The Kids In Need Foundation (KINF), a national nonprofit dedicated to providing free school supplies to teachers and students in need, has appointed Corey Gordon to chief executive officer, effective September 9. PPAI has supported KINF since 2007. Volunteers and staff from the organization are at The PPAI Expo every year to collect leftover products and samples for teachers in underprivileged schools, who then use the products as incentives and rewards for projects and programs.

Gordon will take over responsibilities from Dave Smith, whose leadership at the organization saw a milestone of $1 billion of school supplies distributed by the foundation since its inception.

“We are excited to welcome Corey Gordon to The Kids In Need Foundation to continue and accelerate the organization’s growth,” says David Katz, chairman of the KINF board of directors. “Corey’s successes within both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors give the board confidence he is the person to lead us into our next chapter. Under his leadership, I look forward to seeing KINF deliver the scale of impact that is needed to bring lasting change in this space.”

Gordon brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, fundraising and business development, as well as a personal commitment to the cause. From an early age, Gordon experienced harsh conditions living on the streets of South Korea, having been ostracized and abandoned as a child born of an American GI father and a Korean mother. He was later brought to an orphanage and from there was adopted by a couple from Minnesota. He went on to college at University of Northwestern St. Paul, started a family of his own and began a successful career in marketing, mostly for finance and banking companies.

“It was a life-changing moment to suddenly have food security, shelter and those doors of opportunity opened,” says Gordon. “I’m returning to my roots by being able to serve kids who are just looking for help to get that equal footing. I know the difference it made in my life and I’m looking forward to expanding the scale of the organization to meet the needs of all the children served by our mission of preparing them for learning and success.”

Gordon has served as chief development and stewardship officer for the American Diabetes Association, where he was responsible for all aspects of both B2C and B2B fundraising and engagement. He also served as chief marketing officer for Feed the Children, where he oversaw approximately $500 million in fundraising revenue to support programs focused on food insecurity, education, community development and disaster relief.