Mr. Don Green has lived in Mississippi’s North Delta region his whole life. He was born and raised in Clarksdale, MS, home to the Mississippi Delta Council for Farm Workers Opportunities Inc. (MDCFWOI). The agency was founded in 1971 to provide services for producers, farmers, farm workers and their families throughout the State of Mississippi.
Mr. Green has worked for MDCFWOI since 1980. He spent his first 20 years working in the agency’s fiscal department, becoming MDC’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) before accepting his current position. For the last 15 years, he has served as MDC’s Executive Director and overseen over $25 million in federal funding.
Don has dedicated his life to continuing to improve and transform the economy of rural Mississippi. He is committed to supporting program development focused on job development, such as building career advancement and educational opportunities and creating AG entrepreneurship options for rural Mississippians.
During his tenure, MDCFWOI has served more than 65,000 small, disadvantaged, limited resource producers, processors, laborers, intermediaries, and their families in MS, AR, and TN.
He has implemented various USDA projects through MDCFWOI, including Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Beginner Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) and Regional Food Systems Partnership (RFSP). He is well versed in CFR 200 regulations and annual federal project audits.
Mr. Rockiell Woods is a farmer (Woodwad Farms) with over 17 years of experience in the Mississippi Delta. Mr. Woods’ background is in education and conventional and sustainable agriculture practices to manage hunger and increase access to food.
Over the past 10 years, Mr. Woods served as the Gulf States Regional Director for the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). In this role, he planned and executed outreach and training activities cross Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. He coordinated, led, and maintained farmer networks to cultivate strong AG relationships throughout the region. He also supported the launch of the Mississippi Food Justice Collaborative, a core organization serving the NCAT mission.
He is experienced in beginning farmer training and works to provide learning opportunities for producers on traditional and non-traditional row crops.
He is skilled in Non-Profit Organization Management, Risk Management, Food and Agricultural Policy, and Grant Writing and Implementation. He holds a Master’s of Science in Agricultural Economics from Alcorn State University.
He continues to be a strong advocate for sustainable agriculture programs and small agriculture businesses across Mississippi. He is excited to continue his efforts in the region and serve as the Delta USDA Regional Food Business Center Program Director.
Ms. Danita Rodriguez is the co-founder of DRA Resources. With over 20 years of economic development expertise, DRA Resources addresses systemic poverty through research, program design, and implementation. Danita works with clients on innovations that increase incomes, build wealth, and improve local economies.
Working closely with local, regional, and national stakeholders, she helps clarify community needs and opportunities — and develops stakeholder-informed responses. Her work has included program impact studies and the development of resources and facilities for under-resourced farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurial food processors. She is especially interested in developing regional systems that can transform local economies to engage historically underserved and women-owned small businesses and connecting them to opportunities.
A fierce advocate for programs that help increase and sustain annual incomes of small scale, limited resource and historically underserved farmers and ranchers, she specializes in program design, financial and social return on investment, business planning, and strategies for sustainability of economic growth. For over 15 years, she has been dedicated to the development and transformation of the agricultural economy throughout Mississippi’s North Delta region. Her recent work with the Mississippi Delta Council for Farm Workers Opportunities, Inc. has contributed to increased and sustainable income for over 300 families operating limited-resource farms and ranches in Mississippi’s North Delta. She continues to serve as part of the Delta Crossroads Food Hub Team as a leading training and regional fresh food supply chain support provider.