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Rob Zeaske
Executive Director

As Executive Director, Rob has overall responsibility for leadership, planning and management of Second Harvest Heartland. Rob is a hopeful voice intent on finding more efficient and innovative ways to help neighbors in need.

"We in hunger relief can see the finish line," Rob likes to say. "In Minnesota, ending hunger need not be a coin-in-a-fountain-wish. I am hopeful because, although the root causes of poverty are complex, feeding a neighbor isn’t. We can do this."

Rob’s experience speaks for itself. He’s directed important organizations like Boston-based Jumpstart, which is nationally recognized for preparing schoolchildren for success and Mercy Corps, where he served as Harvard Business School Service Leadership Fellow.

Rob holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a B.A. in political science from Stanford University. He lives in south Minneapolis with his wife Jessica and their three young children.

Bob Chatmas
Chief Operating Officer

A 22-year career with one of our most generous donors may have been the perfect setup for Bob’s role at Second Harvest Heartland. As a transportation and plant manager at General Mills, Bob gained the experience needed to oversee the everyday operations of the Midwest’s most efficient and effective hunger relief organization.

"Spending a career on the other side of the food business has given me what I hope is a different perspective into the plight of our hungry neighbors," Bob says about his years in the food industry. "To truly make a difference in the lives of our community’s hungry, it takes unique perspectives. Together, we’re coming up with solutions every day."

Bob has an M.B.A in Operations Management from the Carlson School of Management and he received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas. He is married with two children and lives with his family in Chanhassen.

Ray Ahlgren
Chief Financial Officer

Ray has found his role as Second Harvest Heartland’s CFO to be the ultimate capstone opportunity with which to leverage his 39 years of experience in the food industry and strong interest in information systems and finance into helping people in need. 

“I never before experienced the heartfelt satisfaction of knowing that every decision and every dollar earned or saved is ultimately helping someone fill a need, not just a desire or want,” he says of his duties in the Heartland. 

“Each payday I cash two paychecks. One is like all the rest I have ever received. The other one isn’t actually written, but felt. Those are the ones that really make me want to be part of this organization. They fill my heart.”

Ray holds an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and a Food Marketing degree from Western Michigan University.

Jennifer Halcrow
Vice President of Advancement

Jennifer Halcrow has built a career leading fundraising, communications and marketing teams for Twin Cities' nonprofit arts, education and health care organizations. She has established advancement departments for Theatre de la Jeune Lune and MacPhail Center for Music. Following more than a decade leading the advancement team for St. Paul Academy and Summit School, Jennifer has increasingly devoted her professional expertise to tackling community issues surrounding health and hunger. At Second Harvest Heartland, she heads up the team that manages communications, fundraising and marketing.

"For several years, giving to Second Harvest Heartland has been a holiday tradition in our family. Volunteering and contributing to the community are core values that my parents instilled in me from childhood. I am inspired by the stories of families who have received food and help from Second Harvest Heartland and our partners. The deep trust of our donors demonstrated by their generous support of our mission is humbling and gratifying."

Jennifer is a member of the Basilica of St. Mary and graduate of Grinnell College. She is a masters of public affairs candidate at the University of Minnesota Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and a recipient of the Thomas H. Swain Fellowship in Public Leadership. She lives in south Minneapolis.

Carla Johnson
Vice President of Partner Relations

Second Harvest Heartland’s Carla Johnson knows the trials faced by the struggling families of our area, because she’s been there.

“My work is anchored in my personal experience as a single parent who worked three jobs to ensure that my son would not feel the effects of my financial insecurity or be hungry,” she says about her labors to stay afloat early in her career.

Carla has turned those early hardships into inspiration, dedicating her life to helping others. When she joined the Second Harvest Heartland team in May 2007, she already had an extensive knowledge of food banking — having served as Executive Director of Channel One Food Bank & Food Shelf in Rochester, MN. 

With twenty years of nonprofit management expertise and focus on issues facing people who struggle financially, Carla knows that the resources needed to feed our struggling neighbors are out there.

“In a country of bounty, it is unconscionable to me that resources, especially those as important as food, should go to waste when all we need is a collective will to be creative and generous about making sure there is enough for all to share.” 

Carla holds an M.A. in Management from St. Mary’s University of Minneapolis and a B.A. in psychology from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN. She lives with her husband Tom in Minneapolis, and together they have three grown children.

Newell Searle
Vice President of External Relations

After more than 25 years of experience in community relations and government affairs, Newell Searle found a home at Second Harvest in 2002.

Career stops at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, where he served as Deputy Commissioner, and Cargill, Inc., where he was the Public Affairs Counselor, were interesting but not entirely fulfilling. “Joining Second Harvest Heartland was a logical step in the journey,” he says. “Ending hunger is challenging work that is fulfilling. Here I can combine years of private and public sector experience in policy research, government relations and communications with my passion for social justice. There’s no better place to do that than Minnesota.”

Newell earned a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. from Macalester College. He recently led a national network of food bank executives to secure a huge increase in federal funding for hunger relief as part of the 2008 Farm Bill. He is an author and a student of Mexican history who speaks, reads and writes Spanish. He lives with his wife in Minnetonka and enjoys camping, hiking and fly fishing.  

Karen Anderson
Director of Human Resources

Along her 20-year path to Second Harvest Heartland, Karen has garnered plenty of valuable management and human resource experience at such dynamic companies as Weisman Enterprises, Merrill Corporation and IBM.  While these experiences have prepared her for her duties as our Director of Human Resources, they didn’t quite prepare her for the personal fulfillment she’s received by joining the fight against hunger.

“Happily, I found Second Harvest Heartland, and through this wonderful organization I’ve been able to fulfill my goals of service to others by ending hunger for my neighbors.”

Karen considers Second Harvest Heartland’s mission to end hunger through community partnerships not just an important one, but one that can be completed. “Food is available. People need it. Hunger is solvable. This I believe. And I am proud I can play a small role in the solution.”

Karen holds a mini M.B.A. from the Carlson School of Management and a B.A. from the University of Minnesota in social welfare with an emphasis on psychology. She lives in Elk River on Lake Orono and enjoys fishing, boating, family activities and reading.

Michael Potter
Director of Food Bank Operations

Being responsible for the effectiveness and efficiency of the Second Harvest Heartland food bank is no small task, but Michael approaches the job with knowledge and confidence.

"In Operations, our goal is to quickly match the needs of our partner agencies with the products offered by our generous donors," he says. "Using industry best practices to drive cost savings and improve productivity, we can assure donors and recipients alike that we are as efficient as possible in distributing food exactly where it needs to be."

Michael brings with him a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College and 25 years of food distribution experience, including 10 years as a distribution center president or general manager with such industry titans as Kraft and U.S. Foodservice. Knowing the food industry inside and out allows Michael to speak with authority when it comes to the fight to end hunger.

"What makes our Second Harvest Heartland distribution center different from other distributors is the real commitment from each of our employees who believe in our mission to end hunger."