Leadership
Current 2025-26 Board of Directors
Board Members
Sarah Assefa
Board Member - Sarah has gardened in a victory garden in Worcester MA, and served as a Co-Director at Worcester Roots Project supporting youth entrepreneurs to develop various cooperative businesses, including gardening and toxic soil remediation. Sarah worked with ex-prisoners to establish the Empower Energy Cooperative in Worcester, making biodiesel fuel from waste vegetable oil from restaurants. She lived a while in Ethiopia with her Ethiopian side of the family, where she was involved in an agreocology network, advocating for different aspects of sustainable food systems, including food and seed sovereignty and soil health, and stronger agricultural cooperatives. Now she lives in Dorchester at Columbia Point, and organizes with the Coalition for Worker Ownership and Power (COWOP).
Sonia Carter, MS, LDN
Board Member - Sonia is the Director of Quality Improvement and Community Nutrition at the Boston Public Health Commission, provides leadership and management for the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention & Control nutrition education and policy/practice change to support healthy eating in diverse sectors. The primary focus is on obesity and chronic disease prevention, prioritizing racial, ethnic, and other inequities in health outcomes through policy and environmental approaches. She leads the division Boston Child Care Initiative Learning Collaborative and Healthy Eating Professional Development Opportunities for Center Based Child Care Centers, Family Day Care, and Out of School Time Educators. She is currently a faculty member at the Urban College of Boston.
Roudnie Célestin
Board Member - Roudnie [rood-nee] was born and raised in Pétion-Ville, Haiti. A proud quadrilingual leader, singer, and writer, Roudnie has built a career at the intersection of education, arts & culture, equity, and public service. She earned a degree in Ethics, Social, and Political Philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Boston (“Just Mercy” Book Award Winner in the Philosophy & Law Program) and one in Communications at MassBay Community College. From a legacy of resilience and Afro-Caribbean flavor, her maternal family brought coffee-farming from Cuba to Jérémie, Haiti. After a 60-lbs. weight loss journey , her relationship with food transformed into one of healing and empowerment: from cooking engagements at the public library, urban farming, and helping food businesses thrive in marginalized communities.
Appointed initially by Mayor Martin J. Walsh as a Mayoral Liaison for Dorchester, Mattapan, and Haitians Citywide - she led the Mattapan BPHC pantry building dedication to rename it “Shirley’s Pantry”. She served under three Boston mayors as Mayoral Liaison. She was the inaugural Equity Officer for the Boston Public Library. Currently, Roudnie is the Special Assistant to the President at the Urban College of Boston.
Ralph Firmin
Board Member - Ralph is a Boston native with a strong background in community services, small business operations and technology. He currently works as a Case Manager supporting individuals seeking shelter and owns and operates a vending business that focuses on providing accessible, convenient food options across the city. His experience includes community outreach, marketing, event coordination and technical support roles. He is fluent in English and Haitian-Creole, allowing him to build meaningful connections in Boston's diverse communities. He is passionate about food access, economic opportunity and empowering local residents.
Nika Hollingsworth, MA
Board Member - Nika is a multi-talented creative, entrepreneur, and community-driven professional based in Boston, MA. She is the Founder and CEO of Nilanjo! Fashion Entertainment, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that uses fashion and entertainment to raise awareness and funds for various causes, and to support local entrepreneurs. Nika is also the Creative Director of Nilanjo! Boutique, an e-commerce lifestyle brand offering fashion, beauty, and wellness products.
With a Master's Degree in Leadership, Nika works full-time, focusing on amplifying youth and family voices. As a published author and poet, she has released two poetry collections, "A Reason, A Season, A Lifetime: Poetically" and "Gemini: Poetry & Beats." Nika is dedicated to using her diverse skills and passions to make a positive impact, fostering community engagement and empowering others.
Leidy Lara
Board Member - Leidy is a housing professional, longtime Dorchester resident, and passionate community advocate with over 20 years of experience in public service and customer care. She is a Certified Manager of Housing and currently serves in both property management and city government roles, where we supports residents in accessing safe, affordable housing. A firm believer in economic equity and the power of grassroots organizing, she is committed to initiatives that uplift underserved communities. She values collaboration, transparency, and long-term sustainability. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she believes in building bridges across communities and centering resident voices in policy decisions.
Darian Leta, MPH (She/Her/Ella)
Board Co-President - Darian is an Afro Dominican and Puerto Rican community health advocate born and raised in Boston. A Community Health Worker by training, Darian currently serves as the Senior Manager for Substance Use Disorder and Recovery Initiatives supporting Community Health Centers in building capacity for equitable substance use service delivery. She is committed to providing the best health services in Boston, nationally and globally focusing on infectious diseases, community health education, and patient-centered program development. Her community work includes coalition building around food insecurity, affordable housing/anti-gentrification, violence prevention, abolition and other structural drivers of health.
Alyssa Melendez, MS
Board Co-President - Alyssa works as the Operations and Supply Chain Manager for a single origin spice company, called Burlap & Barrel. After earning a B.S. in Environmental Policy, she spent a year in Hood River, Oregon with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, working on food access and outreach programs in collaboration with community leaders, migrant workers, and farmers. From this experience she developed a passion for food sovereignty and ecological justice. This work inspired her to pursue a M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment (AFE) at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, where she gained a deeper understanding of the food system and the injustices that occur across supply chains.
Since graduating, she has worked on an organic vegetable farm, as an avocado supply chain manager, and is now excited to continue to create equitable and sustainable supply chains, both locally and internationally.
Robin Saunders
Board Member - Robin brings her executive assistance background in business administration to the Board. She has 30+ years in marketing, A/V and media experience with corporate and non-profit organizations. Robin was a community producer for BNN-TV, and a radio host/producer at WRBB-FM, where she focused on disseminating culturally relevant information to families in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan communities.
Robin loves cooking for family and friends with garden grown produce, herbs and vegetables.