PROFILE
By Glenda Graves | Portrait photo by Keith Branch
Taylor Speegle
Feeding the Future
When Taylor Speegle talks about hunger, he doesn’t focus on numbers or charts. Instead, he talks about people — neighbors, children and seniors who often go unseen in one of the fastest-growing regions of the country. The last few months have certainly put organizations such as the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank in the spotlight. They are, without a doubt, filling a need and saving lives in our community.
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“It’s sometimes hard to imagine life without access to healthy food,” Taylor said. “But there are people struggling with this every day in our community. When you donate to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, you are supporting folks you may never meet and stories you may never hear. But rest assured, you are making this community stronger.”
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As the incoming CEO of the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, Taylor is stepping into leadership at a pivotal moment. Population growth is rapid, food insecurity is rising and the organization must innovate to keep pace with demand. Deeply mission-focused, Taylor is ready to guide the NWAFB through both the challenges and opportunities ahead.
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Taylor was born in Fayetteville and raised in Rogers. He grew up in a family that valued hard work and service. His mother was an elementary school teacher, his father a longtime Tyson employee and his grandfather a Methodist minister. “My parents, coaches, teachers and those around me taught me the value of working hard and helping others in your community,” Taylor said. “That awareness helped to shape my experience growing up.”
It was his grandfather that left a lasting impression. “He set an example of leadership and compassion that has had an influence on me,” Taylor said. “Now, as a father of three daughters myself, those values guide how I try to lead at home and at work.”
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Though his professional path eventually led him to nonprofit leadership, Taylor first found his calling in the arts. After earning a degree in theater from the University of Arkansas, he earned a master’s in production technology and management from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. There, he helped plan three large-scale centennial celebrations in Pittsburgh, New York City and Los Angeles.
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“That experience gave me my first real taste of fundraising and bringing people together around a shared mission,” Taylor said. “I was inspired by how you could use creativity and collaboration to create impact. It showed me what was possible.”
Taylor eventually returned to Northwest Arkansas, working for more than a decade in nonprofit organizations before joining the NWAFB as chief strategy officer. “I’ve known Kent (Eikenberry) for years and admired his leadership,” Taylor said. “When he asked me to consider joining the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank team to help set strategic vision for the future, I jumped at the chance. The mission of this organization is close to my heart and has been for many years.”
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That mission is straightforward but urgent: to feed hungry people. NWAFB distributes food through more than 100 partner agencies and operates programs of its own, including 30 school-based pantries and a mobile pantry that serves communities across its four-county service area.
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“Our vision has always been to provide access to healthy food for everyone,” Taylor said. “As I continue to learn and we continue to break down the barriers to achieving this goal, the vision has expanded beyond meeting immediate needs to building stability for the organization and for our community.”
Northwest Arkansas Food Bank staff members celebrated volunteer Paula Miller's 10 years of volunteering by surprising her at a mobile Pantry recently in Prairie Grove, a location she volunteers at on a regular basis
As Northwest Arkansas continues to grow, so does the need. Families who never expected to face food insecurity are finding themselves in difficult circumstances. Children and seniors are particularly vulnerable. “Hunger is not somewhere else,” Taylor stressed. “It exists right here in working households, retired households and student households. It is far more common and far less visible than people may think.”
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Taylor believes one of the NWAFB’s responsibilities is to make hunger more visible, not in a way that stigmatizes but in a way that mobilizes. “When people understand the stakes, they step up,” he said. “I see that every day in our work, whether it’s a group coming to volunteer or donors sharing their stories of growing up with food insecurity. This community doesn’t look away from challenges.”
Taylor and Jill Speegle
Kent Eikenberry and Taylor Speegle at the 2025 Flavor of Giving at Osage House in Cave Springs on Oct. 9
Looking toward the future, the food bank is preparing to launch a new program in early 2026: Market on the Move. This mobile client-choice pantry will allow neighbors to step inside a truck and select groceries just as they would in a store. “This program is about dignity and access,” Taylor said. “It will bring fresh produce, protein, shelf-stable items and essential resources directly to underserved communities with limited access to traditional food assistance. It removes barriers and meets people where they are.”
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He sees programs such as Market on the Move as examples of how the food bank can both adapt to immediate need and plan for long-term growth. “We operate with a sense of urgency to address today’s challenges,” he said, “but we keep our sights set on the future. We solve the challenges of today without sacrificing tomorrow.”
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For Taylor, collaboration is the heart of the NWAFB’s success. More than 100 agency partners depend on the food bank to supply food that they, in turn, distribute directly to neighbors in need. Businesses, schools and volunteers expand that network even further.
“We cannot serve those in need without partnerships,” Taylor said. “That’s why the first pillar of our 2030 strategic plan is to expand and strengthen them. We already have incredible partners, and by working together, we can multiply our impact.”
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He sees the food bank not only as a distributor of food but also as an organization that can bring together groups addressing related challenges such as housing, health care and education. “Food insecurity doesn’t exist in isolation,” Taylor said. “If we want to make long-term progress, we have to address the root causes.”
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Leading a nonprofit through uncertain times has taught Taylor valuable lessons. “Control what you can control,” he said. “Communicate early and often. And stay as tightly aligned to your mission as possible. It can be easy to get distracted by opportunities outside of your mission, but in times of uncertainty, you need to stay firmly grounded.”
Northwest Arkansas Food Bank staff members celebrating Hunger Action Day 2025 while decked out in orange, which Feeding America recognizes as the color to raise awareness for hunger
That steady approach is part of his leadership style — calm and adaptable but unwaveringly mission driven. “It’s the same for the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank,” Taylor said. “We are here to serve those in need, adapting to what those needs might be, but we are a constant.”
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When asked what gives him the most hope for the future, Taylor doesn’t hesitate. “Northwest Arkansas itself — the people here,” he said. “I’ve seen again and again that when people understand the need, they step up. Whether through donations, volunteering or advocacy, this community takes ownership. And when more people take ownership, hunger shrinks faster.”
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For Taylor, the work of the food bank is deeply personal, not just as a leader but as a member of the community he grew up in and is now raising his family in. “It has made me more patient, more empathetic and has given me a deeper understanding of our community,” he said. “I feel honored every day to represent this organization.”
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As he takes the helm, with steady leadership and a vision that looks beyond food to root causes of food insecurity, he is prepared to lead the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank into its next chapter, ensuring that no neighbor in the region has to face hunger alone.