Local Food Hub Welcomes Josh Rockett as its New Executive Director
Charlottesville, Virginia (August 23, 2022) – Local Food Hub is pleased to announce Josh Rockett as its next Executive Director. He begins his new role on September 12, 2022.
Josh joins Local Food Hub to support its mission to advance equitable access to fresh food, independent farms, and fairness in farming. As Executive Director, he will work closely with the organization’s staff, Board, partners, and the community to build a strong and resilient local food system, centered on equity. Josh came highly recommended from a broad field of candidates following a comprehensive search led by a committee composed of current and past Board members.
“Josh clearly demonstrated he has the experience and the passion to lead us in our work to transform the local food system, including food access. My hat is off to the search committee and the staff who ensured a thoughtful and thorough process getting us to this moment. I’m excited for what’s to come and thrilled for Josh to take the lead,” said Elizabeth Beasley, Local Food Hub’s Board Chair.
Josh has spent over a decade in the nonprofit space focused on economic opportunity, food assistance, and emergency relief, most recently working for ACTS in Richmond, Virginia where he served as the Program Manager helping people remain stably housed through the COVID pandemic. Prior to joining ACTS, Josh worked for 8 years at an international food relief organization based in the Chicago area. His demonstrated record of program leadership is complemented by his reputation as a consensus builder and thoughtful listener. Josh is passionate about food access, healthy equity, and independently-owned small farms.
“I am passionate about food: not just how it is grown and prepared, but also its relationship to communities,” said Josh Rockett, incoming Executive Director. “Local Food Hub’s mission to advance equitable access to fresh food, independent farms and fairness in farming is central to strengthening Virginia communities, and I am excited to be a part of it.”
Josh looks forward to meeting community members and partners once he starts this September, including at Local Food Hub’s annual Community Food Awards, scheduled for October 27.
For more information about Local Food Hub, visit www.localfoodhub.org.
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About Local Food Hub:
Local Food Hub was founded in 2009 to work with Virginia farmers to increase community access to local food. We bought, aggregated, and sold food from small, independent farms; provided technical assistance to growers; and created programs to increase food access. In 2019 Local Food Hub transferred its distribution operation to the mission-aligned company 4P Foods, allowing Local Food Hub to concentrate on the nonprofit programs that serve as the foundation for a more resilient food system. These became even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic, and grew to include the area’s first contactless farmers market and greatly expanded food access programs.
Contact:
Portia Boggs
Director of Advancement and Communications
portia@localfoodhub.org | 859-619-3791
