NGA Foundation Grows SEMTAC Team to Further SNAP Online Initiatives

Tullis, Wolkwitz to boost bandwidth for offering technical assistance to grocers

9/5/2023

NGAF Lynn Tullis Kari Wolkwitz Main Image

Left to right: Dawn Tullis and Kari Wolkwitz

The National Grocers Association Foundation (NGAF) has added two additional members of its team at the its SNAP EBT Modernization Technical Assistance Center (SEMTAC), increasing its ability to help grocery retailers with the federal requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Electronic Benefit Transfer (SNAP EBT) modernization, including the online purchasing and mobile payment pilots. On Aug. 21, Dawn Tullis joined SEMTAC as project coordinator and Kari Wolkwitz came to the organization as project manager.

“We are excited to have Dawn and Kari join our team, which greatly increases our ability to develop the resources needed to facilitate technical assistance for more grocers, who will in turn be able to better serve the people in their communities who are most in need,” said NGAF VP Chelsea Matzen, who assumed her latest role at the Washington, D.C.-based foundation in July.

Having earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science, Tullis brings more than 20 years of administrative experience, including service as an association membership coordinator, to her new role. She also has experience managing high-volume member calls, coordinating webinars and supporting marketing campaigns. Tullis is based in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

Wolkwitz holds a master’s degree in public policy and has several years of experience as a data and research analyst, including work on large-scale technical projects and being the lead internal expert on CRM systems. She will work remotely from southeastern Michigan.

NGAF received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to establish a technical assistance center that will lead grocers through the process of implementing SNAP online grocery purchasing and other modernization efforts in the future. The development of SEMTAC will enable more smaller grocery operators, particularly those in rural areas or food deserts, to offer SNAP online purchasing, making them more competitive and better able to provide healthy products to food-insecure Americans.

Back in May, Brielle Underwood joined SEMTAC as its project director.