Island Grown Initiative has selected a career-farmer with management experience to be their new co-executive director.
Caroline Pam, of Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland, will join co-executive director Noli Taylor in leading the Island food hub.
Board chair Gail Arnold said 15 people applied for the position, and that the board valued Ms. Pam’s farming experience, and is overjoyed to welcome her to the team.
“What particularly drew us to Caroline, apart from her vast farming experience, is her collaborative work with others, so vital to the co-leadership model we have at IGI,” Ms. Arnold said in a press release. “Caroline is a strategic thinker who really understands the value of a local food economy.”
Ms. Pam ran Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland with her husband for 18 years before selling the business in May and moving to West Tisbury. Her 65-acre farm specializes in organic vegetables and operates a commercial kitchen.
Ms. Pam begins work on April 1, replacing Michelle Gittlen, who filled the position for a year and will be leaving at the end of the month.
Island Grown Initiative has been at the forefront of food accessibility on Martha’s Vineyard since 2006 and operates their own farm and kitchen, as well as the Island’s food pantry.
Although she only recently moved to the Island, Ms. Pam has visited for over a decade, and said she has been familiar with IGI’s work for many years.
“I’m really excited to be able to work in an organization that is so collaborative and can really make a huge impact in this unique place,” she said.
Ms. Pam sits on the board of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, a national organization focused on engaging the community to build local food economies.
Since moving to the Vineyard, she has led workshops at the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society to educate farmers on loans and grants as well as foreign labor management strategies. She said the Island’s agricultural community has inspired her, and she is excited to get to know everyone more.
“The people that I have met who are working at IGI are so passionate, motivated and dedicated to improving the Island and having a positive impact,” Ms. Pam said. “I’ve been really inspired by the folks I’m going to be working with.”
