Devita Davison

Devita Davison is an enthusiastic advocate for the culinary arts, entrepreneurship, and activism. With a particular focus on food justice, entrepreneurship, and the localist movement, she has facilitated workshops and spoken at a number of conferences. These include the Kellogg Foundation Food & Community conference, Just Food Conference, Netroots Nation, Omega Institute, and the BALLE conference.

In her role as the Executive Director of FoodLab Detroit, she channels her passion into action. This non-profit organization supports a diverse community of more than 200 food businesses, striving to make good food a sustainable reality for all Detroiters. Davison provides assistance in the form of resource connection, mentoring, high-quality workshops, field trips, and networking opportunities - all with the ultimate goal of cultivating capable and successful food businesses. Davison, after building a successful specialty food retail shop in Brooklyn, New York, returned home to Detroit where she now plays a significant role in the city's emerging food scene.

Before her current position at FoodLab Detroit, Davison served as the Managing Director for Detroit Kitchen Connect. This network of shared commercial kitchen spaces grew from a visionary idea to a multi-site operation under her leadership. Her dedication to creating a more inclusive food economy and challenging the social, political, and economic structures that propagate inequities has been notable.

Davison is a recognized voice on local food systems, having been featured in various media outlets such as the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Crain's Detroit, Michigan Corp!, Civil Eats, Policy Link, Urban Innovation Exchange, and Civil Eats. Her insights and perspectives have contributed significantly to discussions on the development of local food systems.