Grow Pittsburgh director recognized for expanding food access in urban areas

Denele Hughson is being the change she wants to see.

Being the executive director of nonprofit Grow Pittsburgh, Hughson has advocated for the physical, mental and communal advantages of food access across the Pittsburgh area.

Her efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Hughson, 38, was one of 19 women to receive a Women of Achievement Award from Cribs for Kids during the 18th annual Women of Achievement Awards in celebration of Women’s History Month in Pittsburgh.

Hughson of Penn Hills has spent about a decade working for Grow Pittsburgh, a nonprofit that serves as a resource and guide for backyard, school and community gardeners, as well as urban farmers throughout the Greater Pittsburgh region.

“We really want to focus on extending food access through urban agriculture so we do that by running urban farms ourselves,” Hughson said.

Hughson began as an education outreach coordinator for the program where she was boots on the ground and “had her hands in the dirt” in different communities to teach the advantages of community gardening.

“(I helped) incorporate our farm sites into the communities we were in and make sure we were seen as a community resource and not a source of gentrification,” Hughson said.

She moved up to the position of director of farm education where she oversaw all of the organization’s farms, including operations, workforce development and programming to improve food access in the area.

According to Ryan Walsh, director of development and communication for Grow Pittsburgh, since Hughson was named executive director in January 2021, the organization’s fresh food distributions in distressed communities reached 7,089 people in 2024 — a jump from 2,185 in 2020. The number of school gardens increased from 40 to 70 during her tenure to connect children to fresh food at an early age. Her team built nine new community gardens, for a total of 45 gardens, that are feeding people in low-income areas.

Walsh said the number of youths, new farmers and workshop participants learning to grow food has more than doubled in her time.

She said being executive director presents her with the best of both worlds. The position gives her the opportunity to work and connect with a variety of people, while also giving her the ability to see her teams operate.

“I really enjoy the work that I do to support the systemwide-level work for urban agriculture,” Hughson said. “I have the opportunity to connect. I work with really great partners, and my staff is amazing.”

Walsh was one of Hughson’s employees who nominated her for the award.

“I think a lot of our growth and success the past few years has been due to her leadership,” Walsh said.

Walsh said Hughson’s dedication to making a change in the communities deserves to be celebrated.

“I was really happy to see her get some hard-earned recognition,” Walsh said. “We do the work because it’s needed and important. No one’s looking for prizes or recognition, but when there’s an opportunity, I’ll always put her forward to be considered.”

Walsh said Hughson’s efforts have led to an extremely healthy work environment. In 2024, 50% of her full-time staff of 20 worked at the organization for five years or more.

“We’ll throw a holiday party and invite former staff, and people will actually come back and hang out,” Walsh said.

In her free time, Hughson loves to spend time with her family. She goes home to a full house with her husband, two children, two dogs, two cats, four hermit crabs and a fish.

“I really enjoy spending time with them,” she said.

Hughson and her family love being in nature. For her, any time spent in the sun is a good time. Wanting to make sure her children are “getting outside and experiencing” the every day, Hughson takes walks, hikes and plants herbs with them.

Hughson said she also loves amusement parks. She and her family will be taking a trip to her current favorite park, Universal Studios, for her birthday this year.

Hughson said she was surrounded by amazing women during the award ceremony.

“I felt really humble, but also very proud of the work I’ve been able to do,” Hughson said. “I was born and raised in Homewood. I lived here on and off my whole life, so being able to really see the impact of the work that we do has on communities and families — it goes so far beyond food itself. We’re growing whole communities.”

Hughson said Grow Pittsburgh attempts to create places where people can benefit from gardens, not just nutritionally but mentally and developmentally as well.

“I’m very grateful for both my board of directors and for my staff, our community partners and everyone who really helps us to be able to meet our mission and continue to grow food. It’s really a holistic effort. We can do it on our own, and we need the entire community behind us.”