Laurie Lang Joins Project Angel Food as CEO

Project Angel Food named Laurie Lang as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1.

“Project Angel Food has been a tireless championof vital nourishment and hope throughout Los Angeles County for nearly 25 years, and I welcome the opportunity to help set its vision for the future,” said Lang. “With ‘food as medicine’ a tenet of the agency’s work, I look forward to further communicating the key role that nutrition plays in better health – and the impact that Project Angel Food is having on people struggling with life-threatening illnesses throughout our community. I commit to our supporters, volunteers, local leaders and, most importantly, those individuals to whom we provide an essential life-saving service that I will work to ensure Project Angel Food honors our long-standing mantra of ‘for Life, for Love, for as long as it takes.’” 

Before joining Project Angel Food, Lang served as president for BrandCentrics Consulting, as senior vice president of Strategic Marketing for The Walt Disney Company, and as executive director for Disney’s “Disney Learning Partnership” program, which involved the management of a $20 million philanthropic portfolio to support the nation’s teachers and schools. Most recently, she served as associate vice president for Marketing and Communications at The Music Center, where she developed and implemented a comprehensive rebranding strategy to revitalize the center. Lang has a graduate degree in Business Administration from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

In addition to her professional experiences, Lang has served on the nonprofit boards of Free Arts for Abused Children and Virginia Avenue Project, and has lent her support to The Philanthropic Initiative, LA Universal Preschool Initiative, The Afterschool Alliance, and others as a valued leader.

“With her breadth of experience, Laurie Lang is the ideal person to oversee the growth and increased impact of Project Angel Food,” said Project Angel Food’s chairman of the Board of Directors, Robert Bauer. “With her creative and strategic thinking, the Board and staff are excited about working with Laurie to ensure Project Angel Food continues to provide life-sustaining nourishment to some of the most vulnerable members of our community – and to explore ways that we could be of even greater service to those in need.”

“The Greater Los Angeles community is well-aware that we provide meal services to people struggling with HIV/AIDS, but what might surprise many is that more than 18% of our clients today are battling some form of cancer, more than 15% of our clients are at end stage renal disease, or that more than 5% of our clients are inflicted with emphysema, and more than 7% have congestive heart failure,” said Bauer. “Over our 24 years of service, we have expanded our service to the people of Los Angeles County and, with Laurie at the helm, will continue to explore ways that we can further contribute to a healthy and vibrant community.”

Project Angel Food cooks and delivers 600,000 nutritious meals each year, free of charge, to the homes of men, women and children affected by HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. In 2013, 2,200 people, ranging in age from 16 to 97, will receive service, with 30% Hispanic, 30% African-American, and 30% Caucasian. Women represent 42% of all those who receive service.  Every year, more than 3,500 individuals volunteer at Project Angel Food, contributing 42,000 hours to all aspects of the agency’s work.

Lang assumes the post from Margaret Steele, who has led Project Angel Food for the past five years and oversaw the launch of social enterprise initiatives, increased financial stability, grew the involvement of students in the volunteer program, and expanded service in the broader health community. Steele is departing to spend more time with her teenage children and will have worked closely with Lang to ensure a smooth transition.