Council on Culture

We recognize that to fully center diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work and values, we must foster a culture of belonging and create a restaurant and community where everyone feels connected and valued. In 2020, Farmers Restaurant Group (FRG) established the Council on Culture, a paid advisory group of community members, employees, and industry leaders who provide leadership, insights, and consultation on communications (internally and externally), talent recruitment, retention and career development, and community relations.

The Council on Culture meets bi-annually to help us define immediate and long-term measurable goals. It also creates a safe listening and learning environment and encourages the conversations that need to happen but, in many companies, don’t. Originally called our Council on Color, we changed our name in 2022 to Council on Culture at the recommendation of our members who felt it better represented the breadth of our efforts.

Members include people from within and outside our company to ensure we have a wide variety of perspectives and independent voices. We also have listening members from the Farmers Restaurant Group team who utilize the Council’s recommendations to develop company initiatives and report progress to the Council.

Stephen A. Baldi

Baldi Management Group

Paris Twyman

Farmers Restaurant Group

Shanise Boyd

Farmers Restaurant Group

Ashley Copeland

Stacks and the City

Denisha Davenport

DC School Counselor

Chris Emano

Farmers Restaurant Group

Jamal Holtz

LINK Strategic Partners

Melinda Koepke

Ed Lara

Farmers Restaurant Group

Ekundayo Platt

Farmers Restaurant Group

Torrence Swain

Silencio Mezcal

Stephanie Renee Young

KIPP DC College Preparatory

Mary Carter

Managing Partner, Farmers Restaurant Group

Michael Estrada

Managing Partner, Farmers Restaurant Group

David Ferguson

Managing Partner, Farmers Restaurant Group

Kendra Graves

Managing Partner, Farmers Restaurant Group

Darragh Moore

Managing Partner, Farmers Restaurant Group

David Motycka

Managing Partner, Farmers Restaurant Group

Dan Simons

FRG Listening Member

Michael Vucurevich

FRG Listening Member

Meaghan O’Shea

FRG Listening Member

Jillian Heltzel

FRG Listening Member

Daisy Whittemore

FRG Listening Member