Meet the Board
leading this work

Chairman

Derick Muhammad

Derick Muhammad is a farmer, entrepreneur, licensed drone pilot, and land-use consultant committed to strengthening Black farming communities throughout South Carolina. He serves as Chairman of the South Carolina Black Farmers Coalition Foundation and Project Manager for the South Carolina Black Farmers Coalition, helping lead initiatives focused on land retention, farmer education, conservation, market access, and economic opportunity.

A native of Estill, South Carolina, Derick is the founder and CEO of Bossville Farms, where he promotes sustainable agriculture, industrial hemp production, agricultural innovation, and farmer-to-farmer education. He also leads SkyBossville, an aerial imaging and drone services company, and G2G Consulting Services, which supports agricultural, community development, and entertainment projects.

Derick is an FAA-licensed Part 107 drone pilot and an advocate for expanding the use of technology in agriculture. He works closely with farmers, universities, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private-sector partners to develop programs that create lasting opportunities for historically underserved producers.

A 1990 graduate of Prairie View A&M University, Derick brings a combination of business leadership, agricultural experience, and community service to his work. His vision is to help Black farmers protect their land, strengthen their operations, embrace innovation, and build sustainable legacies for future generations.

Secretary

Alissia Matthews

Alissia and her husband, Monte, are the proud owners of Kidogo Farms, a farming homestead in Georgetown County, South Carolina. She and her family relocated to Georgetown from Tampa, Florida, five years ago to pursue their farming goals. Kidogo Farms aims to reintroduce farming to young people in the Gullah-Geechee community.

From 2021 to 2024, Alissia and her family were subawardees on a grant with the South Carolina State Extension Office. They provided new and beginning farmer training in Georgetown, Williamsburg, and Horry counties. Their goal was to help beginning farmers access financial resources and to provide technical assistance through administrative and hands-on training that strengthens farm operations.

Alissia has always enjoyed growing her own food and expanding Black equity in land. Her first introduction to farming came from her grandfather, who owned close to 200 acres and sold row crops throughout the Gullah-Geechee Corridor in the mid-1900s. Her parents met “een da fields,” which inevitably contributed to her love for the land. Her childhood summers were spent on her family’s land in Andrews, South Carolina.

Relocating to South Carolina was important to their family and has proven to be the best move for them. Tours of the family homestead and overnight stays can be booked through the farm.

• Kidogo Farms →
• Kidogo Farms on Instagram →
• Kidogo Farms on Facebook →

Board Member

Channing Houser

Channing Houser is the founder and owner of Houser’s Food Consulting & Brokerage, LLC, a South Carolina-based consulting and brokerage firm specializing in agricultural market development, strategic partnerships, and food supply chain solutions. Through his work, he connects farmers, producers, institutions, and wholesale buyers to create sustainable market opportunities that strengthen local and regional food systems.

A graduate of Wofford College with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology, Channing has dedicated his career to advancing food access, supporting agricultural producers, and fostering collaborative partnerships across South Carolina. His professional experience spans nonprofit leadership, produce procurement, farmer engagement, and food distribution, with a focus on increasing economic opportunities for underserved and historically marginalized producers.

As a member of the Board of Directors, Channing is committed to advancing the organization’s mission by promoting equity in agriculture, expanding market access for Black farmers, and supporting initiatives that strengthen South Carolina’s agricultural communities through innovation, collaboration, and strategic leadership.

Board Member

Sadia Pollard

Sadia Pollard is a Black queer Southern farmer. She graduated with a horticultural degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in 2019. After working for the university farm and a small nonprofit farm in western North Carolina, Sadia started Prosper Farm in 2021.

Prosper Farm is focused on growing with deep intention, sustainability, and ancestral guidance. After taking a year-long sabbatical, Sadia is now tending land in Barnwell, South Carolina, rebuilding Prosper Farm as a medicinal herb and Earth-based experience operation.

Board Member & Project Director

Rev. Judy Tyler, MPA

Rev. Judy Tyler serves on the Board of Directors of the South Carolina Black Farmers Coalition Foundation and as Project Director, supporting farmers, forest landowners, and community partners to strengthen rural communities and preserve family land for future generations.

Her commitment is deeply personal, inspired by her great-grandfather’s experience as a sharecropper at Redcliffe Plantation in Beech Island, South Carolina, and her dedication to protecting family land and preserving heritage.

Judy brings more than 25 years of experience in public administration, nonprofit leadership, workforce development, and grant strategy. She has secured and managed millions in grant funding and built partnerships that drive lasting community impact.

Through her work with Grow Well Aiken County and the Foundation, she connects farmers and landowners with education, technical assistance, and conservation resources that support sustainable agriculture. She resides in Aiken, South Carolina, with her husband, Minister Roy Tyler.

Board Member

Joyce Bell Winkler, RN, BSN, MPH

Joyce Bell Winkler, RN, BSN, MPH, is a retired registered nurse, educator, and researcher with more than four decades of experience across multiple areas of healthcare and management in state and community health settings.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina College of Nursing in Columbia, South Carolina, Joyce earned her Master of Public Health degree from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. Her 43-year nursing career began in Columbia and included professional positions in Wilson, North Carolina; Johnson City; and Columbia, where she retired in 2018. She was employed for nine years as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Education and Recreation at Benedict College in Columbia.

In 2013, Joyce returned to her family home in Ridge Spring, South Carolina, where she began a new chapter focused on preserving her family’s agricultural heritage and developing educational and recreational outreach opportunities through agritourism. The Bell Family Farm includes a large freshwater fishing pond and approximately 130 acres of cultivated and natural farmland. Her family has owned this agricultural property for nearly a century. Working with family members, Joyce is helping transform the historic farm into an agritourism enterprise that celebrates agriculture, family values and relationships, culture, and community engagement.

The family-owned enterprise also markets “Mom Bell’s Chow Chow,” a cherished Southern family recipe and heirloom product that represents the family’s culinary traditions and connection to the produce grown and harvested on the land.

Joyce has a strong record of community-centered activities and professional service. She served as the founding President of the Johnson City, Tennessee, Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and is currently a member of the Columbia, South Carolina, Alumnae Chapter. She is also a member of the South Carolina Black Farmers Coalition and serves on the Board of the South Carolina Black Farmers Coalition Foundation. Joyce serves as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health All of Us Research Program, providing input and perspective to support the program’s mission and research review process.

Her life and work reflect a deep commitment to family, community, public health, agriculture, and preserving a family legacy for future generations. Outside of her professional and community endeavors, Joyce enjoys nature photography, traveling, baking bread, driving her 1965 C150 pickup truck, and working in her vegetable and flower gardens. She is married to Preston H. Winkler and is the proud mother of three adult children and grandmother of nine grandchildren.