Great Minds Think Alike Conference

Erin Kerr is the chief executive officer of Blessings in a Backpack, the only national organization solely dedicated to feed kids on the weekends. Prior to her role as chief executive officer, she served as the organization’s chief development officer, leading Blessings in a Backpack’s national fund development team to raise support to make more hunger-free weekends possible for children. Erin joined the Blessings team in 2012. Her past roles include president of Kerr Consulting, corporate and foundation relations manager with Girl Scouts of Chicago, and assistant director of resource development at Christopher House.

Cindy Ryan has been with Cigna for over 20 years, and currently serves as human resources officer for Cigna’s U.S. businesses, including Evernorth, since June 2020. In this role, she is responsible for driving business growth through talent management strategies, employee engagement, and leadership effectiveness for over 55,000 employees. She previously held the role of senior vice president, human resources for Cigna’s Commercial and Government businesses, Enterprise Strategy and Solutions, and Global IT. In addition to her work at Cigna, Cindy also serves on the national board of directors for Blessings in a Backpack, as well as the board of directors of United Way for Central and Northeastern Connecticut.

Claire Bloom is a retired Naval Officer who was the first female Executive Officer (2nd in Command) of USS CONSTITUTION in Boston, where she coordinated the ship’s first sail in 116 years in 1997. She came out of retirement in 2010 to start End 68 Hours of Hunger, a private nonprofit with the mission to put bags of food in the hands of local school children who go hungry between the free lunch they have in school on Friday and the free breakfast they get in school on Monday. Her vision is to end childhood hunger in America one school at a time.

Nancy Major is a seasoned, nonprofit executive with extensive experience in strategic planning, operational restructuring, board development, and creating innovative approaches to fundraising, community outreach, and program expansion. Her past executive leadership experience includes Special Olympics, United Cerebral Palsy, and Safe Babies Healthy Families. Nancy has shared that “she’s driven and extremely passionate to help vulnerable populations of children because of her own traumatic experiences in childhood, including homelessness and food insecurity, and says that ‘paying it forward’ has given her life meaning, purpose and fulfillment.”

During his 15 years as an ERA Advisor, Jim has delivered over 150 projects in the packaging, food service, cleaning, janitorial supplies, office supplies, and printing areas, representing total client expenditures in excess of $175 million and more than $35 million in savings. Prior to Joining ERA, Jim spent over 30 years in manufacturing and distribution in the paper, packaging, maintenance supplies and food service industries, holding positions in Sales, Sales Management, General and Executive Management. During his diverse career, Jim continually identified opportunities for process and productivity improvements which resulted in increased efficiencies and reduced costs – for both his customers and his own internal operations.

Heather Dambrosi currently works for Blessings in a Backpack as the vice president of food solutions. Prior to joining Blessings in December 2020, Heather spent 15 years with Hillsborough County Public Schools as the team leader for the Nutrition and Production Team. Heather is a Registered Dietitian and has a passion for providing healthy and nutritious foods to children in need.

As the founder of Every Meal, Rob has led the organization since it first began operating in 2010. He has overseen the growth of Every Meal, leading the organization’s expansion from a one-school program in 2013 into a widespread network of food programs throughout Minnesota. His professional background includes experience in international and domestic logistics. Rob has worked with several Fortune-500 companies to improve their worldwide supply chain. Rob also has experience in volunteer management and training, non-profit management and development, and operational leadership in non-profit settings.

Cecilia St. Arnold is the managing director of the Blessings in a Backpack Southwest Florida Chapter. She has held this position for the last seven years. It started when her daughter, a teacher, was feeding her students out of pocket when they came to school hungry. Cecilia, being unaware of the need right here in her community, decided to become involved with Blessings in a Backpack as a volunteer. Before her position with Blessings, Cecilia worked as the program director for Junior Achievement for nine years. The road from non-profit started at Junior Achievement, but before that, Cecilia was on the corporate highway, working for companies such as Proctor & Gamble and Schering Plough.