Food bank announces new CEO

Northern Illinois Food Bank Wednesday announced it has picked a new chief executive officer and president.

Julie Yurko, 45, will take over for Pete Schaefer, who announced his resignation earlier this year.

Yurko is the charity's vice president of philanthropy and communications.

According to a news release, Yurko has 23 years of experience in managing fundraising, operations and marketing for nonprofit organizations. She has been with the Geneva-based food bank since 2009. According to the release, contributed money has doubled since her arrival.

Before joining the food bank, she was director of major gifts for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She also worked at The Children's Memorial Foundation and the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo.

Yurko lives in Winfield.

The Northern Illinois Food Bank was founded in 1983. It distributes food to 800 partner organizations in 13 counties in northern Illinois, with the exception of Cook County. It is a member of Feeding America.