Martin Richards Email & Phone Number

For the past thirty years, I have been exploring, learning, and working on how humankind can create a sustainable existence. Much of this has been focused on the relationship between community and place, and the interweaving of environment, economy, and culture. Only recently I have looked back at my history to see that I have lived and worked at the critical moments where communities have undergone a major transformation of their economies and the consequential environmental and cultural impacts.Living and working in steel towns, tobacco fields, and coal towns, I have a long history of working with communities addressing economic revitalization, sustainability, and resiliency. With an educational background in architecture, I have extensive experience in agriculture, economic development, and land use. This includes over twenty years of policy development experience working with the Kentucky Legislature.I have been an active member of the Community Farm Alliance for over 28 years, serving on the Board, Board Chair, and as Executive Director from 2010-2023. I was the first CFA Fellow during the passage of HB 611in 2000 which utilized Master Tobacco Settlement funds to create the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund. Besides having served on numerous boards and councils, I have served on the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Adjustments in Berea, KY, and the Bluegrass Regional Planning Council.Most recently, I participated on the Task Force to inform the White’s National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, testified before the US Senate Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition on Food is Medicine, presented at the Tufts University Food is Medicine National Summit, and represented CFA on the National Produce Prescription Collaborative.

Listed skills include Community Organizing, Grant Writing, Public Speaking, Nonprofits, and 21 others.