Board of Directors
Vice President
Brian Bridgford
Brian Bridgford serves as Vice President of The Gambrell Foundation. He spent most of his adult life as a managing owner in his family’s Anaheim, California-based food manufacturing company, Bridgford Foods Corporation. Brian grew up in Orange County and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara. He served as Director at Hope House in Anaheim from 1992 to 1994, when he relocated to North Carolina to build and manage Bridgford Foods’ Eastern Manufacturing and Distribution center in Statesville.
As a native Californian, Brian brings a unique and independent perspective to foundation discussions about the Charlotte area, its opportunities, and challenges. His commitment to service in the community and volunteerism led to his introduction to Sally in 2015. Brian married Sally Gambrell in 2017, and together they have created a vibrant and blended new family.
On Brian’s Desk 3
Book
The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander (opens in a new tab)
A stunning account of the rebirth of a caste-like system in the United States, one that has resulted in millions of African Americans locked behind bars and then relegated to a permanent second-class status—denied the very rights supposedly won in the Civil Rights Movement.
Book
Where Do We Go From Here, Martin Luther King, Jr. (opens in a new tab)
In this prophetic work, Martin Luther King, Jr. lays out his thoughts, plans, and dreams for America’s future, including the need for better jobs, higher wages, decent housing, and quality education.
Book
The Nordic Theory of Everything, Anu Partanen (opens in a new tab)
Partanen, a Finn who moved to the United States, compares the two systems from the inside. Her argument inverts the usual one: the Nordic welfare state is not a brake on individualism but its precondition, freeing people from dependence on family and employer. Reported, personal, and pointed.