As Chief Executive Officer, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot
oversees the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization and
second-largest U.S. charity according to Forbes. Feeding America is a nationwide
network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meals programs. Together,
the Feeding America network provides more than 4 billion meals to more than 46
million people across the United States and supports programs that improve food
security for the families we serve.
Prior to joining Feeding America, Claire spent 13 years as a part of
Walmart’s leadership team with her most recent role being executive vice
president and global treasurer. In this role, she had global responsibility for
tax, treasury operations, capital markets, investor relations, global risk
management, casualty and self-insurance leading teams across 28 countries and
over 1,000 associates worldwide.
A Louisiana native, Claire has been entrusted with the leadership of teams
for nearly three decades. Before Walmart, she was partner-in-charge of the Baton
Rouge office and tax practice leader for Adams and Reese LLP, one of U.S. News
& World Report’s “Best Law Firms.” Earlier in her career, she was dispute
resolution practice group leader for the southwest region at PwC (formerly
PricewaterhouseCoopers) and an assistant secretary for the Office of Legal
Affairs for the State of Louisiana.
With a deep personal commitment to strengthening communities, Claire has long
been an avid volunteer and board member. She has volunteered in the fight
against hunger and other causes since her youth. Later, she served on a number
of nonprofit boards including the Court Appointed Special Advocates for
Children, the board of directors and audit committee for the Thurgood Marshall
College Fund, and the board of trustees and finance and audit committee for the
National Urban League and the National Association of Black Accountants. She
also was on the corporate advisory board for the Association of Latino
Professionals for America. Additionally, she served on the global board of
directors and executive committee of the Walmart Foundation. Her board
experience also includes the board and the audit committee for Walmart Chile
S.A, chair of the board of directors for ATLAS Technical Consultants and audit
committee member and nominating and governance committee chair at Charah
Solutions. Claire was named one of TIME's 100 most influential pioneers,
leaders, titans, artists and icons of 2020.
Claire holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Louisiana in
Lafayette; a Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge,
La.; and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Southern Methodist University Dedman
School of Law in Dallas, Texas.
JoAnna Fu Simek, CPA, MST
Tax Manager, Tax Services - SALT Specialist
Professional Experience:
- JoAnna Simek, CPA, MST, is a partner in BKD's Chicago
tax practice. JoAnna is a member of BKD National Manufacturing &
Distribution Group, with a focus on technology and software companies as well
as food processors and distributors. She provides consulting and tax
services for corporations, individuals and flow-through entities across a
variety of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, technology,
computer software and professional services. In addition, she consults
with clients on tax planning opportunities and risk mitigation
strategies. She is a member of the Chicago BKD Foundation committee and
BKD’s SKY Advisory Council.
- JoAnna is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and Illinois CPA
Society (ICPAS). She is an active member of ICPAS, having served terms
as chair of the ICPAS State & Local Tax Committee, vice chair of the Tax
Executive Committee, member of the ICPAS Diversity Advisory Council, and
various task forces. She is an At-Large Council member of the AICPA and a
board member at Chicago Youth Centers.
- She is an honors graduate of The Ohio State University, Columbus, with a
B.S. degree in business administration, and a graduate of DePaul University,
Chicago, Illinois, with an M.S. degree in taxation.