UNFI FOUNDATION - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Director Sales Manager, UNFI
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Executive Director / Vice President of ESG and Social Impact, UNFI
Alisha Real leads UNFI's social and environmental impact programs. In 2018, she was appointed as the Executive Director of the UNFI Foundation. She has been involved with the Foundation in various capacities since 2013. In her time at UNFI, Alisha has evolved UNFI's giving strategy so that our associates can be more actively involved and our grant partners can benefit from a high-touch relationship - working together on important issues in our food system. As a new mother, childhood nutrition and access to fresh, healthy food are issues of personal importance and Alisha is excited to support these causes through the Foundation's grantmaking.
Job Titles:
- Director / Vice President of Finance, UNFI Canada
- VP of Finance for Our Canadian
Andy Hull is the VP of finance for our Canadian division of UNFI. He has 25 years of experience in the foods industry most recently at Nestle and Kraft. He has a passion for people and the environment and is looking forward to representing Canada on the Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Director / Account Manager, Produce, UNFI
Emily Johnson has over 15 years of experience in the food industry including sales and manufacturing. She has been in her current position at UNFI for over 5 years as part of the UNFI Fresh team. Emily has served on both the Foundation's ambassador and grant review teams for two years prior to joining the Board of Directors. She also serves on UNFI's Diversity Council.
Emily has a passion for child nutrition and supporting organic farmers, and she is excited to use that passion to help further the Foundation's mission.
Job Titles:
- Deputy General Counsel
- Director / Senior Vice President Deputy General Counsel, Securities and Board Governance, UNFI
Jody Hyvarinen serves as Deputy General Counsel, Securities and Board Governance for UNFI. Jody has extensive experience in corporate governance, securities law and capital markets matters gained through prior in house and law firm roles, most recently at American Tower Corporation. She holds a BA and JD from the University of Michigan. Jody believes that healthy food is a right, and she is excited to help further the Foundation's mission to increase the availability of organic food, particularly to vulnerable populations.
Senior Vice President Deputy General Counsel, Securities and Board Governance, UNFI
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chairman / Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, UNFI
- UNFI 's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
Matt Echols has served as UNFI's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer since March 2022. He oversees the company's Marketing, External and Internal Communications, Environmental Social and Governance, Government and Industry Relations, as well as the company selling show strategy and execution. He also chairs the UNFI Foundation Board of Directors and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Grocers Association.
Previously, Mr. Echols' career included 24 years with The Coca-Cola Company, serving as Global Vice President for Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability, and senior vice president roles in the same areas for both the North America and Asia Pacific markets. Before joining Coca-Cola, he worked on Capitol Hill for several members of the U.S. Congress.
Mr. Echols holds a master's degree in marketing communications from Johns Hopkins University's Carey Business School, where he currently serves on the Dean's Advisory Board, and a bachelor's degree from the University of West Georgia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President and CEO of UNFI
Michael Funk has been involved with promoting and distributing organic foods for over 44 years. As one of the key pioneers of the natural food industry, he founded Mountain Peoples Warehouse in 1976 and built his company into the leading natural food wholesaler in the Western U.S. In 1996, he co-founded UNFI to form a natural food distributor that he led to become the largest in the world.
As President and CEO of UNFI, Michael grew the company at an average growth rate of 20% per year, and he stepped down as CEO in 2008. He served as the Chairman of the Board for UNFI until December 2016. He continues to serve as a director.
Michael has been a board member of numerous non-profit groups, including serving as Board President of The Non-GMO Project. He co-founded and has served as a director of The Organic Center, a non-profit dedicated to scientific research on organic food. In early 2010, Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, selected Michael to represent the organic and non-GMO perspective on the USDA's Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture.
Michael lives with his family in a solar-powered home along the Yuba River, in Nevada City, California. As past President of SYRCL, the South Yuba River Citizens League, he continues to be active in the restoration of native salmon runs to the Yuba River. The Organic Trade Association recognized Funk by awarding him their highest honor, the 2011 Leadership Award for Growing the Organic Industry.
Job Titles:
- Director Marketing Director, UNFI Professional Services
Nadine has been with UNFI for 6 years supporting the UNFI Professional Services business, a valuable suite of retail business solutions for independent retailers and strategic growth pillar for UNFI. In her role, Nadine devises creative marketing, lead generation and sales support strategies that enable business growth.
Believing strongly in community, culture, and continuous improvement, Nadine directly endorses UNFI's diversity and inclusion goals serving as Co-Chair of UNFI BUILT (Black UNFI Leaders of Today) Belonging & Innovation group focused on supporting and enhancing the black associated experience. She's an alumnus of the UNFI Elevate 2022 leadership development program and was selected as a Top Women in Grocery 2018.
Nadine also prioritizes service to her local community having made gifts of time and leadership to non-profit organizations part of her DNA. One of her proudest contributions was serving as a founding member of Greater Twin Cities United Way WINGs (Women Investing in the Next Generation), a fundraising and grant awarding organization that prioritized up & coming non-profit organizations in service to women, children seeking financial stability.
Nadine earned a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College. And has recently traded-in her free time playing competitive volleyball for the fun and memorable challenges of raising two young toddlers with her husband Kevin in Minneapolis, MN.
Job Titles:
- Director General Manager, Hopkins Distribution Center, UNFI
Job Titles:
- Director / Senior Vice President of Network Construction and Facility Maintenance, UNFI
Senior Vice President of Network Construction and Facility Maintenance, UNFI
Job Titles:
- Director / Senior Director, Customer and Growth Channel Marketing, UNFI
Senior Director, Customer and Growth Channel Marketing, UNFI