Our Team

Bruce Rankin has been the Executive Director of the Westside Food Bank since 1989. He is one of the founders of the California Association of Food Banks and is its longest serving Board member. Prior to his work at the Food Bank, Bruce had experience working for the US Forest Service, a map making company, a recreation and parks department, and an immigrants’ services organization. He is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, and he holds a Master’s Degree in Geography from UC Berkeley. Bruce’s wife, Catherine Wagar, serves as clergy in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.  For two decades, Bruce and his wife have shared their home with a succession of refugees and asylum seekers from countries around the world. 

Genevieve Riutort was born and raised in the Bronx, in New York City and came to Los Angeles seeking a career in entertainment, but found her passion in the nonprofit world. She began working at WSFB in 2004 and currently serves as the Chief Development Officer. Having been on both the giving and receiving side of nonprofit social service, she has a unique understanding of both the challenges faced by low-income families and the nonprofit organizations that serve them. She designs, executes and oversees WSFB’s fund development strategy including fundraising, grant writing, event planning, donor relations, database management, communications, public relations, and marketing and plays a key role in the organization’s Strategic Planning Committee. She has helped to nearly triple WSFB’s income during her tenure with strong support from private foundations and individuals. Genevieve was among the 2018 cohort of graduates of the Center for Nonprofit Management’s Next Leaders Development Program. She currently serves on the Board of Cornerstone Theater Company and was previously an officer on the Board of the Nonprofit Communications and Media Network, and on the Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Los Angeles Chapter. She was also the host and producer of the City TV Santa Monica program Nonprofit Profiles for 3 seasons and teaches workshops on nonprofit fundraising strategies. She is the mother of 3 young adults and enjoys performing at live storytelling shows in her free time.

Yvonne Leung is the Director of Operations at Westside Food Bank, overseeing the day-to-day operation of the food bank. She started at WSFB as a volunteer in 2004, and was hired as WSFB’s Program Director in 2005, moving into her current role in 2014. Yvonne is passionate about harnessing technology to improve existing systems and increase efficiency. As part of her work at Westside Food Bank, Yvonne developed an operations manual and digitized it into a wiki, allowing staff to update the manual as their work evolves. She also created an online web app for scheduling the food bank’s food drives, leading to better communication with donors and easier tracking for staff.  She enjoys learning new things and applying that knowledge to her work.

Yvonne is a key member of Westside Food Bank’s Strategic Planning team and is currently focused on developing initiatives to expand the provision of healthy food to underserved populations. She is also a Board Member on West Los Angeles College’s Food Pantry Advisory Board.

Milton Gonzalez has worked at Westside Food Bank since 1983. With a spotless driving record, astounding forklift wizardry, and a generous spirit, Milton is an invaluable member of the team and admired for his dedication and positivity. As Warehouse Manager, he has trained and mentored fellow warehouse staff. He is a reliable, friendly face for the growing number of agencies that receive food from the Westside Food Bank. He has witnessed changes in LA and especially recognizes a need for the Food Bank as the middle class shrinks and the cost of living rises. Milton was born in Ecuador and moved to Connecticut with his family at 5 years old. He is also well-known on the Westside for his hand-crafted robots. Each robot is unique and beautiful – a fitting symbol of Milton’s creativity, determination, and fun-loving spirit.

Allison Griffith has been working at Westside Food Bank for over 20 years. She has a passion for helping transitional-aged foster youth and ran a program that served young women transitioning out of foster care for many years. Allison enjoys working closely with Westside Food Bank’s member agencies. She connects perishable food donors with agencies, and coordinates Westside Food Bank’s large individual, community and corporate volunteer program. Allison also finds great satisfaction in helping our veterans. She is deeply grateful that WSFB’s direct service program to veterans was entrusted to her to run in 2016. She loves working with the other Westside Food Bank staff and is grateful to be part of the WSFB team. She is also grateful to be able to bring Peanut, her beloved chihuahua, to work everyday.

Brittney Calhoun has worked and dedicated more than 5 years to Westside Food Bank to help achieve their mission. Brittney joined the WSFB family in 2014 as an intern in working with her current supervisor, Yvonne Leung, on the Food Bank’s internal operational manual. Recognized for her passion and talent, Brittney was promoted to Administrative Assistant in 2016. She currently assists all staff with office operations and development duties, but her biggest focus is working closely with WSFB’s Director of Operations, Yvonne Leung, on agency organization, internal operations, and food management.

Brittney received a BA in English with a focus in Creative Writing from California State University of Northridge. This degree has enabled her greatly to direct WSFB’s social media presence. She was chosen by Bruce Rankin to receive the Westside Coalition on Housing, Hunger and Health’s Outstanding Service Award for her work at Westside Food Bank. In her free time, Brittney enjoys crafting, being outdoors, participating in American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life each year, and recently joining the American Brain Tumor Association’s fundraising efforts.

Rocael Garcia has worked at Westside Food Bank for over 30 years as the Assistant Warehouse Manager. He was introduced to Westside Food Bank through Warehouse Manager Milton Gonzalez’s family. Rocael is very organized and efficient with paperwork. In his spare time, he likes watching soccer, especially the World Cup. He also works out for two hours a day, five days a week.

Aviva joined the Westside Food Bank team in 2017. As Development Manager, she works with the Chief Development Officer on several initiatives related to organizational fundraising including grant writing, special events, marketing and donor relations. Aviva also manages select special projects, such as web development, social media strategy, internships and the Auxiliary Board.

Prior to her time at Westside Food Bank, Aviva worked in development at several other social service agencies on the Westside, including Upward Bound House, the Westside Coalition, and the Bandini Foundation. Aviva received her B.A. in French and Comparative Literature from UCLA, where she was among the first class of Hunger Fellows at MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. After graduating she lived in Tel Aviv while working as a Development intern at Latet – Israeli Humanitarian Aid. Aviva is a Los Angeles native who grew up volunteering at hunger-related non-profit organizations – including Westside Food Bank! When she’s not at WSFB, she enjoys hiking, yoga, and creative writing.

Lia Williams is the newest team member at Westside Food Bank, coming on in August 2019 as Executive Assistant to Bruce Rankin. On the daily, Lia provides a wide range of administrative support such as managing emails, entering data, preparing reports, and communicating with affiliates or partners of the food bank. Lia regularly attends meetings with social service providers, governmental agencies, and community groups in order to grow WSFB’s local presence and identify opportunities for collaboration. Lia is also the advocacy point person on staff—advocating for a stronger food assistance network by raising awareness of state/federal policies related to food security. Prior to WSFB, Lia was advocating for immigrant rights. She helped organize faith groups around sanctuary efforts and expand immigrant social services within the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Lia earned her B.A. in Psychology from Kalamazoo College in southwest Michigan. Shortly after, she moved to Los Angeles to gain experience in the nonprofit world. She is committed to working with people for systemic racial and economic change, especially when it comes to poverty. Outside of the food bank, you’ll find her petting dogs, sampling LA’s profusion of food spots, and attending multicultural and social justice events throughout the city.

Peanut is Westside Food Bank’s youngest team member. As Chief Canine Officer, Peanut provides daily support to all staff members. She is in charge of a wide array of duties including mail sniffing, tennis ball chasing, morale boosting, doorbell back-up, and volunteer greeting. Peanut regularly attends meetings, and is not afraid to speak up and voice her opinions in every room she walks into. She is a proud and loyal WSFB team member. You can find Peanut on Westside Food Bank’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages as a frequent contributor and model. She enjoys dressing up for every holiday – especially those that can include a tutu. Outside of work, she enjoys going on short but frequent walks and cuddling with her feline and guinea pig roommates.