City Slicker Farms

Dear Friend,

In early 2008, I was recruited to be City Slicker Farms’ Interim Executive Director while our founder, Willow Rosenthal Summer, was on sabbatical. During those three months, I gained a deep respect for the organization’s well-designed programs and philosophical approach, and the community we work with. At that point, we were a team of one full time (me) and two part time employees, three apprentices, and a wonderful group of volunteers all working on a shoestring budget. When Willow decided to leave the Executive Director role, the Board of Directors asked me to stay on as the Executive Director. I was thrilled because it was a perfect combination of my love for urban agriculture, commitment to social justice, and my background in nonprofit management. I was determined to grow the infrastructure, budget, and Board of the organization so we could best fulfill our mission to empower West Oakland community members to meet the immediate and basic need for healthy food for themselves and their families by creating sustainable high-yield urban farms and backyard gardens.

During my tenure, City Slicker Farms has become nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in supporting low-income communities to grow their own food. Over the past six years, I have expanded the organization to a nine-member staff, quadrupled the budget, and secured a large grant to support our biggest project to date: building and managing a 1.4 acre farm and park for West Oakland. Our organization went from farming on land that had an uncertain future to being land secure. 

I am very proud of what we have accomplished together, and feel privileged to have been part of such important, vital, and nourishing work. A new chapter in City Slicker Farms’ history will begin in June, when I leave my role as Executive Director. I have decided to take a couple of months off for a needed break and then pursue the next phase in my career. I will continue to live in Oakland, my home of thirteen years, with my family and look forward to staying connected to City Slicker Farms and supporting it in new and different ways.

City Slicker Farms’ Board and staff have been engaged in a thoughtful transition process, which will continue over the next four months. We are beginning a search for a new Executive Director and are committed to finding the best candidate. Please share our job announcement with your networks.

City Slicker Farms has a strong and talented Board and staff to lead this transition and our programs. They will continue to cultivate our many important partnerships with West Oakland organizations, the City of Oakland, and many others to leverage the impact of creating a more resilient and resourced community. I am excited to see the staff, Board, and the new Executive Director develop and finish the new West Oakland Farm and Park and raise all the capital needed to make it a success.

Thank you for your support of City Slicker Farms. I truly value the wonderful relationships that I have developed over the years and appreciate the wisdom I have gained from them. Stay engaged and stay with us as we continue to build a just food system in Oakland.

Sincerely,

Barbara Finnin
Executive Director

From the Transition Committee:

We are deeply grateful for Barbara Finnin’s visionary leadership and compassionate spirit as the Executive Director of City Slicker Farms over the past six years, and we support her unconditionally in her decision to transition from her role. While we are, of course, very sad to see her leave, her professionalism, kindness and thoughtful consideration, which she has expressed throughout her tenure as Executive Director extends without boundary, and she has graciously offered a transition period that allows us to work together to ensure successful succession. Our Board of Directors is committed to a smooth process, and our Executive Transition Committee is mapping the search process for new leadership. This year marks one of tremendous opportunity as we prepare for the development of the transformative West Oakland Farm Park, one that will both anchor us in the West Oakland community and propel us in national dialogues. We cannot thank Barb enough for the work she has done in bringing City Slicker Farms to this stage – we are who we are today because of her.

Onward,

Board President, Julia Indovina; Vice President Markus Niebank; Board Members Brendan Havenar-Daughton, Esperanza Pallana & James Pumphrey; Staff Member Joseph Davis