About Us
Marian F. Guinn, CEO
Marian Fish Guinn is the chief executive officer of God’s Pantry Food Bank, a member of Feeding America. She is responsible for overall administration, financial management, personnel, program development, public relations, government relations, community relations and board development for the Lexington-based operation which serves 50 counties in central and eastern Kentucky.
Before coming to God’s Pantry Food Bank in 1997, Guinn was the director of fund development for the University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington. There, she planned, developed and executed fundraising efforts for the UK Children’s Hospital, raising $4.2 million over 10 years.
A native of Louisville, Guinn holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing as well as an MBA from the University of Kentucky. She is active in the food banking industrty as well as her local community. She currently serves on the National Council for Feeding America, which initiates, studies and develops recommendations on issues and policies affecting the food bank network. In January 2009, Guinn was named chair of the council and with this appointment began serving on the Feeding America Board of Directors. Guinn is a former officer of the Central Region and participant and leader of numerous work groups and task forces. She served on the affiliate advisory committee for the Hunger in America 2005 study and is chairing the Member Advisory Committee for the Hunger in America 2009. Guinn is the chair of the Kentucky Association of Second Harvest Food Banks and a graduate of the 2006 Leadership Kentucky class.
Guinn is a former member of the National Commodity Supplemental Food Program Association’s Board of Directors, an organization whose mission is to provide leadership in program advocacy, accountability, delivery of healthy foods and nutrition educations.
In February 2007, Guinn was inducted into the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business Hall of Fame. In October 2008, she was named the first-ever recipient of the University of Kentucky Nonprofit Leadership Initiative’s Distinguished Nonprofit Leadership Award.
Guinn is a member and past president of the Junior League of Lexington, member and past president of the Lexington chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and a graduate of Leadership Lexington.
Guinn and her husband Gene reside in Lexington with their teenage daughter Sarah. Guinn also has an adult son, David. She enjoys travel, entertaining, reading and “being my children’s greatest fan.”