Devita Davison is executive director at FoodLab Detroit, a membership-based nonprofit organization that fosters the creation of an inclusive and equitable local food economy whereby low-income food entrepreneurs can maximize their full potential.
FoodLab Detroit supports a community of nearly 200 food entrepreneurs by providing them with education, technical-assistance, access to market opportunities and exchange of experiences. By primarily focusing on incubating food entrepreneurs from communities of color, FoodLab aims to improve Detroit’s neighborhood social and built environment by democratizing good food and allowing everyone to take part in the development of a local food culture.
In this position since 2014, Devita works to cultivate, connect, and catalyze this community with the goal of creating a new food economy that acknowledges the importance of food justice, community representation, local ownership and sustainability. Devita Davison was previously managing director of Eastern Market's Detroit Kitchen Connect, a board member of Hopeful Harvest, and founder/owner of a neighborhood market in Brooklyn, New York, The Southern Pantry Company. She was a 2016 TEDxBrum & 2017 TED speaker, her TED Talk has been seen over 1.2 Million times, she is a 2014 UIX Urban Innovator, 2017 Grist Top 50 Leader in sustainability, a Southern Foodway Alliance Smith Fellow, and was named one of 100 Women to Watch in Wellness by mindbodygreen.