Season's Change at New Britain ROOTS: A Message from the Board of Directors
A message from the Board of Directors:
March 19, 2026
Dear New Britain ROOTS Community,
The Board of Directors would like to to share an important update with you about the organization's leadership: As you may already know, New Britain ROOTS Founder Joey Listro is stepping down from his role as Executive Director in mid-April.
We wanted to share a reflection on his service and our next steps as stewards of New Britain ROOTS and your partners in growing community food access throughout the city. Working closely with the staff, we assure you that New Britain ROOTS will continue our programs and services during this transition!
Nonprofits thrive through the efforts of thousands of people, including staff, board, volunteers, program participants, customers, donors, funders, partner organizations, vendors, community members, and more. We all make contributions of time, experience, attention, money, and care to create what we all experience as New Britain ROOTS, but our founder Joey Listro has been an unmistakable constant force since our start in 2013.
Without Joey's vision and commitment, and his collaboration with our outstanding staff, we would not have the thriving food access and education programs that we all love and appreciate. To say we will miss him deeply is an understatement, but the Board of Directors is truly proud of what New Britain ROOTS has accomplished under Joey's care and thrilled for him to begin his next chapter leading the Connecticut Forest & Park Association, where we know he will continue his advocacy for everyone's right and connection to land throughout the state.
Joey's passion and dedication speak for themselves. In the 13 years of New Britain ROOTS, we have grown to support vegetable gardens at every school in New Britain, produced and distributed literal tons of food every year, and supported fresh food access throughout the city. Thousands of New Britain residents know more about growing healthy food thanks to our intergenerational programming.
New Britain ROOTS reaches everyone from pre-schoolers to senior citizens, connecting to our inherent rights to clean productive soils and healthy, culturally relevant foods. In greenhouses and raised beds built, fruits and vegetables served, classes taught, and honeycombs filled, New Britain ROOTS has grown into a viable, beloved community nonprofit supporting community health, education, and economy. All of this is part of Joey's impact in the hometown that he loves.
The Board is full of gratitude for what we've all grown through Joey's leadership; and we take seriously our commitment to you the community and the founding vision as we navigate this transition.
Our next steps include a search for the next Executive Director, whom the board will support in strategic planning to ensure New Britain ROOTS continues our mutually beneficial role growing community food access in New Britain. We will be working closely with the staff to continue operating programs and services as the growing season gets underway! In our duties as the Board of Directors, we have developed a succession plan and are prepared for this transition.
As the stewards of the organization, the New Britain ROOTS Board considers you a partner in identifying our next leader; whether you apply for the role yourself, share the position with your network, or give us feedback about what you'd like to see in the next Executive Director, we'd like to hear from you! Please see the position description and details to apply here.
Please reach out to us at info@newbritainroots.org with any questions or comments - even just to share an appreciation for Joey or a message to our next Executive Director about your hopes for our next chapter! Thank you for your trust and commitment to community food access in New Britain!
With gratitude,
New Britain ROOTS Board of Directors: Craig Schmitt (Chair), Stanley Dombrowski, Yvette Ghannam, Meg Hourigan (Vice Chair), Tina Knowlton, Debbie Kowaleski, Rich Marzi, Hanna Petrisko (Secretary), Mya Tillman, Miranda Velez (Treasurer)
info@newbritainroots.org
