatic impact for more than 65 food pantries who provide more than 4 million meals for 69,000 people annually, and leading the Filling the Gap Food Pantry System and Community Needs Assessment and initiatives. Initiatives include: Launching the New York State Food as Medicine Coalition; New York State Food Connect Resource database and map; and the creation of the New York State Community Food Assistance Network, now known as The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York.
In addition, Natasha has served as the Chair of the Nonprofit Business Advisory Group of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the Food Access, Food Equity, and Food as Medicine workgroups of the New York State Hunger and Food Policy Council, the Albany and Rensselaer County FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Boards, the Steering Committee for the Greater Capital Region Food System Assessment, the New York eHealth Collaborative CBO & VBP Advisory and Policy Committees, a member of the The Roundtable Steering Committee, Nutrition Security Workgroup member of the NYS Master Plan for Aging, and has served on the board of Women in Development of Northeastern New York. She is a guest lecturer on food insecurity, nonprofit leadership, and has presented at events such as the New York State Anti-Hunger Conference, on air on WAMC’s Roundtable, New York NOW, and Capitol Tonight, and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy. In addition, she is a graduate of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Tech Valley program.
Speaking At
