New leaders naturally bring perspectives shaped by their backgrounds and experiences. In the case of Luis Guardia, the new President of Food Research and Action Center, those perspectives are global.
Guardia most recently served as a high-level executive at Global Impact, a DC-based non-profit that provides fundraising and other services to charitable organizations around the world. Before that, he was a senior executive at ONE Campaign, fighting extreme poverty, particularly in Africa. His time at ONE came after five years at a non-profit working to improve the lives of women and girls internationally.
Guardia’s many years on the international front will no doubt filter down to his vision and goals for FRAC. Partnerships are bound to gain favor, given his former employer’s mission to transform philanthropy through collaboration. For example, the organization sought to coordinate the disaster relief work of some of the world’s largest charities so they would not be competing against one another for resources.
Guardia sees partnerships as equally important to FRAC. “I’m incredibly impressed with the collaborative nature of FRAC,” Guardia said. “We can’t do this alone.”
Guardia’s work to alleviate international poverty has given him a strong sense of social justice, as well as a window into the power of storytelling. As an executive at the International Center for Research on Women, Guardia was moved by the stories of women he met out in the field who supported their families through small businesses or farms that had benefited from the right interventions.
Storytelling is something he hopes to strengthen at FRAC. “I’m really excited to learn more about stories of individuals living with hunger and the people who help them, and bringing that out to a wider audience,” he said.
At the same time, he is cognizant of FRAC’s long history of specializing in evidence-based advocacy and the “incredibly important role” it plays in FRAC’s mission. “There’s nothing on the horizon to change that important core element of FRAC’s DNA on policy and advocacy,” he said.
While no major long-term changes are in the works for FRAC, Guardia recognizes that there are pressing issues to address, raised by the current administration’s continued attempts to curtail SNAP eligibility. “A lot of work needs to happen right away to fight these rules,” he said.
Guardia’s interests outside of work are somewhat eclectic. He serves on the board of a classical Indian dance company, as well as an organization advancing the right to quality contraception for women globally. He has recently taken up crew again, after rowing in college.
He is upbeat about what his appointment means for inclusion, diversity and equity at FRAC. “Being the first Hispanic-American to hold this position at FRAC is very important to me,” he said. “I’m looking to bring in the broader community.”
