After 14 years as our Executive Director, Margaret DeVos will step down on October 30, 2026. She is leaving Southside Community Land Trust (SCLT), on strong financial footing, with a skilled, experienced staff and a solid structure in place.
Under Margaret’s leadership, SCLT has grown a great deal with significant investment in new programs including, but not limited to workforce development, farmer support and services, land access, and crop aggregation and distribution in food insecure communities. This has meant more gardens, more farms, and more fresh, healthy, affordable food for more people in need.
Margaret has also led SCLT through the opening of the South Providence Healthy Food Hub, our headquarters, with staff offices, community meeting and training spaces, a commercial kitchen, cold storage and processing equipment, and three food tenant spaces. She kept our work going through the pandemic, including moving the Plant Sale online. This year, she oversaw the permanent protection of Peace & Plenty Community Garden. She also helped build a Board and staff that is representative of the communities we work with.
Lastly, Margaret steered SCLT through the federal funding cliff and recent federal budget cuts. Today, we are on track to end 2026 with a surplus, with a balanced 2027 budget, and a debt reduction plan underway. We are planning to complete construction of our second food hub at Urban Edge Farm in 2027. This facility will increase food aggregation and distribution to include more farms and improve fresh, healthy and affordable food options for more people.
“SCLT has benefited from the incredible leadership of so many people in so many capacities for the past 45 years,” Margaret said. “I’ve been honored to be a part of that leadership for the past 14 years.”
Ben Torpey will be assuming the role of Interim Executive Director. His connection to SCLT goes back to 2003 as a City Farm volunteer, an Urban Edge Farm apprentice and, importantly, as a farm operator at Urban Edge Farm for 10 years. Recently, as Urban Edge Farm Manager and then Director of Programs, he has overseen program staff and led many federal grant projects. Ben will be working with the staff, Board of Directors and the rest of our SCLT community to continue operating our programs, maintaining partnerships, and advancing the mission.
The Board is in the process of planning for SCLT’s next chapter. We are grateful for your trust and support as we carry this work forward.
With gratitude,
SCLT Board of Directors
Rochelle Lee, President
Luis Vargas Rivera, Vice-President
Matt Cordeiro, Treasurer
Anini Almanzar, Youth Representative
Andraly Horn
Edith Paye
Shane Lee
Sherri Gibbs
Mariama Kurbally
Diane Pelletier
