Director, Community Engaged Learning
The excellent work that Amanda Woodyard does is always focused on ensuring that everyone, especially under-resourced or excluded people, have what they need to feel like they belong and to succeed.
Shortly upon landing her role in 2016, Amanda tackled the responsibilities associated with the Campus Kitchen. (now Flashes Fighting Hunger) During the 2021-2022 academic year, her accomplishments have been transformative. Amanda has raised over $20,000 for and secured a truck to bring food across Portage County, established Flashes Fighting Hunger as a satellite pantry of the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, redistributed 90,000 pounds of food to those in need and developed a partnership with dining services to repurpose leftover food.
Though that work itself is outstanding, Amanda also designed the CommUNITY Lab Living Learning Program, a four-year cohort program that offers members a network of care and resources. Amanda shines a light on what it means to commit to the Flashes Take Care of Flashes mentality.