Meet Xavier Verna
Meet
Xavier Verna
Chief Development Officer
xavier.verna@groundworkcenter.org | (231) 941-6584 x701
Xavier Verna oversees the development department at Groundwork as Chief Development Officer. In his role, he sees his mission as connecting the passions and interests of supporters to the work of Groundwork. “I love meeting people who want to help the cause,” he says. “That is the fuel to the fire for me.”
From ages 1 to 12, Xavier lived in Puerto Rico, then his family moved to the Washington, D.C., suburbs. After high school, he attended college in Ann Arbor, and ultimately married and moved to be near his wife’s family and their orchard in Onekama, Michigan. Now, surrounded by orchard country in a two-lake town, Xavier has vivid daily reminders of the importance of Groundwork’s mission. The diverse set of people and locales Xavier has experienced throughout his life gives him the perspective needed to understand and connect broadly—so essential for his role.
When Xavier was considering working at Groundwork, the 10 Cents a Meal program, in particular, spoke to him. Living in a farm community, he instantly saw the good of rerouting millions in school food dollars to local farmers. “It sustains the community in so many ways, and the best thing is it feeds kids with local food,” he says. And that’s the kind of multi-layered systems-change thinking that has built Groundwork from the start.