Executive Staff

Margarette Purvis, President and CEO

David Goldstein, Vice President of Operations

As Vice President of Operations for the Food Bank For New York City, David Goldstein oversees all operations, including food procurement, warehousing and distribution to agencies throughout the city of New York. Prior to joining the Food Bank, David spent 27 years with United Parcel Service. During his time with UPS, David held managerial positions in Business Development, Learning & Development, Human Resources, Government & Community Affairs and Operations. For two years, David was assigned UPS Corporate Headquarters in Atlanta and was subsequently honored as a Centennial Employee. David is an active member of the Board of Directors for the Greenwich Village/Chelsea and Midtown Chambers of Commerce and is involved with various other charitable organizations. 

Alyssa Herman, Vice President of Fund Development
Alyssa Herman was the Development Director for Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the world's largest independent international medical relief organization, which was awarded the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize. Alyssa led her fast paced Development Department in achieving aggressive annual growth, raising more than $150 million in 2008. Prior to this role, Alyssa served as the organization's Director of Marketing and defined the organization's direct response campaigns to brand MSF's messages effectively. MSF's donor base grew from 100,000 in 1995 to more than 1,000,000 in 2008. Alyssa was the Vice President of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications for BRAC. Alyssa holds a BA from Yeshiva University and was a Magna Cum Laude recipient. She speaks regularly at fundraising conferences, is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the DMA, and has served as a board member of the Direct Marketing Fundraising Association (DMFA) from 1998–2002 and at present.

Lisa Jakobsberg, RD, Vice President of Marketing & Business Partnerships
A veteran marketing and public relations professional, Lisa Jakobsberg joined the Food Bank in 2001 to establish a new brand identity and design an integrated communications and marketing strategy that would expand the Food Bank's reputation and influence. Prior to becoming Vice President of Marketing & Business Partnerships, Lisa served as Senior Director of Communications & Marketing at the Food Bank for eight years. She oversees a team of talented professionals in communications, media, marketing, website/online outreach, business partnerships and special events to help raise visibility and corporate support for the Food Bank. She plays a leadership role in the Food Bank’s Marketing Advisory Committee, Culinary Council and Celebrity Ambassador Program and is a member of the Development Committee.

Prior to joining the Food Bank, Lisa was senior vice president/group manager at a public relations firm specializing in food policy and product promotions for Fortune 500 companies and commodity trade organizations, including Tropicana, The Campbell Soup Company and the America Egg Board. She has led multi-tier education campaigns leading to new and revised health policy guidelines adopted by the American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, and worked with world-renowned researchers on international symposiums, scientific advisory panels and public relations strategies to promote health benefits of consumer products. Lisa received a B.S. in Nutrition from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is a registered dietitian.

Veronica Jarrett, Chief Financial Officer
As Chief Financial Officer, Veronica Jarrett is responsible for the complete fiscal oversight and financial administration of the Food Bank, and ensures that the financial health of the organization is strong enough to advance its vision and mission. Prior to joining the Food Bank, Veronica was the Chief Financial Officer of Youth and Family Alternatives, Inc. in Florida. She began her financial career in public accounting within the Japanese Practice department of the then known Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG LLP). While there, she partnered with senior management to develop a successful training program for college students in the preparation of income tax returns for Japanese foreign nationals. She has more than 25 years of accounting and finance experience in the public accounting, government, private and non-profit industries and has served within the non-profit arena since 1999.

Veronica has taught financial management courses and workshops at Herbert Lehman College, York College, Suffolk County Community College and at the NYC Agency for Child Services, and as well as provided technical job training in accounting to displaced homemakers and basic computing to ESL students at Bronx Community College. Veronica continues to teach budgeting, cash management and small business accounting through local community organizations and churches in New York, New Jersey and Florida. She has served as the Board Treasurer of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty in Washington D.C., and was also as a member of the planning and development team that established the School for Excellence High School in Bronx, New York. She has a BBA in Accounting from Bernard M. Baruch College, CUNY, and an MBA in Leadership and Entrepreneurship from Walden University.