After more than two decades of transformative leadership, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank President & CEO Dan Flowers will transition leadership to Executive Vice President Katie Carver Reed on January 1, 2027, following a thoughtful multi-year succession plan.
After more than two decades of transformative leadership, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank President & CEO Dan Flowers will hand off leadership of the Foodbank at the end of 2026. The Foodbank’s board of directors unanimously elected Executive Vice President Katie Carver Reed to serve as the organization’s next President & CEO after a carefully planned multi-year succession process. Flowers’ final day as President & CEO will be December 31, 2026, with Reed assuming the role on January 1, 2027.
The transition reflects a deliberate succession plan designed to ensure long-term stability and continued advancement of the Foodbank’s mission to end hunger across Northeast Ohio.
Reed has served the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank for nearly 15 years, most recently as Executive Vice President, where she has overseen day-to-day operations and helped lead strategic initiatives that expanded the organization’s reach and impact. Throughout her career, she has advanced mobile and on-site pantry programs, strengthened healthcare and community partnerships, and championed innovative approaches that connect neighbors with resources beyond food assistance. Before joining the executive team, Reed held leadership roles in the Foodbank’s Network Partners and Programs department, where she focused on research, compliance and community partnerships.
“I’m deeply grateful to the Board of Directors for entrusting me with this responsibility,” said Reed. “It has been an honor to serve the Foodbank in a variety of roles for nearly 15 years, and I’m humbled by the opportunity to lead this incredible organization. Together with our staff, volunteers, partners and supporters, we will build on Dan’s remarkable legacy while continuing to meet the growing needs of our community.”
“From day one, Dan Flowers has led this organization with vision, compassion and unwavering integrity,” said Greg Long, Chair of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank Board of Directors. “It has been an honor to work with Dan and the Board on this seamless succession process. Katie Carver Reed is an exceptional leader who has earned the Board’s complete confidence through years of dedicated service. The future of the Foodbank is bright under her leadership.”
Flowers joined the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank as President & CEO in 2003. At age 32, he was one of Feeding America’s youngest chief executives. During his tenure, he guided the organization through multiple capital expansion projects, the once-in-a-generation COVID-19 pandemic, and a period of unprecedented growth that established the Foodbank as one of the region’s largest nonprofit organizations.
Under Flowers’ leadership, the Foodbank distributed more than 500 million pounds of food — equivalent to nearly 300 million meals — to neighbors facing hunger. The organization was named Feeding America’s Foodbank of the Year in 2012, and Flowers received the 2025 John van Hengel Fellowship, the network’s highest individual honor, recognizing his exceptional leadership and contributions to food banking. Most recently, the Foodbank earned its thirteenth consecutive NorthCoast 99 Award as one of Northeast Ohio’s best workplaces.
“I would be remiss, as I walk happily into my next adventures in life, if I did not let our supporters know that, aside from sustaining the Foodbank, their confidence and encouragement have sustained me in this role for 23 of the best years of my life. It has been a humbling and mysterious pouring down of hope — something I can never quite describe, but something that has moved me deeply. I also want you to know that the Foodbank is in great hands, that I will be at Katie’s side any time she needs me, and that she will need you too.”
Following the transition, Flowers plans to remain active in the nonprofit and philanthropic community, supporting mission-driven organizations through strategic planning, fundraising, governance and leadership consulting.