Opelousas native Claire Babineaux-Fontenot—who formerly served as an operating partner with Bernhard Capital Partners and was the subject of a Business Report cover story in January—is moving on to her next high-profile job.
Babineaux-Fontenot has been tapped to take over the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, Feeding America, at its Chicago headquarters as CEO, effective Oct. 1.
As Crain’s Chicago Business reports, Feeding America provides hungry people in the U.S. with more than 4 billion meals a year through its network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs. The organization was ranked the third-largest charity by Forbes magazine. It also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security, educates the public about the issue of hunger, and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry.
Babineaux-Fontenot previously held leadership positions at Walmart, law firm Adams & Reese, PwC and in government. She also ran her own consulting firm, CBF Consulting Group, based in Dallas. She will be relocating to Chicago.
“As one of the over one hundred children raised by my parents through biology, adoption and foster care, I saw the ravages of hunger firsthand, as many of my siblings entered our home with visible signs of malnutrition,” Babineaux-Fontenot says in a statement. “I will harness my learnings from working in some incredibly successful organizations toward the passion of my life, the fight against hunger.”
As detailed in the January Business Report cover story, Babineaux-Fontenot is the granddaughter of sharecroppers, and neither of her parents graduated high school.
