Our Leadership Team
Meet Our Officers
Debbie Espinosa
President and CEO
Debbie Espinosa joined Harvesters as President and CEO in 2026, coming from FIND Regional Food Bank, a fellow Feeding America network food bank serving California’s Greater Palm Springs desert region. There, she served as President and CEO since 2018.
Espinosa brings extensive food banking experience within the Feeding America network. She currently serves as a member and past chair of Feeding America’s National Advisory Council, one of the network’s primary leadership bodies responsible for helping shape strategy and innovation across more than 200 member food banks nationwide. She has also served on Feeding America’s National Board of Directors, Contract Task Force, Network Strategic Framework Committee, and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council. From 2008 to 2011, she worked for Feeding America as the Manager of Compliance and Capacity Development, supporting 37 food banks throughout the southwestern United States.
Her broader food banking experience includes serving as a Strategic Programs and Operations Consultant for the Global Food Banking Network, where she helped support the development of the first national food banking networks in Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador in partnership with Walmart Central America and Mexico.
Debbie has deep ties to the Kansas City community. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she later attended Rockhurst University, where she earned her bachelor’s degrees in Sociology and Comparative Religion, along with a minor in Nonprofit Management through the American Humanics (now Nonprofit Leadership Alliance) program. She also has a Masters degree in Community and Economic Development from Pennsylvania State University and is a Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP).
Over the past decade, Espinosa has continued to strengthen her ties to Kansas City through more than eight years of service on the national board of directors of the Kansas City-based Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, an organization founded by H. Roe Bartle in 1948 to develop the next generation of nonprofit leaders.
Monic Houpe
Chief Operating Officer
Monic J. Houpe joined Harvesters in August 2021. She first served as Director of Agency Partnerships and Capacity and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2022. Monic oversees the operational, partner agency, and programmatic activities of the organization including the areas of Community Impact (Partner Relations, Food Security Programs, and Government Programs), Operations, and Food Sourcing & Inventory. Previously, Monic advanced through roles of increasing responsibility in Product Development/Brand Management and Information Technology at Hallmark for more than 21 years. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Webster University.
Monic is a servant leader who has made significant contributions to the local community. Currently, she serves on the board of directors for Reconciliation Services and works on several teams for her local church. She also previously served on the board of High Aspirations, the American Jazz Museum, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City’s Emerging Leaders Council. She acted as the volunteer BackSnack program leader for a decade and a half at Hallmark. Throughout her career, she has been a strong advocate for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Serving on multiple diversity councils including Executive Sponsor of Harvesters Diversity Council, as member coordinator for Hallmark’s inaugural African American ERG, and as a recruiter for diverse talent, she has dedicated her life to invoking change for others.
Monic represents Harvesters on the Feeding America Mid-West Disaster Preparedness Cohort, Operations Technology Consortium (OTC), COO Round Table, Kansas City local VOAD, Kansas VOAD, and Blue Valley Industrial Association. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration majoring in management information systems from Iowa State University. She also earned a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in finance from the Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University.
Elizabeth Keever
Chief Resource Officer
Elizabeth has served as a member of the Lawrence Emergency Planning Committee, The Lawrence Community Shelter, Vice-President of the Douglas County Policy Council, Chair of LiveWell Lawrence/Douglas County, and Vice President of K-State Research and Extension.
Elizabeth Keever serves as Harvesters’ Chief Resource Officer, where she oversees fundraising, communications, volunteers, food drives and advocacy. Previously, Elizabeth was Chief Development Officer at Heartland Community Health Center in Lawrence, Kansas, from 2022 to August of 2024.
For nearly a decade, Elizabeth worked at Harvesters’ valued partner agency, Just Food, where she successfully orchestrated the launch of major fundraisers, notably the Kansas Food Truck Festival which drew a crowd of more than 5,000. Elizabeth’s drive to make a difference saw her expand the organization’s staffing, donations and capacity. As the Executive Director, she amplified Just Food’s outreach, initiating numerous essential programs and fostering key partnerships, including the collaboration with Heartland Community Health Center for the Care Cupboard project.
Elizabeth began her career as Finance Director for the Kansas Democratic Party, playing a pivotal part in the 2010 and 2012 election campaigns. She graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in Peace and Conflict Studies. In 2020, she received a Food Systems Leadership Certification from Iowa State University.
She is a graduate of the Leadership Lawrence and Leadership Kansas programs. In 2016, she was awarded the Don Volker Leadership Award from the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and in 2019 was included in the list of “Hawks to Watch” from the University of Kansas.
Angela Holcomb
Chief Human Resource Officer
Angela Holcomb is Chief Human Resource Officer at Harvesters where she plays a key role in shaping the organization’s people strategies. Prior to assuming the Officer position, Angela served as Director of Human Resources at Harvesters since 2016. Angela is also the former President of HR Forum, a leadership position that reflects her deep commitment to advancing the HR profession.
Angela studied psychology and public administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Bloch School of Business, which laid the foundation for her career.
Between undergraduate and graduate school, she worked with adults with developmental disabilities at Community Living Opportunities (CLO). It was here that Angela discovered her passion for helping people while improving environments to give individuals the chance to find their best selves.