Ricardo Tavárez, Executive Director, New City Neighbors

Ricardo Tavárez, an Afro-Latino leader of Dominican and Puerto Rican heritage, serves as the Executive Director of New City Neighbors, where he guides the nonprofit’s mission of empowering youth and work of cultivating community and opportunity through sustainable urban agriculture. Drawing on his background in international business and marketing, Tavárez oversees initiatives that create workforce development pathways for youth, a dynamic farm apprentice program, and farm-to-table offerings that strengthen the local food system.

Since Tavárez took the helm in 2019, New City Neighbors’ urban farming program has expanded to four sites across West Michigan, including a new farmsite currently in development in the heart of the Creston neighborhood. Through the collective contributions of donors and neighbors, this site will preserve historic greenspace, house a new agricultural learning center, and provide incubator land plots for emerging urban farmers.

In 2025 alone, New City Neighbors produced 25,000 pounds of fresh produce dedicated to food resource centers, alongside its community-supported agriculture shares—furthering its impact on equitable food access and neighborhood transformation in the Grand Rapids area.

In addition to leading the mission and work of New City Neighbors, Tavárez is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, an author, and an award-winning artist and photographer. His artistic subjects often include nature, flowers, and gardens. Tavárez was named a 40 under 40 business leader by Crain’s Grand Rapids Business Journal in 2022 and as a Newsmaker in the Agricultural industry Crain’s in 2026.