After nine months as the executive director of the Ballard Food Bank, John Simpson has left the agency.

Ballard Food Bank Board of Directors President Monica Greenberg said Simpson was a skilled person, but was not the right fit for the agency at this moment.

"We have a different set of needs and expectations, we are figuring out the mix we need," said Greenberg. "The food bank and the volunteers are re-evaluating our expectations for an executive director."

The agency is seeking someone with fundraising and staff supervision skills, in addition to having the heart for what the food bank does, said Greenberg.

Simpson had experience as a minister, taught in the Theology Department of Seattle Pacific University and served on the boards of food banks in Seattle and Connecticut. The Ballard Food Bank Board hired him after a long search process.

During his tenure, Simpson oversaw a project to install a new driveway at the aging food bank facility. An old lunchroom was turned into a client registration area, a no cook food line was started and overall workflow was improved.

"We hope he (Simpson) finds a situation that fits his skills," said Greenberg.

The board of directors is in the process of interviewing candidates for interim director and hopes to hire someone to take over permanently in the next week or two.

The agency serves over 600 families in its grocery line each week. More than 80 receive home deliveries and another 360 or more clients eat at the lunch program at the Calvary Lutheran Church.