Helping philanthropic institutions and community-serving organizations navigate complexity with clarity and practical direction.
Meghan McDermott
Founder & Principal, Sungold Community Solutions
Meghan McDermott is the founder and principal of Sungold Community Solutions, advising nonprofits, foundations, public agencies, coalitions, and community initiatives on equitable food systems and systems change. With 15+ years of experience, she has led statewide and regional initiatives, managed multi-million-dollar programs and funding portfolios, and built partnerships across philanthropy, government, healthcare, agriculture, education, and community-based organizations.
Her deepest subject-matter experience is in food systems, public health, and community development. Her perspective connects policy and funding decisions with the relationships, operating practices, and resources that make implementation possible.
Consulting Practice
Through Sungold, Meghan has authored comprehensive a food systems assessments, conducted hundreds of candid stakeholder interviews and served in interim leadership roles helping to navigate key transition periods for organizations. These engagements connect research and strategic judgment with experience taking responsibility for organizational decisions.
Nonprofit Leadership
As deputy director of Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Meghan oversaw a $3.4 million annual budget and a 24-person multidisciplinary team. Over her near decade with the organization, her work included facilitating and implementing organization-wide strategic planning (x3), strengthening hiring and management practices, and leading the organization’s DEI work.
Across her Groundwork tenure, she developed programs, projects and funding relationships spanning food and farming, community health, clean energy, and transportation.
Approach
Operations Inform Strategy
Connect priorities with staffing, budgets, governance, and the day-to-day work required to sustain them.
Respectful Listening
Seek different experiences, preserve important differences, and explain how community input will inform decisions.
Candid Partnership
Ask clear questions, examine assumptions, and discuss risks and tradeoffs in a constructive way.
Systems Thinking with Local Grounding
Consider how policies, funding, relationships, and local conditions interact—and where a practical change may help.
Early Foundations & Education
At Vassar College, Meghan co-founded Slow Food Vassar and served as its president. She designed an independent major in Food and Sustainability Studies and contributed to the development of Vassar’s Multidisciplinary Learning-Living Community on Food and Agriculture.
As the community’s academic intern in 2012–2013, she helped connect coursework, field experiences, and public programming, including organizing and facilitating events including an immersion day and keynote address by Dr. Vandana Shiva.
Meghan holds a BA from Vassar in Psychology and Food and Sustainability Studies and a Facilitative Leadership certificate through Michigan State University. Meghan served as a United States delegate to Slow Food International’s 2012 Congress. Her 2013 Vassar capstone examined tensions between gourmet food culture and social justice within the Slow Food movement.
Community & Recognition
Meghan’s community leadership has included advisory and board service with Food Rescue of Goodwill Northern Michigan and Commongrounds Cooperative. She was named a Traverse City Business News 40 Under 40 honoree in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Based in Traverse City, Michigan, she enjoys gardening, hands-on projects, and exploring northern Michigan with her family.
