Gausch named CEO at Weld Food Bank

GREELEY — Stephanie Gausch has been named new CEO at Weld Food Bank after a five-month search.

She succeeds longtime CEO Bob O’Connor, who retired at the end of 2025 after 27 years with the organization.

It’s been a steady climb for Gausch, who joined the food bank in 2009 as volunteer coordinator, then rose to development manager and director of communications and advocacy. She became chief development officer in 2014.

In her last role, she increased fundraising by 232%, expanded corporate and major-donor stewardship, collaborated to grow programming and expand services, and became the face and voice of Weld Food Bank with local, state and national media and community collaborators.

“I am honored to be the next CEO of Weld Food Bank,” Gausch said in a prepared statement. “Our organization is primed for growth as we see Weld County’s population rise faster than almost any other community in the state. We have an important opportunity to expand our services across this great county, and I believe we have the best staff and resources needed to reshape and improve what hunger relief looks like in Northern Colorado.”

Added AJ Roche, Weld Food Bank’s board president, “Stephanie brings deep knowledge of the organization, strong relationships across the community, and a clear commitment to Weld Food Bank’s mission. She demonstrates a strong understanding of both the internal and external leadership responsibilities of the role, as well as the opportunities ahead. We are confident in her ability to lead the organization forward and build on the strong foundation already in place.”

Weld Food Bank, founded in 1982, is a member of Feeding America. It distributed 14.5 million pounds of food last fiscal year, more than half of which was fresh produce, meat and dairy, through its more than 70 nonprofit agency partners and through eight direct service programs which include Kids Cafe, Backpacks, School Food Pantries, Summer Feeding, Senior Feeding Program, Mobile Food Pantry, Farms to Families, and Emergency Food Program.

On average, it serves more than 88,000 individuals each year.

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