Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank Begins National Search for New CEO
The Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank is beginning the search for its next Chief Executive Officer. With Mike Manning’s retirement at the end of this year, the organization is working with the executive search firm Kittleman & Associates to identify a candidate who will guide the Food Bank into its next chapter of service and impact.
Interested applicants can learn more and apply here: View the CEO Job Posting
Over the past 21 years, Manning has provided steady leadership through countless challenges, including multiple hurricanes and the 2016 flood that left four feet of water in the Food Bank’s warehouse. Through it all, he remained committed to feeding those in our community, no matter the circumstances.
Under Manning’s leadership, the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank has experienced tremendous growth and innovation. A capital campaign launched in 2007 led to the purchase and renovation of the Fraenkel Center in 2013, significantly expanding the organization’s capacity to store and distribute food across its 11-parish service area. In 2016, the Food Bank became the first in the nation to implement a bulk packaging machine, making it possible to repackage large quantities of food at a lower cost, an innovation now responsible for over 5.9 million pounds of food annually. In 2024 alone, the Food Bank distributed more than 12.8 million meals to families facing food insecurity.
Manning’s impact has been recognized both locally and nationally. He received the John W. Barton Sr. Excellence in Nonprofit Management Award in 2012 and was selected to serve on the National Academies Resilient America Round Table. He has also held leadership roles with Feeding America, the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), and the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge.
As the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2025, the organization is committed to honoring Mike Manning’s legacy by expanding its impact and deepening its commitment to ending hunger in the community.
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