‘We Make a Point of Celebrating When People Try, Not Just When They Win’

Curt Ellis is CEO and co-founder of FoodCorps, a national nonprofit that brings healthy meals, vegetable gardens, and hands-on lessons about well-being and food production to 157,000 students and supports teachers and school nutrition specialists. Ellis tells the Chronicle about how he overcomes challenges and why he hires curious people.

What do you wish more people understood about philanthropy?

Philanthropy touches a tender spot in everyone: It’s hard to ask for money; it’s hard to give money away. We must move through a lot of vulnerability and risk to make the world a better place. But when we do, it feels amazing.

What strategies help you solve big problems at work?

I have a lot of conversations with people who are closer to the problem and with FoodCorps’s amazing president, Rachel Willis. Rachel often has a totally different and complementary orientation from me. When we come to a place of agreement, we’ve kicked the tires on the solution pretty well.

How does your organization celebrate its wins?

We make a point of celebrating when people try, not just when they win.

What’s a little-known fact about you?

After college, I made a documentary, King Corn. The film followed my best friend Ian and me as we moved to Iowa, grew an acre of corn, and tracked its path in the food system.

What trait do you seek when hiring?

At FoodCorps, we’ve found that the people who become leaders are those who love learning, are curious, and seek out stretch assignments. In interviews, I’ll often ask candidates what they’re learning in their current role and who’s on the red phone when they need advice.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Eating a carrot with the dirt still on.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity from written responses to questions.

—Edited by Emily Haynes