Dear Friends,

As I prepare to depart from my thirteen years on RAFI’s staff, having served as Executive Director for seven years and as Co-Ed in recent months, I offer this reflection on my time, RAFI’s growth, and its positioning for the future. As I look back, what rises to the surface are the choices, challenges, and moments that brought us here.https://rafi.gameflow.design

At its core, RAFI’s work has always been about one simple truth: farmers must be able to make a fair living from their labor, and all farmers must have the freedom to make choices that strengthen their families, their communities, and the future of farming. For us, that has especially meant leveling the playing field for small-scale and underserved farmers and farmers of color, who have too often been left behind in a system tilted toward corporate power. Our mission has always required us to stand up to that imbalance and insist that agricultural policies serve farmers, not corporations.

Over the years, we made tough but critical choices: stabilizing our finances, recommitting to our mission, and treating our strategic plan as a living guide. One of its core commitments was to move resources to the most underserved farmers, and we did this well by leveraging both private and public funding to make it happen. We expanded regranting, putting resources directly into farmers’ hands, and those investments mattered.

At a recent Open House we held, one farmer shared how much a grant had meant to her. As she spoke about the difference it made in her life and on her farm, she was moved to tears. That moment captured exactly why we do this work, because at the end of the day, our impact is measured not in reports or metrics, but in the lives of farmers. And in many ways, this is also how we have challenged corporate power: by shifting resources and decision-making directly to farmers themselves, rather than leaving those choices in the hands of corporations.

We also built structures that empowered staff to lead: Leadership, Policy, HR, and Direct Services teams. Decisions could then be made closer to the work. We looked honestly at our history and centered racial equity, launching the Farmers of Color Network and extending RAFI’s work to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Our reach grew, not for the sake of growth, but to stay true to our calling to serve the most underserved, especially those hardest hit by unexpected disasters and climate change. We strengthened our ability to support farmers in financial crisis while also shaping farm policy at the national level, always with the same principle in mind: that farmers, especially those historically excluded, deserve fairness and choice.

We found new ways to reach farmers, too. We launched a magazine that is beautiful, full of resources, and stories. I will never forget hearing from a farmer in the most remote corner of the U.S. Virgin Islands who said he received it. That is why we did it: to reach farmers where they are, on their own terms.

Through it all, RAFI became stronger financially, organizationally, and in spirit. Others now look to us for models and solutions. What I see most clearly is the talent and passion of our staff, the dedication of our board, and the steady support of those who believed in us through good times and hard times. Together, we built something lasting: a voice for equity, a partner farmers can trust, and an organization rooted in one truth: that all farmers must be able to make a living, and that small and underserved farmers and farmers of color must be fully supported so the playing field is finally level.

When I first joined RAFI, I could not have imagined how much I would come to love this work. RAFI gave me stability and a sense of belonging, and in return, I was able to give my whole self to the mission. For that, I will always be grateful.

As I prepare to leave RAFI’s staff on October 3, I step back with deep honor and pride. The leadership transition has been intentional and smooth. My Co-ED has already taken the reins, and the search for another is underway. That is exactly how it should be: leadership shared, the mission carried forward by many hands.

This is not a goodbye from the movement. My commitment to food justice remains as strong as ever, and I will continue to support food and farm organizations in new and different ways. While my path is shifting, I know I leave RAFI in good hands—with a team and community fully capable of carrying this vital work forward.

I leave with gratitude, pride, and complete confidence in RAFI’s future. More than anything, I leave knowing that our work has always been about shifting power by moving resources, voice, and choice directly into the hands of farmers. That truth will continue to guide RAFI, and it will continue to shape the future of farming.