Officers

Malik K. Yakini is the chairman of the DBCFSN.  He has worked in urban organic agriculture for 10 years.  He is Executive Director of Nsoroma Institute, one of the Detroit area’s leading African-centered schools.  In that capacity he has been instrumental in developing the school’s food security curriculum and student organic garden.  He has presented workshops on “Food Security in the African-American Community” for the Community Food Security Coalition, the Organization of African Centered Educators and Schools and the Great Lakes Detroit Bioneers Conference.  He is a member of the Michigan Food Policy Council.

Marilyn Barber is the Vice-Chair of the DBCFSN.  She is the manager of D-Town Farm.  She initiated several children’s gardens in Detroit including at the Cappuchin Soup Kitchen, Inner City Sub Center and Belle Isle.  As a docent at the Belle Isle Belle Conservatory, she planted the first African Garden and conducts cooking demonstrations of her delicious greens for the children who visit the Conservatory. She is a Market Manager and Garden Coordinator for the Marketing Workgroup Committee for the Garden Resource Program.  She is an Americorp volunteer as an Urban Agriculture Intern for the Greening of Detroit.  She is a Certified Master Gardener and is currently attending Michigan State University in the Student Organic Farming Program.  She teaches students at O.W. Holmes Elementary School from the classroom to the garden at Romanowski Park.

Charity Hicks is the newly elected Secretary of the DBCFSN.  Her bio will be posted shortly.

Ebony M. Roberts, Ph.D., is treasurer of the DBCFSN.  She is also Operations Manager for Black Star Educational Management, and grant administrator for Helping Our Prisoners Elevate, Inc.  Both roles require her to create and manage budgets and report to various governmental agencies.  As Treasurer of DBCSN, she is responsible for maintaining an accurate record of the organization's assets, as well as collecting, recording, depositing and dispensing monies.  She works closely with the Farm Manager to maintain records of all proceeds raised through the sale of the farm's produce and other products.