PHILABUNDANCE ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD CHAIR AND TWO NEW MEMBERS TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

January 11, 2024 – Philabundance, a local Feeding America member food bank committed to driving hunger from our communities today and ending hunger for good, is pleased to announce a new Board Chair: Dixie James, Central Region President at Jefferson Health, and two new members to its Board of Directors David Leone, Former Executive Vice President of Leone Industries, and Desiree Murphy Morrissey, Founder and CEO of Murphy’s Giving Market (MGM).

“I am delighted to announce the appointment of our new board chair,” explained Philabundance CEO Loree D. Jones Brown. “With a proven track record of leadership and unmatched expertise in the health industry, Dixie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our organization. Her visionary approach and strategic thinking will undoubtedly drive our mission forward, supporting our goals to achieve even greater success toward ending hunger.”

“During my time on the board, I have seen firsthand the immense impact Philabundance has had on the lives of so many families,” says Dixie James, Central Region President at Jefferson Health. “I have also seen the need for our services and support increase significantly. So, I am incredibly excited and honored to step in as Board Chair and partner with the incredible management team and board at Philabundance to continue the critical and urgent work of eliminating food and nutrition insecurity across our region for good.”

The new board members bring experience from education, technology, nonprofit, and food and beverage entities that will help bring us closer to achieving our mission of ending hunger for good. David Leone’s decades of experience in the food industry have positioned him to be a long-term supporter of Philabundance’s work. Desiree Murphy Morrissey has been an active member of the Philabundance Agency Council, a representative group of the more than 350 community partners that distribute food on behalf of Philabundance.

New Board Chair:

Dixie James is the Central Region President at Jefferson Health and a proven healthcare professional with more than 20 years of healthcare experience. Her strengths include strategy, business development, physician alignment and engagement, operations management and optimization, business intelligence and analytics, care coordination, clinical integration, and strategic affiliations/merger & acquisitions.

In her current role, Dixie is the executive leader responsible for strategic growth, advancement of the organization’s goals and mission and day-to-day operations for a $3.3B region, including, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital as well as Jefferson Einstein Hospital, Jefferson Moss- Magee Rehabilitation, and multiple ambulatory surgery centers. Oversight includes setting and maintaining operating and capital budgets, quality and patient safety, patient experience, employee engagement, physician engagement and alignment, regulatory compliance, business development, and community relationship management.

In addition to Philabundance, Dixie currently sits on the Board of Directors for America’s Essential Hospitals, a national association dedicated to ensuring equitable high-quality care for all, the Philadelphia Foundation, a community foundation focused on increasing philanthropic investment in the community, the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania American Heart Association where she serves as immediate past board chair.

Dixie holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Systems Management from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s in Business Administration from Loyola College. She also maintains active professional memberships with the American College of Healthcare Executives, the National Association of Health Services Executives, and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Dixie has been recognized for a number of leadership awards including Philadelphia Business Journal Top Minority Business Leader 2017, Philadelphia Business Journal Women of Distinction 2019, Philadelphia Magazine Trailblazing Women in Philadelphia’s Healthcare Revolution 2020, Philadelphia Tribune Regional Leaders 2021, Most Influential African Americans 2022 & 2023, City & State Above and Beyond honoree 2022, 2023 Excellence in Healthcare Award from March of Dimes & Northwest Trailblazer Award.

Prior to being appointed as Board Chair, Dixie served as the Philabundance board Vice-Chair and has been on the Philabundance board since 2015.

New Board Members

David Leone is the former Executive Vice President of Leone Industries, a formerly family-owned glass container manufacturer headquartered in Southern New Jersey. After taking over the business at age 23 with his brother Peter at the untimely death of their father, they grew the food and alcohol glass packaging company from 18th to the 4th largest in the US, pioneering sophisticated quality inspection, manufacturing, pollution, recycling system solutions and bringing the glass industry to recognize their part in Food Safety while keeping the company’s family culture with nearly 400 employees. Leone was later Executive Vice President Glass-North America for Ardagh Group, now the second largest glass container company in the world prior to his retirement.

David has been involved in sports, radio, and has traveled extensively. He graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy and Syracuse University Business School earning a BS in Private Accounting. David also attended Stanford University’s Executive Program and Alfred University’s Glass Science Program.

Desiree Murphy Morrissey is the Founder and CEO of Murphy’s Giving Market (MGM), a community food pantry and resource center in Upper Darby, PA. Murphy’s Giving Market mobilizes food resources from various donors to end food insecurity in the diverse community it serves. MGM was founded at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to help community members lift themselves out of poverty. Murphy’s Giving Market has been a Philabundance network Community Partner since 2021.

Murphy Morrissey currently works as a Special Needs Coordinator for the Philadelphia School District and brings over 15 years of experience in education and learning to Philabundance. Her passion for special needs education drives her to ensure that all students receive the proper support and services needed to grow to be independent, productive members of society.

Additionally, Desiree serves as the School Board Director for the Upper Darby School District. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring school facilities meet the required state standards along with ensuring ethical donation reporting standards are practiced.

Desiree received a Bachelor of Education from Temple University with a Dual Certification in Special Education and a Master of Education degree from Cabrini University.

For a complete list of Philabundance’s Board of Directors, please visit: www.philabundance.org/leadership-senior-staff/