I am Brad Wendling. I have spent my career building the operations behind food security and human services across Texas. Not advising on them from the outside. Building them, in the room, with the team.
I grew the Food 4 Kids weekend backpack program from a single pilot into one of the largest in the Feeding America network: 330 schools serving more than 12,000 children every Friday. I scaled Kids Cafe to 28 federally compliant sites and 245,000 meals a year. I converted an abandoned South Dallas liquor store into a 3,000 square foot client choice pantry that served more than 650 families in its first month. None of that happens without documented systems and a named owner for every piece.
I have run emergency operations when it counted. COVID distributions for up to 2,000 families per event across 16 counties. Hurricane Michael recovery on the ground with Feeding America. Seven years on the Dallas County Mass Care Task Force alongside FEMA, the American Red Cross, and The Salvation Army. Through all of it, zero compliance failures.
That is the work I bring to Wendling Nonprofit Consulting. I embed as your fractional COO and build the operational infrastructure your mission needs to outlast any one person, including me. The goal is simple. Families get what they need without friction. Your team stops running on luck. Your programs hold when you step out of the room.
Two and a half minutes on my background, how I work, and what the first step looks like.
Verified against North Texas Food Bank annual reports and career records.
Directed operations across 18 service locations and a staff of 34. Held 100% compliance across five concurrent city, county, state, and federal funding streams with zero audit findings. Built Salesforce dashboards for live program visibility.
Led COVID emergency food operations across 16 counties and five specialized teams. Ran MEGA distributions for up to 2,000 families per event. Audited and supported more than 500 partner agencies with zero disqualifications, through 12 hour daily operations.
Deployed to the Hurricane Michael impact zone with Feeding America. Secured warehousing, located distribution hubs, and built partner networks under disaster conditions, drawing on Hurricane Katrina experience.
Distributed more than 11 million pounds of food a year to 26,000 clients and made Crossroads the North Texas Food Bank's single largest provider. Held 100% audit compliance across OSHA, AIB, and USDA. Modernized the IT and financial control systems.
Fourteen years across a 13 county region, supervising five departments and a team of 21. Scaled Kids Cafe to 28 sites and 245,000 meals a year. Built Food 4 Kids to 330 schools and 12,000 children weekly. Converted an abandoned liquor store into Our Community Pantry. Secured and managed partnerships with Capital One, Target, and Kroger.
Education
Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Nonprofit Management, University of North Texas.
Based in Houston, Texas. Engagements remote or in person.
When I am not building operations, you will find me playing guitar, on a trail, or on a bike somewhere around Houston. I believe the right systems free people to do their best work. I have spent my career proving it.
Thirty minutes, no pitch. We talk through what your operations actually need.
Book a Call30 minutes · No obligation · Houston and remote engagements welcome
Prefer the full career record? Find me on LinkedIn.