Our Staff

Carolyn Kriss

Chief Operating Officer

Carolyn is thrilled to join Nourishing Hope as chief operating officer. She brings about 20 years of experience, including 10 years in the public sector and another 10 in the private sector where she primarily worked at food and tech companies. 

Carolyn began her career in food at Starbucks where led the $550 million hot tea business and led strategy for the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, which pays for employees to go to college. She scaled growth stage tech startups as a general manager at DoorDash (food delivery) and Capsule (prescription delivery). Most recently, she served as VP of Strategy at meal delivery subscription startup, Tovala, where she led the data and customer insights functions and created fundraising materials resulting in a $30 million equity investment. 

Before working in business, Carolyn was one of the first 200 staff to join President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign and served in the Administration as a Special Assistant to the head of the US Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, a $50 billion agency that runs Head Start, Childcare, Child Support, TANF, refugee resettlement, and more.

A Chicagoland native, Carolyn holds a MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA from Yale. Carolyn’s mom is a social worker, and she was raised with the conviction that supporting families requires a holistic approach, both helping with urgent, practical needs and building a long term foundation of wellbeing. Carolyn lives in Chicago with her husband and 17-month old-daughter.

Nourishing Hope Exists Because of the Support of Our Neighbors.

Providing the equivalent of 4.5 million meals each year, plus thousands of mental wellness and social services that empower healthy lives, Nourishing Hope strives to create a city where all people have the resources needed for a dignified life. Join us today!

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