We are thrilled to welcome Michael Tankenoff as our new Executive Director.
Michael brings a distinctive blend of entrepreneurial experience, deep Minnesota roots, and a genuine passion for food access and community dignity. Below, Michael shares his background, why this work matters to him, and how he’s thinking about the road ahead.
We are confident he is the right person for this moment, and we think you will be too.
He’ll be at our 90s Trivia Night at LTD Brewing on May 18th from 6:00-8:00 PM. LTD Brewing is generously donating 20% of all proceeds that day directly to our mission.
Find 10 fun facts about him below!
Letter from Michael:
Hi everyone,
I want to start by saying how grateful, excited, and truly honored I am to step into the Executive Director role here at Loaves & Fishes. For many of you, this may be the first time you’re hearing from me in this capacity, so I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, share a little bit about why I’m here, and talk about how I’m thinking about the road ahead.
My background is a little different from what you might expect. I’ve spent much of my career building and scaling consumer businesses, most of them connected in some way to the kitchen, food, and helping people feel more confident feeding themselves and the people around them. That work has always been about access, making tools, information, and support easier to use for people who may not have grown up with them or felt confident in that space.
Over time, I started feeling a stronger pull to use those skills in a way that was more directly connected to community and impact. I grew up here in Minnesota, spent many years in San Francisco building my career, and eventually moved back with my wife to raise our kids here. A big part of that decision was rooted in what I believe Minnesota represents: community, responsibility, generosity, and the idea that we show up for one another.
And over the last few years, it’s become clearer and clearer how much that sense of responsibility matters. The challenges facing families across our communities have grown more complex. Food insecurity, rising costs, instability, and pressure on the systems people rely on are not abstract issues, they are showing up every day in the lives of the people we serve.
That is what drew me to Loaves & Fishes. This organization sits at the intersection of food, access, dignity, and community. The work you all do every day is deeply practical, deeply human, and deeply needed.
It’s also important to acknowledge that this has been a challenging year. We’ve faced change, difficult circumstances, and real obstacles in and around Minneapolis that have affected our team and the communities we serve. We’ve had to make tough decisions in the short term, including decisions about how we deliver our impact.
But through all of that, the mission remains the priority.
As I look ahead, my focus is on strengthening our foundation, supporting our team, and building for the future. That means stronger systems, clearer communication, more reliable data, deeper partnerships, and an operating model that allows us to be agile, nimble, and sustainable.
We have a 40-plus-year legacy, an incredible team, and a community that believes in this work. I’m confident that we can rise to the challenges in front of us and move into a new phase – one where we grow, find new ways to serve, and continue evolving how we deliver on the mission.
What won’t change is why we’re here: to serve people with dignity, consistency, and care.
I’m grateful to be here, and I’m looking forward to building this next chapter together.
Join us in welcoming
Michael to the team.
Whether you’re a donor, volunteer, partner, or community member, we are so glad you’re here for this next chapter of Loaves & Fishes. We simply couldn’t do our work without people like you.
Fun Facts about Michael:
After college, Michael moved to Los Angeles. He was working in sports television production, on a feature film, and took improv classes at Second City in Hollywood.
The furthest Michael has ever traveled is to Shanghai. He’s been there twice now!
The coolest celebrity he’s ever met was his childhood idol Robin Williams, while waiting for his car at a valet in Los Angeles. This coincidentally was on the first night he moved to Las Angeles.
When Michael was little, he was allergic to chocolate. Thankfully, as he grew older, he no longer has that problem.
Michael’s varsity high school football career consisted of 1 catch for 72 yards.
He was a camper turned camp counselor at Camp Thunderbird in Bemidji for 10 years. He was fortunate to explore northern Minnesota’s hiking trails, the Boundary Waters, and spend time backpacking across the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies in his later camper years.
Michael and his wife have two adorable and very energetic boys, Bobby (5) and PJ (2).
His favorite thing to cook is Paella.
Michael has never seen Star Wars. (This is tragic, we know)
When Michael met his wife, they both coincidentally had French bulldogs. Lindsey’s bulldog was named Gus, and Michael’s bulldog was named Walter. (We may have included a photo below)
Exclusive Content:
As a little thank you for sticking with us until the very end of this introduction, please enjoy this very important, highly exclusive content of Gus & Walter wearing tiny party hats.
Follow us on social media to see more fun behind the scenes as we reduce barriers to food access across the state of Minnesota!
Thank you for supporting our mission!