All Faiths Food Bank has hired Maria Jose “MJ” Horen as its new Chief Program Officer. In her new role, Horen will integrate community health concepts into all of the food bank’s programs. She is responsible for program development and implementation, including identifying and assessing gaps in current services, research and program evaluation, providing organizational leadership, and community engagement and advocacy, including engaging the community with causal problems and solutions to end hunger.
Horen, who speaks bilingual Spanish and English, holds a Masters of Science degree in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida and a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of South Florida. She has extensive experience working with vulnerable and diverse populations, as well as extensive experience conducting assessments, project evaluation, data collection and analysis. She previously worked at the Institute for Innovation and Implementation at the University of Maryland, the University of South Florida and the Hispanic Latino / Coalition Inc. in Sarasota.