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Meals on Wheels Collin County announces new Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director

Meals on Wheels Collin County announced that Marzella Tyson M.P.H., has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director effective November 1.
meals-on-wheels-collin-county
Meals-on-wheels-collin-county

Meals on Wheels Collin County announced that Marzella Tyson M.P.H., has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director effective November 1. Tyson will be responsible for the overall strategic, fiscal, and operational responsibility of Meals on Wheels Collin County and the execution of its mission to combat hunger and isolation in disabled and older adults. Meals on Wheel Collin County will provide over 250,000 nutritious home delivered lunches annually, weekend meals, breakfast bags, in addition to lunch meals at six senior centers in Collin County.

“For 40 years Meals on Wheels Collin County has successfully helped thousands of at risk seniors remain independent in their homes, families, and communities with daily hot nutritious meals, well checks and emergency support services.  “We are more than a meal, and I am proud to serve with such a committed team of volunteers, staff, and supporters.  As Director of Operations I witnessed parents, grandparents, caregivers, teachers, friends, and even those who have served our country become isolated and vulnerable from the aging process without support or healthy nutrition.  I want them to know that they are not forgotten.” said Tyson.

Ray Ricchi, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, commented, “We are very blessed to have Zella leading Meals on Wheels Collin County as our CEO. Zella’s proven success and experience during her tenure with Meals on Wheels has been invaluable. Knowing what it takes and having the ability achieve our mission made Zella the right person as we continue to experience the ever-growing need to feed our increasing senior population in these challenging economic times.”

Tyson’s service and business career includes a decade in the New England area where she worked in government and partnered with the Yale School of Public Health, state and local health departments, Faith-based networks and Federal Housing and Urban Development programs to improve the quality of life for disenfranchised families. In Connecticut, she served as the Director of Alcohol and Drug Prevention “Fighting Back” for the City of New Haven and helped to design a citywide continuum of care services that supported individuals in addiction recovery. As the Director of the Intermediate Sanctions Program in Bridgeport CT she oversaw the rehabilitation of probationers and parolees who needed education, employment and crisis management. She also worked as the Associate Director of Family Services and advocated to state and local policymakers on behalf of children in need of medical care and preschool school immunizations.

Under her management in the New Haven Health Department the preschool immunization rate in very low-income neighborhoods increased from 50 to 90%. She was also featured on Connecticut PSA billboards and media to promote AIDS education through a statewide crisis intervention and suicide prevention information and referral hotline INFOLINE under United Way.

Marzella Tyson holds a Master of Public Health from Southern Connecticut State University with 20 years’ non-profit leadership. In Texas, Tyson oversaw training and millions of dollars in grant making for community education programs for the National Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. She also served as the Director of Transitional Housing and Homeless Prevention for Interfaith Housing Coalition where she oversaw residential housing and recruited churches to provide funding and mentoring to at risk families achieving self-sufficiency. Marzella eventually became the Director of Operations for Meals on Wheels Collin County.

Tyson is a resident of McKinney Texas and currently Co-Pastors with her husband of 25 years at True Love Christian Center (TLC) in Plano.