Stephen R. Shelley
President and CEO
Prior to joining Farm Share as Chief Operating Officer in 2016, Stephen owned and operated his own law practice for 10 years specializing in family law, business law and general civil litigation. Stephen was promoted to CEO by Farm Share’s Board of Directors in July 2019, following the retirement of founder and former CEO Patricia Robbins.
Under Stephen’s leadership Farm Share has continued to grow and expand Patricia’s founding vision that “no food should go to waste and no Floridian should go hungry” Over the last three years, Farm Share has more than doubled the pounds of food that it has acquired and distributed annually from just over 33 million pounds to in excess of 104 million pounds. The organization has also doubled the number of meals it serves to more than 86 million and the number of community food distributions it holds statewide annually to in excess of 700.
Stephen has also facilitated the expansion of Farm Share’s Community Policing and Crime Prevention Program and helped Farm Share emerge as a leader as a first responder to natural disasters and other events throughout Florida. During Hurricane Irma and Michael Farm Share distributed more than 2 million pounds of life sustaining food, water and supplies to the hardest hit communities within the first 13 days after the storms made landfall.
Stephen also gives back to his local community, having served on the Homestead City Council for the last 10 years in the capacity of Councilman, Vice Mayor and Mayor.
In addition to his service on the Homestead City Council, Stephen also sits on various boards and committees including the Homestead Rotary Club, Homestead Military Affairs Committee, the Florida National Parks Association (past Chairman of the Board) and the National Parks Conservation Association Sun Coast Region.