CANTON -- The GardenShare board of directors recently appointed Gloria J. McAdam as the organization’s new executive director.

A native of Gouverneur and a graduate of St. Lawrence University, McAdam will return to the North Country from Hartford, Conn. where she has lived and worked for more than 30 years. She is president and CEO of Foodshare, which works to alleviate hunger and poverty in greater Hartford, according to GardenShare.

McAdam has been involved in hunger issues and food banking at both the regional and national levels for decades. She served as vice chair of the National Council and for two years on the Board of Directors of Feeding America, the country’s largest charitable food program. She is a founding member and former chair of the Connecticut Food Policy Council and a founding member and former End Hunger Connecticut board chair, GardenShare said.

“I have followed GardenShare from the early stages of their work and have always been inspired by their efforts to end hunger and strengthen food security in the North Country,” McAdam said in a prepared statement. “It is an honor to be selected for the position of Executive Director and a privilege to bring my skills in nonprofit management, fundraising, public relations, and food issues back home to serve the people of the North Country.”

She earned a bachelor's degree in government from St. Lawrence University.

McAdam replaces Aviva Gold, who led the organization since 2011.