WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 27, 2018) — The Capital Area Food Bank today named Radha Muthiah President and CEO of the Washington, D.C. region’s largest organization working to solve hunger and its companion problems: chronic undernutrition and diet-related health issues like heart disease and obesity.
Ms. Muthiah joins the Capital Area Food Bank following a career spanning multiple sectors and countries, where she has led and grown both start-up and established organizations in the US and internationally. She will begin her new role April 17. Ms. Muthiah is preceded by Nancy E. Roman, who is now CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America.
Muthiah is currently the CEO of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-private partnership hosted by the UN Foundation to save lives, improve livelihoods, empower women, and protect the environment by creating a thriving global market for clean and efficient household cooking solutions. The Alliance works with a strong network of over 1,800 community, corporate, foundation, and government partners to accelerate the production, deployment, and use of clean and efficient cookstoves and fuels in developing countries.
“We’re thrilled to welcome an executive with the vision, passion, and keen focus on impact that Radha brings”, said Peter Schnall, Board chairman of the Capital Area Food Bank. “Her deep commitment to promoting health and her track record of solving big problems through innovative partnerships will be essential to the future of the Capital Area Food Bank”.
Under Muthiah’s leadership, clean cooking rose steadily on the global development agenda and is now included in multiple Sustainable Development Goals and in dozens of countries’ climate action plans. The Alliance has created broad awareness and engagement around the issue, and has helped to drive the research, standards development, and innovation that are improving both the quality of stoves and fuels available to the consumer, as well as the new business models that are ensuring affordability and distribution to all who are in need.
“A common thread throughout my career has been the opportunity to bring a strategic, multisector approach to address issues that have strong social, development and health impacts, both globally and domestically,” said Muthiah. “The Capital Area Food Bank is at the center of issues that relate to food security, nutrition and health in this region. I am excited to take on this new opportunity as the Food Bank continues to meet the hunger needs of more than a half a million people in the national capital area and as it evolves to provide nutritious food as a first step in ensuring healthier lives and more inclusive social and economic growth.”
Prior to joining the Alliance, Muthiah served as the Vice President for Strategic Partnerships and Alliances at CARE International, USA. A key aspect of her work was to recognize and build upon areas of strength and synergy for CARE and its partners to eradicate poverty through the empowerment of women and girls.
Muthiah has also worked at ICF International, the American Red Cross, Mercer Management Consulting, and the Council on Foreign Relations. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in economics from Tufts University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University.
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About the Capital Area Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest organization in the Washington metro area working to solve hunger and its companion problems: chronic undernutrition, heart disease and obesity. By partnering with 444 community organizations in DC, Maryland and Virginia, as well as delivering food directly into hard to reach areas, the CAFB is helping 540,000 people each year get access to good, healthy food. That’s 12 percent of our region’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and grandparents. To learn more, visit: capitalareafoodbank.org, or find the Capital Area Food Bank on Facebook at facebook.com/CapitalAreaFoodBank, Twitter at @foodbankmetrodc, and Instagram at @CapitalAreaFoodBank.
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