Randi Shubin Dresner

Randi Shubin Dresner has been with Island Harvest Food Bank since 2001, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer for most of her tenure. Through her work at Island Harvest, she and her incredibly dedicated team have raised awareness of the insidious, yet often unrecognized problem of chronic hunger on Long Island. Under her direction, Island Harvest Food Bank has increased its income by more than 83% and its distribution of meals has increased by more than 75% in the past ten years. Their holistic approach to ending hunger has formed a unique partnership with major hospital systems, hundreds of community-based organizations, local and regional government, businesses and more.

Prior to joining Island Harvest Food Bank, Ms. Dresner was a partner in a successful development consulting firm and made her mark at several national and local nonprofit organizations, including the Heckscher Museum of Art, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, The Viscardi Center, and the
National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

For more than 25 years, Ms. Dresner served as adjunct faculty at LIU Post and Molloy College. She is a member of the Suffolk County Food Policy Council, and The Long Island Food Council, Co-Chair of the SUNY Task Force on Food Insecurity, and was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to serve on the New York State Council on Hunger and Food Policy. Ms. Dresner is in her second term as a member of the Farmingdale State College Council and serves as the Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the New York State Food Bank Association. Ms. Dresner is also a long-term member of the  Energeia Partnership at Molloy College, a regional ethical-leadership academy. Her knowledge and experience in nonprofit management, food-insecurity, disability awareness and other related issues has established her as a “go to” source for national, local and regional media, government officials, and thought leaders.

Ms. Dresner’s recognition, awards and honors include: Honorary Doctorate of Law from St. Joseph’s College, 2013; Long Island’s Top-50 Most Influential Women in Business; Outstanding CEO; Long Island Business Hall of Fame installation; Vision LI Leadership Award; 2013 New York State Senate Women of Distinction Award; 2010 New York State Assembly’s Women of Distinction Award; Long Island Farm Bureau Citizen of the Year, 2012; The Herald Community Newspapers’ “Person of the Year, 2012”; keynote commencement addresses at SUNY Farmingdale State College and St. Joseph’s College.

Ms. Dresner often acknowledges how the opportunity to participate in local volunteerism from age nine was perhaps the most impactful training for her lifelong career in the non-profit sector. As a result, she has enjoyed a rich career that has led to some of the most satisfying accomplishments - confirming her belief that one person can be part of important change in her community.