Our Executive Team

As Chief Programs Officer, Stacey oversees all Philabundance logistics and programs including warehousing and inventory control, transportation, repack, sustainability and all community food programs – both direct and through our network of 350+ member agencies. Stacey has been with Philabundance since 2015, first serving as Director of Business Process Improvement and subsequently as Vice President of Information Technology and Process Improvement. Prior to Philabundance, Stacey worked at The Pew Charitable Trusts as Manager of Donor Support Services. Before joining Pew, Stacey held director-level positions in database and operations management at Allina Health, a 12 hospital not-for-profit health care system in Minnesota, and the University of Minnesota. Stacey is a graduate of Rowan University of New Jersey.

As Chief Impact Officer, Melanie oversees the development and execution of key strategies that contribute to ending food insecurity in the Delaware Valley. Primarily focusing on identifying, developing, and launching partnerships and policies that help to end hunger, Melanie manages programs that help alleviate hunger and move individuals and families towards ending hunger for good. Melanie has been with Philabundance since 2000, first serving as program Director of the Delaware Valley Community Kitchen (now Philabundance Community Kitchen). Her subsequent positions at Philabundance include Nutrition Services, Director of Programs, and Senior Vice President of Programs and Operations. Most recently, Melanie served as Chief Operating Officer and oversaw Philabundance logistics and programs including warehousing and inventory control, transportation, repack, facilities, job training, meal production and all community food programs. Prior to Philabundance, Melanie served as a nutrition educator at Temple University and has over 10 years of experience in the life insurance industry. Melanie received her Masters of Public Health from Temple University and her Bachelor of Science degree from Drexel University.

As Chief Development Officer at Philabundance, Sara is responsible for developing strategies to secure and manage new and existing donors, providing oversight of the grants, direct mail, major gifts and corporate sponsorship programs, and collaborating closely with other teams to determine funding needed to help end hunger for good. With more than 30 years of experience in development roles, Sara has worked with many top companies in a fundraising capacity, including: Schultz & Williams, a national fundraising consulting firm; Conservation International; the Academy of Natural Sciences; and the Philadelphia Zoo. A native of Philadelphia, Sara is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where she earned a B.A. in English.

Laura Schepps is Senior Vice-President, Chief Financial Officer of Philabundance. As SVP/CFO, Laura holds the organization’s top financial leadership position and serves as the strategic ‘business partner’ for the Executive Director, providing managerial and operational leadership/oversight in matters pertaining to the financial and economic sustainability of the organization. This position oversees all company financial practices, including accounting department policies and procedures, preparation and monitoring of the budget, development of financial reports and tax filings, and management of external/internal audit activities. Prior to joining Philabundance in August 2017, Laura was the Executive Director for Fiscal Operations at the Gene Therapy Program at the University of Pennsylvania; Director of Finance and Administration at Rutgers University Office of Research Commercialization; and held senior finance roles in the for-profit sector with ACE Limited, Radian Group and GE Capital. Laura has a B.S. in Marketing from Rutgers College and an MBA in Finance and Management from NYU.