Dana Simpson is a Washington, DC born, community-rooted leader dedicated to advancing equitable food systems and expanding opportunity across Wards 7 and 8. As Director of Community Partnerships & Growth at DC Central Kitchen, she brings more than 20 years of experience connecting communities and decision-makers to ensure resident voices drive meaningful, lasting change.
GFI’s Darcy Cherlin sat down with Dana Simpson, a lifelong public servant, community advocate, and change agent in Wards 7 and 8. Dana sees herself as a bridge-builder, working to connect residents to opportunities while ensuring the systems that shape their lives are informed by those most impacted. She describes how meaningful change begins with trust and that solutions must be built with communities, not for them.
You are an expert in community outreach, with over 20 years of experience serving residents in Wards 7 and 8. Can you talk about your work?
I currently serve as the Director of Community Partnerships and Growth at DC Central Kitchen (DCCK). In this role, I focus on building sustainable, strategic partnerships that expand access to our food resources and programs, while ensuring that the communities we serve have a meaningful voice in our work.
What I value most about my role as a public servant is the responsibility and privilege of being accountable to the community by listening with intention, honoring lived experiences, and helping to create pathways for opportunity. What I say is public service should operate like a service elevator, not just going to the penthouse, but stopping on every floor. I believe in meeting people where they are and working alongside them to access the resources and support they need to grow, thrive, and level up.
Public service should operate like a service elevator, not just going to the penthouse, but stopping on every floor.
What made you interested in being part of this Wards 7 and 8 Community Advisory Board (CAB)?
I learned early on that food justice isn’t just about handing out meals. Through my community engagement work, I saw disparities on so many levels and began to understand how deeply rooted they are. I realized that systemic barriers, like structural racism and historical disinvestment, are what drive the challenges people face today, whether it’s poverty, hunger, or unemployment, rather than individual failure.
That understanding reinforced for me that real, lasting change has to happen at the systems level. And for that change to be effective, community voice has to be central, not supplemental, in shaping solutions and moving the work forward.
What do you think are the greatest challenges that need to be addressed in Wards 7 and 8?
I tell people if you haven’t uprooted some type of injustice, you’re not doing your job. The most pressing challenges in Wards 7 and 8 are rooted in longstanding structural inequities, including access to affordable, healthy food. When people don’t have consistent access to nutritious options, it contributes directly to the high rates of diet-related illnesses we see in these communities.
Another challenge is the gap between community knowledge and decision-making power. Residents in Wards 7 and 8 understand exactly what their communities need, but their voices aren’t always reflected in the decisions being made. For example, when an organic market opened east of the river, it highlighted how important it is to align offerings with community realities and perceptions. When a store brands itself as “organic,” many people assume it’s out of their price range, which can create an immediate disconnect, even if that’s not the intention.
We need to shift how investment happens in Wards 7 and 8 so that residents are engaged from the very beginning, not after decisions have already been made.
What are the biggest changes you'd like to see in Wards 7 and 8 to improve food access and health outcomes?
We need to shift how investment happens in Wards 7 and 8 so that residents are engaged from the very beginning, not after decisions have already been made. Residents should have real opportunities to talk to and shape the thinking of people who want to invest east of the river. That means being able to say, “this works” or “this doesn’t,” before resources are committed. And it also means holding investors accountable; not just to show up, but to engage meaningfully, build relationships, and stay long enough for the storytelling to understand whether their investment actually had the impact they intended.
For food access specifically, success starts with real community buy-in before the doors even open. Residents should have clear pathways to employment at every level, with a strong preference for local hiring. But just as important, they should be asked basic but critical questions: What do you want to eat? What do you want to see on the shelves? What feels culturally relevant? What can you actually afford?
When those things are in place, it changes how people relate to the business. It stops feeling like something is being done to the community and starts feeling like something is built with the community. That sense of ownership is essential, not just for a store’s success, but for improving long-term health outcomes.
I know you are really passionate about the role that credible messengers can play in the community. Can you share why?
On the CAB I'm always stressing that communities need to have credible messengers. Because sometimes when communities have lost trust in government and elected officials, it’s the credible messengers who can help bring people back into the conversation, translate information in ways that make sense, and turn confusion or skepticism into understanding and action.
With food, that trust is everything. People need someone they trust to bring them in; someone who can show how something tastes, how it can be incorporated into a delicious recipe, when it’s in season and affordable, and how it supports a healthier lifestyle. Especially for families working within a fixed budget, that trust matters. They need to know their family will actually eat it and that it won’t go to waste.
That’s one of the methods we use at DC Central Kitchen. By showing up consistently and building trust in the community, we’re able to introduce new foods and programs in ways that feel accessible, practical, and relevant to people’s everyday lives.
What do you hope to accomplish as part of the Community Advisory Board?
I want the CAB to help shift what’s possible, to show residents that ownership over their food access and their health is real and within reach. Too often, people feel like these systems are happening to them rather than something they can shape. I want us to create pathways where residents see themselves as decision-makers, not just recipients.
That means building spaces where community voice leads, where people are asked what they want and need, and where that input directly shapes what gets built and sustained. But it also means creating real, tangible experiences that allow people to see and feel that ownership in practice.
For example, at the Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center, we started by installing raised garden beds and providing fresh produce. But that was just the entry point. The real goal is to build from there: asking residents what they want to grow, creating a consistent rhythm of planting, harvesting, and cooking together, and supporting people in incorporating those foods into their everyday lives. Over time, it becomes something they feel ownership over.
That’s what I hope we accomplish, not just increasing access but helping people reclaim a sense of agency and pride in what we grow, what we eat, and how we care for our health.