After 26 years on the job, Hunger Task Force CEO Sherrie Tussler announced plans to retire come June.
Tussler shared her plans Thursday morning in a news conference surrounded by colleagues and friends wishing her luck.
“It’s a good time for me,” Tussler said. “I’m feeling great. I’m happy and I’m proud of the work I’ve done.
She said she first started thinking about retiring three years ago but delayed the decision to help lead the Hunger Task Force through the worst of the pandemic.
She is credited with helping expand the group's food pantry network, supplying community organizations with things like refrigerated vans, and tackling food insecurity among Wisconsin’s native tribes.
The group’s current Assistant Director Matt King will step into the role in June on Tussler's 65th birthday.
“He’s a great guy,” Tussler said. "This whole time he’s been my right hand. We’re good friends. He’s ethical. He’ll be a good replacement.”
King, who grew up in the Milwaukee area, said he’s both humbled and excited to take on the job of CEO.
He also said he’s confident, that with the foundation Tussler has built and a team of dedicated staff behind him, their work to end hunger will continue to head in the right direction.
“[Tussler] has taught us what it means to be dedicated and committed to our mission,” King said. “I’m just really honored to be in an organization—in a community that cares and in a community like Milwaukee where people help each other.”
Tussler said while she plans to spend much of her retirement at the beach, she will stay on part-time as CEO emeritus to help with the transition.
She also said for all her professional accomplishments, she’s most proud of her work raising two successful children as a single mother.
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