Experience

FRESHFARM

• United States
• Food and Beverage Manufacturing
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director of Food Systems Innovation and Resiliency

  • May 2023 - Present



Share Our Strength

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Director, Early Childhood Nutrition Security

  • Oct 2019 - May 2023

  Washington, District Of Columbia - Leads national Early Childhood program, strategy and team at No Kid Hungry. - Launched program in October, 2019 with no strategy, no staff and $200K budget. Currently, team has three full time staff members and three part-time staff members, a budget of almost $2M and a strategy to meaningfully impact food security among young children and their families. Current program includes significant work in topic areas including: - Developed and launched a partnership with the American… Show more - Leads national Early Childhood program, strategy and team at No Kid Hungry. - Launched program in October, 2019 with no strategy, no staff and $200K budget. Currently, team has three full time staff members and three part-time staff members, a budget of almost $2M and a strategy to meaningfully impact food security among young children and their families. Current program includes significant work in topic areas including: - Developed and launched a partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2020, which was highlighted by the White House in September, 2022, at the Hunger, Nutrition and Health Conference; - Developed a granting strategy to distribute $3M to 120 CBOs, health care centers/FQHCs and child care centers across the U.S. serving young children during COVID, resulting in distribution of more than 2M meals to children and their families; - Developing and evaluating Food is Medicine programs for pregnant women to build the case for Medicaid funding; - Developing a WIC strategy to increase participation in the program through national partnerships, innovative pilot programs, technology solutions, and working closely with WIC participants to address their challenges. Show less



Martha's Table

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Director, Healthy Eating

  • Feb 2015 - Mar 2019

  Washington D.C. Metro Area Leads $3M Healthy Eating programs at Martha’s Table that provides more than 2 million healthy meals annually to the community and includes a team of twenty. Accomplishments include: - Launched the Joyful Food Market (JFM) program and grew it from four monthly pop-up farmers markets in D.C.’s Wards 7 & 8, providing healthy food at no-cost to 700 families a month, to 52 monthly pop-up farmers markets reaching 9,000 families a month. - JFM program successfully decreased food insecurity… Show more Leads $3M Healthy Eating programs at Martha’s Table that provides more than 2 million healthy meals annually to the community and includes a team of twenty. Accomplishments include: - Launched the Joyful Food Market (JFM) program and grew it from four monthly pop-up farmers markets in D.C.’s Wards 7 & 8, providing healthy food at no-cost to 700 families a month, to 52 monthly pop-up farmers markets reaching 9,000 families a month. - JFM program successfully decreased food insecurity from 74% of families reporting running out of food at least once the month prior to 29.5% and increased consumption of fruit and vegetables from 29.5% of families reporting eating fruit and vegetables five times a week to 60%. - During the 2017-18 school year, JFMs served almost 50,000 people, distributing more than 1.1M pounds of healthy food into D.C.’s Wards 7 & 8 - o Secured $700K of DC government funding for JFM program in 2015-16, grew support to $1.12M for 2016-17 and to $1.3M for 2017-18. - Grew team from 11 to 20 professionals. - Named to “Fifty+ under 50: Innovative leaders transforming metro DC’s food system” by Elevation DC. Portfolio of programs include: - Joyful Food Markets, an innovative, nationally significant pop-up healthy farmers market model rooted in data and leveraging partnerships with schools, local government, the non-profit sector and the private sector to create a replicable and scalable program that addresses food insecurity and improves health in DC and around the country; - Martha's Markets, pop-up grocery markets in elementary schools and community centers round D.C. that provide no cost healthy groceries to families; - McKenna's Wagon, a mobile food kitchen that feeds 300 hungry and homeless neighbors 365 days a year; - Martha’s Table Volunteer department, which annually provides meaningful volunteer opportunities to 18,000 people.

• Senior Director, Health & Wellness

  • Feb 2015 - Mar 2019



HuffPost

• United States
• Online Media
• 300 - 400 Employee

• Contributor

  • Jun 2013 - Dec 2017

  Caron writes for to The Huffington Post on the intersection of food, nutrition, children and food insecurity. Caron's articles have been picked up and covered extensively across the U.S. and in the U.K.



First Bites

• Founder

  • Sep 2012 - Feb 2015

  washington d.c. metro area Founder of First Bites, a DC-area non-profit committed to changing the way our preschools and preschoolers think about healthy eating and healthy living. First Bites launched its first pilot program at a Maryland preschool in Spring, 2013. We are currently running programs in 5 DC-area schools, including 2 Washington DC Charter Schools. First Bites: - Gives children exposure to fruits and vegetables through weekly cooking classes and age-appropriate classroom nutrition activities. -… Show more Founder of First Bites, a DC-area non-profit committed to changing the way our preschools and preschoolers think about healthy eating and healthy living. First Bites launched its first pilot program at a Maryland preschool in Spring, 2013. We are currently running programs in 5 DC-area schools, including 2 Washington DC Charter Schools. First Bites: - Gives children exposure to fruits and vegetables through weekly cooking classes and age-appropriate classroom nutrition activities. - Supports child care educators with training and mentoring designed to foster healthy eating habits. - Provides ongoing outreach to families so they can reinforce at home what the children are experiencing and learning about in the classroom. Caron is also a regular columnist for the Huffington Post, on topics related to feeding children. www.firstbites.org Show less



Porter Novelli

• United States
• Public Relations and Communications Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Vice President, Food & Nutrition, Washington DC

  • Sep 2005 - Sep 2011

  - Managed the day-to-day activities of multi-million dollar, national accounts with focus on food and nutrition and served as key client contact. Duties included: strategic planning, design and analysis of research, execution of tactics, management of budgets and timelines, and achievement of benchmarks and campaign goals. - Programmatic experience included: partnership development with national cause-related marketing partners, private sector, and national not-for-profit organizations;… Show more - Managed the day-to-day activities of multi-million dollar, national accounts with focus on food and nutrition and served as key client contact. Duties included: strategic planning, design and analysis of research, execution of tactics, management of budgets and timelines, and achievement of benchmarks and campaign goals. - Programmatic experience included: partnership development with national cause-related marketing partners, private sector, and national not-for-profit organizations; traditional and social media outreach to consumer and trade media and bloggers; community management of client Facebook and Twitter accounts; social marketing and issues management; event planning at local and national level. - Supervised team of staff and consultants for each account; managed multiple vendor contacts. - Developed new business proposals, pitched new business, and created organic growth with current clients. - Clients included: government accounts (National Bone Health Campaign, a Health and Human Services (HHS) social marketing campaign), commodity groups (Almond Board of California), associations (Abundant Forests Alliance), private sector (Welch’s, SOYJOY, Nature Made vitamins), and non-profits (Bell Institute). - One of 60 global Porter Novelli employees selected to participate in four-day management training at Babson College in conjunction with Harvard Business School. - Awards and recognition include: * SOYJOY: 2011 PRNews Platinum Award, Honorable Mention, Re-Branding/Re-Positioning; 2010 Bulldog Award Bronze, Best Food & Beverages Campaign * Almond Board of California: 2008 PRWeek Honorable Mention: Healthcare Campaign of the Year * Abundant Forests Alliance: 2007 PR Week Public Affairs Campaign of the Year. Show less



Sutton Group Social Marketing/American Institutes of Research

• Account Supervisor

  • 2004 - 2005

  - Developed, implemented, and oversaw nationwide marketing and communications plan to eight major audiences of health care professionals for the Center to Advance Palliative Care, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grantee. - Created media relations strategy including: pitching stories, writing press releases, and creating advertisements. - Devised and implemented web marketing strategy, conducted web usability testing, and oversaw e-mail campaigns. - Designed marketing collateral… Show more - Developed, implemented, and oversaw nationwide marketing and communications plan to eight major audiences of health care professionals for the Center to Advance Palliative Care, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grantee. - Created media relations strategy including: pitching stories, writing press releases, and creating advertisements. - Devised and implemented web marketing strategy, conducted web usability testing, and oversaw e-mail campaigns. - Designed marketing collateral including: direct mail, postcards, and brochures. - Developed new business proposals and presentations; met with prospective clients. - Managed company’s largest client and team of five professionals. Show less



Children's Defense Fund

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Summer Fellow

  • 2003 - 2003

  - Prepared background paper for new child welfare legislation, lobbied Congress with CDF senior staff. - Developed compendium on adoption best practices and fact sheets on domestic violence and child welfare



Israel Women's Network

• International Resource and Development Coordinator

  • 1996 - 2002

  - Developed international marketing campaign including: marketing brochures, fact sheets, and website for Israel’s leading women’s advocacy organization. - Managed international public relations efforts, including: press releases, media kits, and PR trips to the US and Europe. - Identified potential sources of funding, wrote grant proposals, and prepared budgets. - Results include: helped secure $1 million annual budget, increased exposure of organization in the US, and increased… Show more - Developed international marketing campaign including: marketing brochures, fact sheets, and website for Israel’s leading women’s advocacy organization. - Managed international public relations efforts, including: press releases, media kits, and PR trips to the US and Europe. - Identified potential sources of funding, wrote grant proposals, and prepared budgets. - Results include: helped secure $1 million annual budget, increased exposure of organization in the US, and increased membership in both the US and Israel. Show less