Lachelle Cunningham helps guide the St. Paul-based Neighborhood Development Center nonprofit in its mission to provide resources to entrepreneurs—while also working directly with aspiring business leaders in the classroom. Cunningham became board chair in 2021 and is driven by her interest in food safety, traditional foodways, and the connections that food can build. She is also the founder of the Minneapolis-based Healthy Roots Institute, executive director of Frogtown Farm, and owner of City Food Studio at the site of George Floyd Square in Minneapolis. She serves on the boards of the St. Paul-based Build From Within Alliance and the Minneapolis-based KOMBOA Community Land Trust, as well.