With Gratitude: Honoring Stacey’s Leadership and Looking Ahead to Waltham Fields’ Next Chapter
Grateful.
After eight and a half incredibly fulfilling years as Executive Director of Waltham Fields Community Farm, I will be transitioning away from this role—but not from our community.
This has been a deeply personal decision for me, made early this spring after a year of impactful changes in my life. I remain inspired by, connected to and grateful for the community that has meant so much to me.
I am fully committed to supporting a successful transition and have made myself available to assist the organization during this process.
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have supported this community-focused organization and to have worked alongside so many incredible team members, volunteers, farmers, educators, Board members, partners, donors, and community members over the years.
When I first came to Waltham Fields, I was drawn to the dedicated people who wholeheartedly committed themselves to our mission, to our community and to the programs carried out each season. Over eight and a half years, that commitment has continued to inspire me. I am especially appreciative of the many collaborations and partnerships that have strengthened our work and expanded our impact.
Together, we have grown food, nourished families, welcomed children and adults to the farm, supported beginning farmers, advocated and cared for the land, and created countless opportunities for people to connect with one another and with the food and soil that sustain us.
At the heart of all of this has always been community.
Thank you to each of you for the many ways you have supported Waltham Fields and contributed to its mission: providing low-income residents of Waltham and Greater Boston with fresh, organically grown vegetables; nurturing and protecting urban farmland for long-term productivity and environmental health; promoting awareness and engagement in sustainable food systems; and training new generations of farmers to care for our state’s vital agricultural resources.
These are important things to do—and I feel incredibly fortunate to have been part of this work.
While I am transitioning from my role as Executive Director on September 30, I am not saying goodbye to Waltham Fields or to the many relationships that have made these years so meaningful. I look forward to continuing to cheer on this community and learning how I may deepen my dedication to equitable food systems and urban, community-based, agricultural programs.
WIth that, (wink-wink) I ask you to join me as a team member at my final Ride & Stride For Food on September 27! Please join our team and reach out to your family, friends and work family, walk alongside me (or cycle with many others) on this impactful day to raise critical support for our food access programs and those in need of access to locally grown and healthy food, no CYCLOspora here! Let's make a memory together!
With tremendous gratitude for the trust, support, partnership, inspiration and community you have shared with me and each other over these eight and a half years,
Stacey
A Note from the Board of Directors
Stacey, thank you.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, and the many people whose lives and work at Waltham Fields have been touched by your leadership, we are deeply grateful for the extraordinary care, commitment, and perseverance you have brought to this organization over the past eight and a half years.
Stacey has led Waltham Fields through some of the most consequential—and at times most uncertain—years in the farm’s history. She guided the organization through the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while keeping our community, staff, and food access mission at the center of our work. She helped shepherd WFCF through a years-long effort to protect the future of the farmland we call home, from the uncertainty surrounding the former UMass Field Station, through its historic acquisition by the City of Waltham, and through the complex process that ultimately secured WFCF’s continued stewardship of this land.
At the same time, Stacey helped Waltham Fields look forward and farm on! During her tenure, WFCF piloted and grew our Produce Prescription program, strengthened our food access work, developed a new strategic plan and re-envisioned our mission and vision, and continued building partnerships throughout Waltham and Greater Boston.
And then there are the accomplishments that are harder to capture in a timeline: the relationships nurtured over years; the staff members encouraged in their growth; the volunteers, families, farmers, educators, partners, and neighbors welcomed into this community; the difficult conversations navigated; and the many times Stacey simply showed up for the farm and the people who make it what it is.
Her impact is everywhere—not only in what Waltham Fields has accomplished, but in the culture and community she has helped shape.
As we celebrate Stacey's contributions, we also want to speak directly to you, our community. We know transitions like this can bring questions and feelings of uncertainty. We want to be clear and reassuring: this is a planned and thoughtful transition, and Waltham Fields is strong and well-prepared for what comes next.
Stacey’s decision is her own, made with intention and in close partnership with the Board. We are grateful she will remain through September to help ensure a smooth and supported handoff.
Looking ahead, we are focused on continuity, care, and strong leadership:
- We will identify interim leadership to guide day-to-day operations, ensuring stability while we take the time needed to conduct a thoughtful search.
- We will launch a careful and inclusive process to identify our next Executive Director, informed by the perspectives of staff and members of this community.
- We will keep you updated throughout the process so you remain connected to what is happening and what comes next.
What we want you to hear most clearly is this: the mission is steady, the work continues, and the heart of this farm remains strong.
Waltham Fields has never been defined by one person alone. It is defined by the farmers who tend the soil, the staff and volunteers who make our programs possible, the families and neighbors who gather here, the partners who extend our reach, and the community members who care for this place and carry its mission forward.
We will be honoring Stacey’s eight and a half years of leadership, and we hope many of you will join us in expressing our gratitude for all she has given to Waltham Fields.
Thank you for being part of this community and for continuing to stand with Waltham Fields as we move into this next chapter together.
With gratitude,
Adrianna Gucciardi
President, WFCF Board of Directors





