After serving as chief operating officer of the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) for over six years, Julie Reynes retired in January 2024.
As a self-employed entrepreneur over six years, Reynes contributed to the success of more than 10 organizations in the Washington, D.C. area, through leadership as interim CEO at several nonprofits and as founder and CEO of her own food company. She now owns a small farm in West Virginia.
Reynes held a variety of executive positions in the health, science and technology nonprofit sectors, including vice president of international services at American Red Cross. There, she established the organization’s first grants-based approach to disaster response. Reynes was the first president of the Patient Access Network Foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting cancer and chronic disease patients. In this post, she established initial policies and procedures, cultivated donor relationships and developed a strategic plan. In the food sector, Reynes founded and built Julie’s Datery, a startup manufacturer and wholesaler of stuffed dates. She led all aspects of brand-building, finance and operations and expanded product availability to eight states and 85 stores in two years.
Reynes has a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in computer information systems from Boston University.