Paul Ash, Executive Director

Paul Ash attended the University of California at Davis, where he earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural economics. After working in the private sector for several years, including time spent overseas in agricultural development, Paul returned to school to earn his master's degree in business from San Francisco State University. Paul has worked in nonprofit management for 25 years, 20 of which he has spent as the executive director of the San Francisco Food Bank. Paul's commitment to ending hunger in San Francisco has enabled the growth of the Food Bank to skyrocket from distributing just under 4 million pounds of food when he started in 1989 to over 39 million pounds this past year.  The San Francisco Food Bank distributes more fresh produce per person in poverty than any food bank in the United States.

Paul has served on the Board of Directors of Feeding America and Feeding America’s national affiliates council as well as on boards of other non-profit organizations in the Bay Area.  He lives in Oakland with his wife and two children.

Leslie Harless Bacho, Deputy Executive Director

Leslie Bacho earned a master's degree in management from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree from Duke University. She joined the San Francisco Food Bank in 1998. Prior to her appointment, Leslie was a brand manager for the Clorox Company where she set strategic direction, developed and executed business plans, and launched new products. Her experience in nonprofit management spans 10 years, and includes public affairs, communications management, project coordination, and fundraising for the March of Dimes, the American Psychological Association, and other organizations.

While at the San Francisco Food Bank, Leslie has doubled the number of volunteers, engineered the change to a new enterprise computer system, streamlined budgeting and planning processes and implemented new staff training and development programs.

Claire Axelrad, Director of Development

Claire Axelrad received her B.A from Princeton University and her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.  She joined the Food Bank in April, 2010. Her development career spans 30 years, most recently as Director of Advancement for the San Francisco Jewish Community Center. Previously, she worked for more than two decades for Jewish Family and Children's Services, overseeing development planning, implementation and evaluation, including annual, grant and capital fundraising efforts. Her legacy is a multi-faceted endowment program that includes bequests, charitable trusts, gift annuities, retirement fund plans, life insurance and real estate gifts, donor advised funds and outright endowment funds.   Claire has also served as chief development professional for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the statewide California School of Professional Psychology.  Hand-in-hand with her fundraising responsibilities, Claire has overseen brand strategy and marketing communications.

Claire has served on the boards of directors of the Northern California Planned Giving Council and Association of Fundraising Professionals. She teaches in such areas as annual giving, major gifts and legacy giving. She is a member of the California State Bar.

Before joining the Food Bank, Sean worked with HIV-positive homeless individuals in San Francisco's Tenderloin District and spent three and a half years designing and implementing community development projects in West Africa as a member of the Peace Corps and Lutheran World Relief. Sean has a bachelor's degree from Stanford University in international relations, and is proficient in four languages.

Michael Braude, Director of Finance & Administration

Michael Braude has worked for the San Francisco Food Bank since March 2000 and has been the Director of Finance and Administration since November 2004.  Michael leads the Food Bank’s annual budgeting and audit processes, overseeing a budget that has grown by more than 50% since the beginning of his tenure. Along with improving the disaster resiliency of the Food Bank, Michael plays a pivotal role in improving the preparedness level of local nonprofits and the nation’s food bank network.

In his free time, Michael is active in efforts to preserve and protect habitat on the San Mateo County coast, where he is on the board of two area environmental education organizations and a docent naturalist at Año Nuevo State Reserve. Michael received his bachelor's degree in philosophy with honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz.