Puyallup Food Bank selects new CEO. He’s likely a familiar face to city residents
The Puyallup Food Bank has chosen Puyallup City Council member Dean Johnson as its new CEO.
Johnson will lead the 48-year-old nonprofit organization at a time of unprecedented levels of need. In November 2019, the food bank served 1,926 individuals. This November, it served 4,381 individuals.
“We have never served so many clients in our 48-year history and it’s continuing to grow,” Johnson told The Puyallup Herald on Dec. 16, a week after being named to the position.
Johnson was selected at a time when the Puyallup Food Bank was pleading for volunteers, donations and space. The former Safeway building in the Valley Plaza has served as the Puyallup Food Bank since the summer. Safeway has leased the building, and the food bank must move before the end of the year.
Johnson said the community has rallied in the past month. Volunteer applications and donations have poured in, he said. The Washington State Fair offered its fairgrounds to the food bank to store food as the nonprofit moves back to its smaller space.
“The food bank reached out and asked if we had any space we could store some of their food while they transition out of the old Safeway and were happy to oblige and help out our community,” Washington State Fair’s CEO Kent Hojem said in an email.
“Everytime we have a need, the fair has been there for us,” said Anna Madden, chair of the Puyallup Food Bank Board.
Johnson was elected to hold the at-large seat on the Puyallup City Council in 2015. Johnson receives an annual salary of $14,464 for his council work.
Municipal code does not prohibit council members from having employment in the community, but Johnson now cannot vote on issues pertaining to the Puyallup Food Bank.
The city annually provides community grants to the Puyallup Food Bank. The nonprofit was awarded $10,000 in community grant funding for 2019 and $9,000 for 2020, city spokesperson Brenda Fritsvold said.
Beyond the annual community grants, the City Council granted an $8,000 to the Puyallup Food Bank in 2020 to help meet increased needs as a result of the pandemic for a total 2020 award of $17,000.
“Obviously ... council member Johnson will need to recuse himself from any discussions or votes pertaining to City funds being allocated to the Puyallup Food Bank,” Fritsvold said.
Johnson said intends to do so. He does not and will not serve on the council committee that selects grant recipients. He also said he will not lobby council members on behalf of the Puyallup Food Bank.
“I have to be considerate of the council reputation and the organization. I don’t want to be a liability to the food bank,” Johnson said. “For the organization, I have to make sure that I have crossed every T and dotted every I.
“These are long-haul institutions that are not going to jeopardize their positions by playing games.”
The nonprofit’s board of directors said Johnson is positioned to build strong partnerships with a broad section of the industries within the region. Johnson previously worked at Nordstrom’s as a personal stylist for over a decade after working as a pastor.
“Our board unanimously voted to bring (Johnson) on as our CEO and is confident in his ability to lead our organization through one of the most challenging seasons we have encountered in our nearly five decades of service,” Madden said in a statement.
The food bank did not disclose Johnson’s salary.
Starting the week of Dec. 21, families and individuals needing food can visit food bank at 110 23rd St. SE. Organizations who rely on the Puyallup Food Bank for food, like Puyallup Valley Salvation Army, the Edgewood Food Bank, and the New Hope Resource Center, can pick up food at the fairgrounds.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
