By SDCN Editor
San Diego, CA–Feeding San Diego, a hunger relief and food rescue organization, has named Bob Kamensky its new chief executive officer, the organization announced.
A longtime San Diegan and U.S. Navy veteran with over 35 years of service, Kamensky transitioned to the not-for-profit sector in 2021 when he accepted the role of chief strategy officer at Feeding San Diego. He stepped into the role of interim CEO last fall upon the retirement of Dan Shea.
“Bob has demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and problem-solving. Throughout his interim CEO period, Bob has proven to lead with vision, compassion, and a strong strategic focus. His commitment to our mission will undoubtedly propel us forward to achieve an even greater impact on our community,” said Gwendolyn Sontheim, board chair of Feeding San Diego Board of Directors.
In the role of CEO, Kamensky will lead the county’s Feeding America partner food bank to continue its role as the leading hunger relief and food rescue organization. Under his leadership, the organization will continue to invest time and resources into food rescue to divert surplus food from local stores and food businesses, quickly respond to crises, and will work closely with elected officials on the local, state, and national levels to advocate for hunger relief policies.
“I am honored for the opportunity to take the helm of Feeding San Diego and to dedicate my work to a mission that resonates deeply with me,” said Bob Kamensky. “My most satisfying days in this role are when I’m out in the community meeting the people whose lives are positively changed by having access to nutritious food.”
Kamensky graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy and enjoyed a long career between active duty and reserve that brought him around the world and had him overseeing multiple commands. When he retired from the military, at the rank of Rear Admiral, he brought strategic operations experience. Kamensky has also spent time in leadership positions in the corporate and federal civil service sectors.
Prior to joining the Feeding San Diego executive team, he had turned his focus to education and giving back, teaching organizational leadership as an adjunct professor at Point Loma Nazarene University and providing consulting services part-time to non-profit organizations. It was then that he began consulting for Feeding San Diego in strategic planning.
