A New Season for Cultivate Charlottesville
Every year, the turning of the seasons brings with it the promise of abundance. For Cultivate Charlottesville, 2023 is our season of change. Over the next year, Richard and Jeanette, our dynamic duo co-executive directors, will be passing the trowel to new leadership. Richard Morris will be leaving his position at the end of June, while Jeanette Abi-Nader will be staying on through December to ensure a smooth transition. We are excited to announce that Aleen Carey will be stepping into leadership as one of Cultivate’s new co-executive directors on July 1.
Aleen has deep roots in the Charlottesville community. She moved here in high school, served as a teacher, and has experience across numerous Charlottesville nonprofits. Her journey with Cultivate began 10 years ago as a Board member. For 5 years, she served ably as our Board Chair. In 2020, she joined our staff as our first Outreach and Resource Program Director. Her commitment to Cultivate, to the community, and to our shared work is as evident as her dynamic skills.
Aleen is looking forward to leading the next phase of our transformational leadership model and the exciting changes ahead in Charlottesville’s food equity landscape. She remains focused on our mission of engaging “youth and community in building equitable, sustainable food systems through garden-based experiential learning, growing and sharing healthy food, amplifying community leaders, and advocating for food justice.”
“It has been a rewarding experience to see the growth of City Schoolyard Garden from our first garden at Buford Middle Schools to Cultivate Charlottesville’s integrated approach to building a healthy and just food system personally, in community, and across systems and structures. I’m so excited to work with Aleen and our amazing staff and board through this transition.” – Jeanette Abi-Nader
We have a lot to celebrate. Please join us on Wednesday, June 21 from 4:30-6:30 at our CATEC farm plot to celebrate Richard Morris’s tenure with Cultivate! We are also planning a warm welcoming event for Aleen in July, and we hope you’ll join us in congratulating her in her new role in this new year of abundance for food equity in Charlottesville.
Sincerely,
Karen Waters & Matt Darring
Cultivate Charlottesville Board Co-Chairs
