Staff Leadership Team

Hunger-Free Minnesota currently has three staff members, along with several contract staff, to lead and coordinate campaign activities. Staff members include:

Ellie Lucas

Chief Campaign Officer

Ellie Lucas joined Hunger-Free Minnesota in November 2010 as Chief Campaign Officer. She is responsible for overall campaign leadership.

Ellie has 25 years’ experience in public affairs, corporate relations and strategic marketing. Before joining Hunger-Free Minnesota, she was an equity partner in an internet startup, where she led strategic partnerships and designed customized joint marketing programs with EBay, Best Buy and W3i.  Prior to that, she was Executive Vice President of Tunheim Partners, a public relations agency, where she led strategic corporate and community relations initiatives for Honeywell, Metris, Target Stores, American Express and First Data Corporation. 

Ellie’s community engagement has included serving as Chairman of the board, board officer and board member of The Center for Victims of Torture, a leading international human rights organization; the Children’s Defense Fund scholarship program nomination committee and the Edina Education Fund.

A Minneapolis native, Ellie attended the University of Minnesota and graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in journalism. She lives in Minneapolis and has four daughters.

Jason Reed

Director of Strategy and Corporate Partnerships

Jason Reed joined Hunger-Free Minnesota in September 2010 as Director of Strategy and Corporate Partnerships. He is responsible for business plan strategy, fundraising, and execution of public/private partnerships with corporations such as Boston Consulting Group, Cargill, General MIlls, UnitedHealth Group, and others.

Previously, Jason was award-winning strategy and management leader for two of the world’s largest advertising agencies, McCann Erickson and Ogilvy & Mather.  He advised numerous Fortune 500 companies on marketing strategy, communications campaigns and brand storytelling.

Jason holds a master's degree from Harvard University, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota.

David Dayhoff

Director of Partnership Engagement and Advocacy

David Dayhoff joined Hunger-Free Minnesota in August 2012 as the Director of Partnership Engagement & Advocacy. He is responsible for business plan execution and relationships with partner nonprofit and government agencies.

Prior to joining Hunger-Free Minnesota, David worked at Cargill, Inc., for almost 15 years in a variety of commercial, analytical and marketing roles, both domestically and internationally. Most recently, he was a product line leader for Cargill’s U.S. grain business. Prior to working at Cargill, he served on the Washington, D.C., staff of Senator Richard Lugar and as a staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.

David earned a master’s degree in international affairs from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Portuguese from Princeton University. He resides in Minnetonka with his wife and two children.