SAFSF - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Membership Committee
ADAM LIEBOWITZ joined North Star Fund in 2013. Adam directs Community Food Funders (CFF), a philanthropic organizing project for funders in the tri-state area to invest in the transition to an equitable, ecologically sound, and sustainable regional food system that emphasizes local growing, processing, and distribution. Adam administered and coordinated North Star Fund's Greening Western Queens Fund and Community Fund for Sandy Recovery. In 2019, Adam led the process of the creation, design, and implementation of the Seeding Power Fellowship for food justice leaders, CFF's newest initiative.
Adam has a rich history in the nonprofit sector and extensive experience in community outreach and development, urban farming, program design and management, youth development, and environmental justice. "My time as Education Director at a Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx provided a foundation to understand the strengths and struggles of underserved populations in New York City," Adam says. "At The Point CDC, I worked with amazing people dedicated to undoing some of the systemic injustices in our city and culture, and learned the importance of community-based planning and grassroots activism to realize social change."
Focusing on environmental justice and food access, Adam trained Hunts Point youth through The Point's ACTION program as community organizers were able to establish their own projects and campaigns. He created an urban agriculture and food justice program that included cooking and nutrition classes, public health outreach, the establishment of a local CSA, and vegetable gardens across multiple sites. Adam designed and organized the 2009 South Bronx Food & Film Expo, and served on the steering committee in 2011 for the first Bronx Food Summit.
Prior to joining North Star Fund, Adam worked as an independent consultant to nonprofit organizations and private firms specializing in food systems planning and food access projects in New York. He received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2002 and an M.S. in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from The New School in 2011. Adam Liebowitz joined North Star Fund in 2013. Adam directs Community Food Funders (CFF), a philanthropic organizing project for funders in the tri-state area to invest in the transition to an equitable, ecologically sound, and sustainable regional food system that emphasizes local growing, processing, and distribution. Adam administered and coordinated North Star Fund's Greening Western Queens Fund and Community Fund for Sandy Recovery. In 2019, Adam led the the process of the creation, design, and implementation of the Seeding Power Fellowship for food justice leaders, CFF's newest initiative.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities
As Senior Vice President at the Endowment, Alicia's primary focus is program oversight and development. She began working with the Endowment first in 2015 as a volunteer member of the Board of Directors and then transitioned to become a full-time member of the leadership team in 2017. Her more than 30 years of professional experience includes roles in packaging engineering and supply chain analysis to product development positions in the forestry sector, all of which contribute to her current role.
Before joining the Endowment, Alicia worked for more than two decades for the Westervelt Company, formerly known as Gulf States Paper Corporation, located in Alabama. There she held key management positions in product development before progressing to Vice President of Business Development, an executive role which encompassed global leadership accountability for Westervelt Ecological Services, Westervelt Renewable Energy, and the company's recreation and agricultural assets in New Zealand.
Alicia received bachelor's degrees in Chemistry and Sociology from Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania. She also completed The Fuqua School Executive program at Duke University. Most importantly, she loves to hike, fish, and spend time with her family.
ANDREW MCELWAINE is The Heinz Endowments' vice president of Sustainability. He oversees the Endowments' Sustainability team and is responsible for building the foundation's sustainability-related work and infusing the principles of environmental and social sustainability across the full range of the organization's grantmaking and other activities. He is also responsible for the Endowments' Food Systems grant-making.
Andrew served for six years as the Endowments' first Environment Program director, leaving in 1999 to become president and CEO of Pennsylvania Environmental Council. He later held similar positions with the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and the American Farmland Trust, a national farmland conservation organization based in Washington, D.C. He returned to the Endowments in 2015.
While heading the American Farmland Trust, Andrew completed a national strategic plan to implement sustainable agriculture, create local food systems and reduce the climate effects of farming. Among other past accomplishments, he helped to create Pennsylvania's Growing Greener land and water conservation program and Growing Smarter land use planning program. He led the Conservancy of Southwest Florida's successful "Saving Southwest Florida" capital campaign, raising $40 million during the Great Recession. He assisted in the design of Florida's and Pennsylvania's climate change strategies and successfully fought to protect Florida's last undisturbed wildlife habitat from sprawl and over-development.
From 1991 to 1993, Andrew was a staff member for the President's Commission on Environmental Quality. He also was previously U.S. Senator John Heinz's environmental policy manager for five years.
He has served on the boards of more than a dozen organizations concerned with policy work and issues related to the environment, conservation, the safeguarding of natural resources and the protection of public health. Andrew earned a B.A. from Duke University, a master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a master's degree from George Mason University.
Job Titles:
- Member and Development Associat
Angie Boone joined the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) in May of 2022 and currently serves as the Member and Development Associate. She supports overall donor stewardship along with membership engagement, renewals, and prospecting; grant tracking and submissions; and special event sponsorship.
Before joining SAFSF, Angie worked for Pinoleville Pomo Nation, a Tribe in Northern California, where she coordinated their Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country grant, focused on chronic disease prevention, traditional foods, and nutrition and gardening education. Previously, she was involved in local non-profit work focused on establishing and increasing community gardens in Mendocino and Lake Counties in Northern California to increase access to home-grown nutritious and culturally appropriate foods in low-income neighborhoods.
Angie holds a B.A. in French and Sociology/Anthropology with a concentration in Environmental Studies from St. Olaf College. Her curiosity to engage with the land and food systems led her to work on farms and vineyards in Washington and New Zealand. She later pursued a Permaculture Design Certificate to further her understanding of growing food and stewarding the land.
Mentors from her time farming, completing a permaculture design and eco-restoration courses and serving an Indigenous community have passed down their love for regenerative agriculture and foraged medicines, as well as their reverence for the land and commitment to striving for a harmonious relationship with nature, inspiring her to continue a path focused on food systems, land stewardship, and environmental and human health.
Angie grew up in Richardson, Texas, and currently resides in Mendocino County, California. She is an avid hiker and is constantly craving time in the backcountry. Outside of work, she enjoys expressing creativity through cooking, food preservation, making herbal medicines, researching health and nutrition, and going on a lot of walks.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Policy Committee
- Agua Fund
- Executive Director of the Agua Fund
Ann Mills is Executive Director of the Agua Fund, a Washington DC-based foundation that supports work to protect the environment, boost civic engagement and help the disadvantaged and underserved. She previously served as the U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment from 2009 to January 20, 2017 where she had responsibility for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. She co-chaired of the federal National Drought Resilience Partnership and represented USDA on the Obama Administration's ecosystem restoration initiatives including those in the Chesapeake Bay Basin, Great Lakes, Mississippi River Basin, and California Bay-Delta. She also served as Secretary Tom Vilsack's designee to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council and the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Trustee Council for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
Ann also has held senior positions at American Rivers, and served as chief of staff to Senator Tom Daschle, legislative assistant to then-Representative Richard Durbin and chief of staff to California Lt. Governor Leo McCarthy. She earned a BA in Political Science from Tufts University and a Master of Public Administration from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin.
ANN MILLS is the executive director of the Agua Fund where she supports work to protect the natural environment, help the disadvantaged, give voice to the underserved, and promote democratic values and full participation in civic life. Before joining Agua in 2017, Ann served in senior leadership roles that included focusing on environmental and agricultural policy and practices to protect water and land resources and support thriving communities. Between 2009 and 2017, she served as Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources & Environment at the US Department of Agriculture. Prior to serving at USDA, Ann was a senior leader at American Rivers, served as chief of staff to Senator Tom Daschle and California Lt. Governor Leo McCarthy, and was a legislative staffer to then-Representative Richard Durbin. She earned a BA in Political Science from Tufts University and a Master of Public Administration from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Executive Director of Western New York Foundation
BETH GOSCH is the Executive Director of Western New York Foundation, a $19 million regional capacity-building focused philanthropy with offices in Buffalo, NY. The WNY Foundation was created to support activities that improve the quality of life for people who live in the seven (7) counties of Western New York. Beth has led the foundation in several strategic refocusing efforts and leads with an undying commitment to elevating, advocating and fortifying exemplary nonprofit leaders and organizations meeting the pressing community needs of the region. Beth has recently led the Foundation to a new focused approach centered around empowering innovative people with the resources needed to create and implement sustainable solutions that will build a thriving and equitable food system that reflects the community it serves.
Beth served as a CFO of a multi-corporate real estate and construction management company in WNY with a portfolio including construction management, project management, commercial office management, and condominium development. Following her education at the Culinary Institute of America, Beth's earlier career in hospitality included roles as chef and pastry chef at establishments across the northeast and Midwest. She was the founder and proprietor of a long-established retail and wholesale pastry company, managing a large portfolio of restaurant accounts. She served as an independent consultant supporting the concept development, strategic planning, and launching of new restaurant establishments.
Beth has served in different advisory roles and leadership positions including LISC WNY's Advisory Board, Chair of the Fund for the Arts, Past-President of the Western New York Grantmakers Association, Ex-officio Board Member of New York Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, Chair of East Side Avenues, Project Lead for WNY Regional Food Systems Initiative and Food Future WNY Report among other tables and collaborative efforts.
OLIVIA WATKINS is a social entrepreneur and impact investor. For the past seven years, she has financed, developed, and operated environmental and social projects across the US. She currently serves as a co-founder and President of Black Farmer Fund, a non-profit impact investing organization creating sustainable and equitable food systems by investing in black farmers and food businesses of NY. She also serves as a board member for Soul Fire Farm Institute and just participated in the 2020 SAFSF Cohort. Prior to founding Black Farmer Fund in 2017, Olivia worked in several production roles at Soul Fire Farm Institute and Kahumana Organic Farms, leveraging her environmental biology background to manage and grow environmentally regenerative and socially impactful business operations. Olivia has an MBA from North Carolina State University in Financial Management, and a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University in Environmental Biology. She was also recognized on the 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 Social Impact list and The Grist 50.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Operations and Finance of Sustainable Agriculture
Bridget Dobrowski (pronunciation) is Vice President, Operations and Finance of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders. She oversees all aspects of SAFSF's critical infrastructure including information technology, finances, human resources, and organizational structure and protocols. She's been with SAFSF for over 10 years and has been involved in every aspect of the organization's growth and development during that time. Starting in a programmatic role and leading the development of the annual SAFSF Forum, Bridget managed newsletter communications and partnered with members on webinar creation for many years, while also overseeing much of the infrastructure she manages today. She transitioned out of program development when SAFSF spun off from its fiscal sponsor and incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit in 2019.
Bridget has a master's degree in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at the UC Santa Barbara. Prior to working for SAFSF, she led a collaborative network at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary focused on agriculture's role in improving water quality along the central coast of California. She also spent three field seasons working for the National Park Service and Forest Service as a biological science technician. She is forever grateful that she got paid to hike and camp in such inspirational environments. Bridget was raised in Montana and Ohio and now resides in Santa Barbara, CA with her partner, where she spends her time doing yoga, fixing things around the house, sewing, riding her electric bike, and enjoying the local wineries.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Policy Committee
- EFOD Collaborative Movement Researcher
As the EFOD Collaborative Movement Researcher, Ciara leads the development of EFOD's research and learning agenda, drawing on a wealth of community-driven evaluation strategies to communicate EFOD's national impact. Prior to this, she was the Co-Executive Director of the nonprofit Mandela Partners, where she led several food-based community development projects throughout Oakland and the greater East Bay. Ciara's background is a testament to thinking across disciplinary borders within the food system. Over the last decade, she has built experience in multiple areas-from regulatory compliance, sales and account management, participatory social science research, to organizational change management anchored in racial equity and transparency. She is committed to thoughtful, place-based advocacy for economic justice, and is most passionate about creating non-extractive economies that generate abundance and prosperity for local communities.
Originally from San Antonio, with multigenerational roots in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, Ciara is currently based in Oakland. She holds a BA in Feminist Studies from Stanford University and a MA in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin.
Clare Fox joined Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders as Executive Director in January 2024. Clare has dedicated her life to generating powerful partnerships for an equitable and regenerative food system. She began her work journey in independent media and grassroots organizing, advocating and reporting on a broad range of issues including immigrant rights, youth development, tenant rights and community land ownership. Clare became involved in anti-racism organizing starting in 2001 and focused her efforts on training and mobilization of white communities in racial justice movements. She then found her passion for food as a human right after recovering from diet-related health challenges. As a graduate student, she researched food policy councils as an innovation in participatory democracy for the Mayor's Food Policy Taskforce.
In 2012, Clare joined the staff of the newly formed Los Angeles Food Policy Council, eventually serving as Executive Director for five years. At LAFPC, Clare built a collective impact network of over 400 organizations spanning the public, private, nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. By cultivating collaboration, building the capacity of member organizations and aligning interests toward a collective agenda, Clare led LAFPC's network to tangible outcomes, political buy-in and mass community participation in policy victories such as universal SNAP at farmer's markets, legalizing street food vending, expanding urban agriculture and the Good Food Purchasing Policy.
For four years, Clare served as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Everytable, a growth stage public benefit corporation with a mission to make nutritious food equitable, accessible and affordable. There, she led strategic growth and business development with nonprofits, government, schools and healthcare to grow Everytable's food security and medically tailored meal programs into a $10m+ sustainable vertical. She also spearheaded philanthropic partnerships that led to the creation of a $12m blended capital vehicle to launch a groundbreaking Social Equity Franchise program (SEF), which provides business ownership to entrepreneurs of color through training, mentorship and access to capital. Through a stakeholder-driven process with Board and staff, she established Everytable's first social and environmental impact metrics and produced its first Annual Impact Report. She has served on numerous boards, commissions and grant review panels.
Clare holds a degree in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College, and a Masters of Arts in Urban Planning (focus on community economic development, food systems and critical race studies) from the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the third generation of her family born and raised on unceded Tongva/Kizh land, Los Angeles, California, where she lives with her husband. She loves roaming the local hills, connecting with urban wildlife, staying up on her Spanish, gathering in community and being involved in local democracy.
Job Titles:
- Member from the Navajo Nation
- Thornburg Foundation
DAVE NEZZIE is the Food and Agriculture Policy Officer at Thornburg Foundation. Dave is a tribal member from the Navajo Nation. He previously served as a field representative for the Office of U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich where he engaged with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as organizations, community leaders, and sovereign tribal governments. Dave is a candidate in the LL.M. Program in Agriculture & Food Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law. He received a J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law with program certificates in Federal Indian Law and Natural Resources & Environmental Law. Dave attended Arizona State University as an undergraduate, earning concurrent degrees in Anthropology and American Indian Studies. Dave enjoys backyard farming with his wife and four children in the South Valley near Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Director of the Center for Regional
DR. M. JAHI CHAPPELL is the Director of the Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University. He is a scholar, organizer, son of social workers, and grandson of Michigan farmers. From 2020-2022, he served as the Executive Director of the Southeastern African American Farmers Organic Network, or SAAFON, which offers direct support and organizing for Black, sustainable farmers in the Southeastern United States and US Virgin Islands. Jahi holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, both from the University of Michigan.
Over the past 20 years, Jahi has researched and advocated at international, national, and local levels for participatory, socially just, and ecologically sustainable agrifood systems that center the voices of farmers, laborers, and the communities they serve. Pursuing this goal has taken him across sectors and continents, including positions as Associate Professor of Agroecology at Coventry University in the United Kingdom, and as Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Justice at Washington State University Vancouver, where he also served as Associate Director of the Center for Social and Environmental Justice. In the nonprofit sector, Jahi has previously served as the Executive Director of the 46-year-old think tank Food First, and as Senior Scientist and Director of Agroecology and Agricultural Policy at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Additionally, he was a Founding Board member of the Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI), and is a former member of the Executive Committee of the Agroecology Fund.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Policy Committee
- RAFI 's Executive Director
Edna Rodriguez became RAFI's Executive Director in 2017 following six years as Come to the Table program Director, Development Director, and Director of Operations. Edna has grown the organization's capacity by overhauling financial systems, diversifying income, and organizing cross-programmatic teams for greater collaboration and impact. In her current role, Edna led RAFI through a strategic planning process centered around equity, launched and grew the Farmers of Color Network, and extended programs to the U.S. Caribbean territories.
Edna is a strategic thinker with the consistent goal of funding the movement more equitably, a value which most recently resulted - in partnership with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) - in a pool of granting funds devoted specifically to BIPOC-led organizations for climate and equity-centered policy work. In addition to serving on NSAC's Organizational Council, Edna serves as Treasurer of the National Family Farm Coalition's Executive Committee. Born in Puerto Rico to Dominican parents, Edna was raised between The Hague, Netherlands, and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Before RAFI, Edna served as Senior Program Officer at the Atlanta Women's Foundation and Director of Educational and Career Services at the Latin American Association in Atlanta, GA.
Edna holds a B.A. in Economics with a concentration in Latin American Studies from Haverford College. Edna lives in Chapel Hill, NC, with her husband, three children, and their growing puppy.
Job Titles:
- Data Management Associate
Ellen Serpico joined Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) in October 2021. As Data Management Associate, she provides critical support to the operations team.
Ellen earned a B.A. in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and a B.S. in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Kentucky. As a student, she focused her studies on environmental ethics and food justice, and she worked on research projects in horticulture, grassland ecology, and local food systems. She also co-developed a volunteer mentor program that facilitates experiential environmental education for youth. Prior to joining SAFSF, Ellen provided operations and program support at a nonprofit leadership development organization, as well as a local labor union for service employees.
Although she was raised in Oregon and Kentucky, Ellen now lives in Los Angeles, CA with her husband, Nate, and their cat, Marmalade. Outside of the virtual office, she loves to run, ski, rock climb, read, and play piano.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Executive Director of the Butterfly Equity Foundation
Emily Parker is the Executive Director of the Butterfly Equity Foundation. Ms. Parker is responsible for the overall administration of the Foundation, including identifying and vetting potential grantee partners, proposal evaluation, fundraising, and impact strategy and analysis.
She has over 10 years of non-profit experience, with a focus on fundraising, budget planning, grantmaking, and operations. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Parker was the Director of Development for Food Forward, helping to scale its Southern California hunger relief and food recovery efforts through growing annual funds raised by over 400% during her tenure. Previously Ms. Parker worked in grants management and operations at Fundamental Inc., a Los Angeles-based philanthropic advising firm.
Ms. Parker also serves on the board of directors of The Road Theatre. Ms. Parker graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre.
Erin Olschewski started with Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) in January 2021. As Program Director, she works on the development of webinars, learning cohorts, member-only programs, in person events, and other programs for funders.
Prior to joining our team, Erin oversaw the corporate philanthropy work of a national natural-foods grocery store, establishing partnerships and granting funds to hundreds of small nonprofits each year. She also developed mission-driven marketing, employee scholarship, and food bank donation programs during her tenure. Previous to that work, Erin managed partnerships, communications, food desert farm stands, fundraising events, and more for an urban farm and youth development nonprofit.
Erin holds a B.A. in Communication from the University of Utah where she focused her studies on food justice and social change. As a student, she explored the impact of entertainment education on nutrition, sustainability, and social justice issues through a research-led thesis. She also co-launched a successful campaign for more sustainable, humane, fair, and nutritious food on campus. After graduating she joined the field team of the national nonprofit and movement-leader, Real Food Challenge. She traveled the west educating students about topics like corporate consolidation and empowered them to develop campaigns for better school food systems in partnership with diverse community stakeholders.
Erin grew up in Moab, Utah and currently lives in Boulder, Colorado. When she's not working, Erin enjoys cooking and baking new recipes, frequenting farmers markets, and tending to her many houseplants.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Food and Farm Communications Fund ( Chair )
ESPERANZA PALLANA is a culture change leader working with people, data, strategy, capital and storytelling. Her passions are community centered economic development, equitable and sustainable food systems and racial justice. She has worked with nonprofits for over 20 years with an emphasis in leadership, systemic change, and policy advocacy. She has led several successful campaigns that resulted in institutional change and innovative policy as well as capital and grantmaking programs advancing economic and racial equity. For the past ten years, she has worked to support social justice entrepreneurs and movement leaders in removing policy barriers, consolidating resources and accessing grant and lending capital for transformative food system change. She has recently joined the Food & Farm Communications Fund as Executive Director.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Policy Committee
- Lead
Ethan Gallegos is a Lead Program Officer on First Nations Development Institute's NAFSI program. In this role, he assists in the administration and implementation of First Nations' Native agriculture and food systems projects. He served multiple roles as a lab technician in the Porter Microbiology lab and the CSEJ's Food System Justice Action Research project while earning his BS in Environmental Science with a minor in American Indian Studies.
In addition to his work at First Nations, Ethan currently serves on the Regenerative Agriculture Foundations' Restorying Regenerative Agriculture Selection Committee and the Better Food Policy Fund's Independent Advisory Committee.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Senior Program Officer for the Russell Family Foundation
FABIOLA GREENAWALT is the Senior Program Officer for The Russell Family Foundation where she leads and implements strategies that advance the mission of the Foundation and support grantee partners through the Environmental Education and Food for Climate Solutions Programs. Fabiola is a board member of Blue Sky Funders Forum and the Trust for Public Land NW Region; a fellow of Class XXX of the Tacoma Pierce County American Leadership Forum and alumna of PLACES Fellowship at The Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities. She also volunteers on various regional and national advisory committees focused on environmental issues.
Job Titles:
- Events and Administrative Associate
Holly joined Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) as the Events and Administrative Associate in November 2022. In this role, she supports planning and execution of all SAFSF events, both in-person and online, and provides logistical support for the Executive Director, Board of Directors, and staff.
Previously, Holly worked with the Deaton Institute for University Leadership where she managed all Institute activities, strategic communication, university engagement, and in-person and virtual events. She created the Within Reach virtual conference, forged partnerships with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Farm Journal Foundation, and the Mary Christie Institute. Prior to that, Holly worked with the International Programs Office at the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources to execute events, create marketing materials, and facilitate the International Agriculture Internship Program with USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.
Holly holds a B.S. in Science and Agricultural Journalism from the University of Missouri and a Master's in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis. As an undergraduate student, she co-founded the Deaton Scholars Program and spearheaded communications for the campus food pantry. As a graduate student, she completed consulting projects with St. Louis Area Foodbank, Operation Food Search, Justine PETERSEN, and The Letter Project. Holly has spoken to over 10,000 students, organizations, and professionals about being #HungryForChange, an initiative she created to generate public accountability about hunger and poverty.
She grew up in central Missouri on her family farm and currently lives near Kansas City. Outside of work she enjoys participating in the Miss America Organization as the current Miss Branson, playing with her cats and farm animals, kayaking, exploring local coffee shops and restaurants, and eating buffalo chicken wings.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Membership Committee
- Secretary
- Chairman / the Lumpkin Family Foundation
- Member of the Lumpkin Family Foundation
- Writer
ILA DUNCAN has been an active member of the Lumpkin Family Foundation since she was a teen and has been on the board since 2016. Based in New York City, she is also a member leader in her local chapter of Resource Generation, organizing fellow young donors to support social justice movements.
Outside of her philanthropic work, Ila is a writer and comic artist exploring the ways that stories and art can shape society, and putting her own spin on favorite pieces of media just for fun. She has a background in film production but has moved away from that work to make more space for organizing. With the Lumpkin Family Foundation she supports land, health and community related work in and around Mattoon, Illinois where the foundation is located. Her role as a next-gen board member brought her to Resource Generation, seeking community with other young people in philanthropy, but their mission of redistributing wealth to support movements for social justice resonated so deeply that she now spends the majority on her time on that work.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Dirt Capital Partners
JACOB ISRAELOW started Dirt Capital Partners in 2013 as a platform to channel private investment in support of farmland access, conservation and long-term land security for sustainable farmers. Previously, he was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in Asia, where he spent five years acquiring and developing real estate and infrastructure on behalf of the firm. Jacob chairs Dirt Capital's Investment Committee and also serves on the New York Advisory Council of American Farmland Trust and the Investment Committee for Belltown Farms. He previously served on the Board of the National Young Farmers Coalition for 10 years from 2013-2023 including as Treasurer. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MA from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and a BA from Williams College.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Policy Committee
Josh Ewing leads the Rural Climate Partnership, a collaborative fund supporting working people, small businesses, and family farmers to implement rural-led climate solutions. RCP works to ensure rural communities have the tools and opportunities to benefit from all the economic and community benefits that flow from the transition to clean energy and regenerative agriculture.
Born and raised in western Nebraska where the Ewing family runs a grass-fed cattle ranch, Josh has lived and worked in rural America most of his life. With his wife Kirsten, Josh lives on the border of the Navajo Nation in the 150-person town of Bluff, Utah, where he serves as a volunteer firefighter and EMT.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Policy Committee
- As Senior Program Officer
As Senior Program Officer, Julia McCarthy helps lead NYHealth's Healthy Food, Healthy Lives priority area, the goal of which is to create a more equitable food system that connects all New Yorkers with the food they need to thrive.
Prior to joining NYHealth, Julia served as the deputy director of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy at Teachers College of Columbia University, where she oversaw operations, strategy, and project execution. Julia also held policy roles at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Job Titles:
- Board Member of Global Greengrants Fund
- Managing Director at Pathstone
KATHERINE PEASE is a Managing Director at Pathstone. Before joining Pathstone, she served as the Chief Impact Strategist at Cornerstone Capital Group (acquired by Pathstone in 2021). Katherine led Cornerstone's thematic research team and co-managed the firm's impact measurement effort, while also working directly with clients and providing strategic guidance to the integration of impact strategies across the firm.
Before Cornerstone, Katherine served as the Principal of KP Advisors, Inc. The firm's mission was to help foundations, nonprofits, and investors develop thoughtful, innovative approaches to address the challenges they care most about by using various types of capital and other resources to make the world more just, fair, and equitable. Previously she served as Senior Vice President for Philanthropic Investment and Public Policy at Gary Community Investments and as Executive Director of the Gill Foundation.
Katherine is a board member of Global Greengrants Fund and the Colorado Nonprofit Association, and she serves on numerous corporate and nonprofit advisory boards. Katherine is a graduate of Colorado College and holds an MPA from the University of Colorado Denver.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Executive Director of the Americana Foundation in Novi
KATHRYN BUCKNER is the Executive Director of the Americana Foundation in Novi, MI. Prior to joining Americana, she was the President of the Council of Great Lakes Industries, a tax-exempt business association that promoted sustainability in the Great Lakes region. Before joining CGLI, Kathryn was a practicing environmental attorney who helped business and municipal clients develop proactive strategies for managing environmental challenges and opportunities. Kathryn has a JD cum laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a MBA with highest honors from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and a MS in Sustainable Systems from the University of Michigan School of Environment and Sustainability.
Job Titles:
- GRACE Communications Foundation ( Vice Chair )
LESLIE HATFIELD is the senior partnership and outreach advisor at GRACE Communications Foundation, where she advises on communications matters and collaborates with like-minded organizations on the development and refinement of external communications.
Leslie has contributed to The Huffington Post, EcoWatch, Alternet, Edible Hudson Valley, Acres USA, and others, and served as lead author of the publication Cultivating the Web: High Tech Tools for the Sustainable Food Movement. She has taught a masters level food policy course at The Evergreen State College. In her past life, Leslie spent over a decade working in the restaurant industry. She sits on the steering committee of the Health and Environmental Funders Network, and is a board member for the Plastic Solutions Fund.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Membership Committee
- Doctor / W.K. Kellogg Foundation
- Program Officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
LINDA JO DOCTOR is a program officer at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. In this role, she helps develop programming priorities; reviews and recommends proposals for funding; manages and monitors a portfolio of active grants; and designs and implements national grant initiatives, place-based work, and multi-year projects. Linda is a member of the Food, Health & Well-Being team, where her work focuses on the impact of environmental conditions on health equity. She co-leads the Food & Community Program, an initiative designed to transform food systems and the physical environments in places where children live, learn, and play. In Michigan, Linda Jo co-leads the foundation's place-based work in Detroit, focused on creating conditions so vulnerable children and families thrive.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Nominating Committee
- Chairman / Potlikker Capital
LOLITA NUNN brings over 25 years of diversified and progressive experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors to the Potlikker team. She worked in the banking industry for 14 years where she developed expertise in finance, investment banking, and management. In addition to her financial role, her work included cultivating and building relationships with community leaders and advocating for programs providing financial literacy, consulting, and mentoring. Lolita is committed to building strong and resilient communities. Her passion for philanthropy led her to the nonprofit sector where she led donor outreach, fund development, community and business engagement efforts. Lolita's career journey led her to the ecosystem of impact investing where she combined her years of financial acumen along with her passion for philanthropy to be a further champion of positive social, racial, and environmental system change. In her most recent role, she was the Investor Relations Officer at Fair Food Fund where she helped to re-imagine their investment thesis to support BIPOC food businesses, and lead the initiative that increased their geographic reach and grew the brand recognition of the Fund nationally.
Maggie joined Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) as the Public Policy Associate in October 2022. In this role, she provides policy research as directed by the Senior Director of Public Policy, assists with conceptualizing and executing SAFSF policy convenings, and helps develop campaigns designed to engage and align funders in support of policy and advocacy initiatives.
Previously, Maggie managed senior and child nutrition programs at the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, serving 25 counties and 8 cities in central and western Virginia. There, she focused on increasing senior access to fresh produce, developing diverse community partnerships to mitigate transportation barriers, and expanding in-school pantries. Prior to that, Maggie provided strategic and digital communications support at a nonprofit in the sustainable food systems space and worked on a small organic farm in central Maine.
Maggie holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Virginia (UVA) and a Master's in Food Policy and Agricultural Law from Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS). As an undergraduate student, she explored equitable labor practices in higher education, and participated in UVA's Living Wage Campaign. As a graduate student, she studied agriculture's impact on climate change, and policies aimed at supporting global food security. She also supported a research project at VLGS's Center for Agriculture and Food Systems focused on developing a blueprint for a national food strategy.
Maggie grew up in the D.C. area and currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. Outside of work she enjoys cooking, trying to develop her foraging skills, hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains, reading, and playing word games
Maggie Mosley joined the Sustainable Agriculture Food System Funders (SAFSF) in June 2021 as the Communications Director. Her role supports and touches each piece of SAFSF's work and is key to celebrating power and impact. She oversees and manages all external communications, develops and maintains media relationships, and provides insights on organizational communications strategies and approaches.
Maggie holds a B.S. in Agriculture & Natural Resources from Berea College. Her background is in story-based communications strategy, grassroots fundraising, and community food system assessments. Her previous position focused on implementing and executing a story-based communications strategy for the grassroots, Kentucky farm and food policy organization, Community Farm Alliance. During her time there, she led 5 Community Food System Assessments across Appalachian Kentucky and managed the Breaking Beans: Food and Farm Story Project. She also participated in several regional networks, like What's Next EKY and the Central Appalachian Network. Her time working in Appalachia deepened her love as a native and grew her understanding of the regional food systems that weave her home together. She is eager to bring this perspective and voice into SAFSF.
Maggie grew up on a tobacco farm in Bethel, Kentucky. She comes from a long line of farmers, gardeners, and cooks. They passed down to her their love for the land, their passion for people, and their way of connecting the two through food. She currently resides in Georgetown, Kentucky with her husband Austin, and their dogs, Chip and Dolly. In her free time, she enjoys trying new recipes, journaling, and traveling.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Nominating Committee
- Member of the Policy Committee
- Executive Director at the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation
Mark Muller serves as the executive director at the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation. He came to RAF in March 2020 after spending over 20 years working on related issues including agricultural conservation, Midwest water quality, racial equity in the food system, and effective federal food and agricultural policy.
Mark served as director of the Mississippi River program at the McKnight Foundation, and prior to that he directed the Food & Community Fellows program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. He also spent two years teaching high school in New York City and 18 months volunteering in Honduras and Guatemala. He and his spouse and three children live in south Minneapolis.
OLIVIA WATKINS is a social entrepreneur and impact investor. For the past seven years, she has financed, developed, and operated environmental and social projects across the US. She currently serves as a co-founder and President of Black Farmer Fund, a non-profit impact investing organization creating sustainable and equitable food systems by investing in black farmers and food businesses of NY. She also serves as a board member for Soul Fire Farm Institute and just participated in the 2020 SAFSF Cohort. Prior to founding Black Farmer Fund in 2017, Olivia worked in several production roles at Soul Fire Farm Institute and Kahumana Organic Farms, leveraging her environmental biology background to manage and grow environmentally regenerative and socially impactful business operations. Olivia has an MBA from North Carolina State University in Financial Management, and a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University in Environmental Biology. She was also recognized on the 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 Social Impact list and The Grist 50.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Policy Committee
Paul Wolfe joined the Walton Family Foundation in June 2018 as a program officer on the Environment team where he will work closely with the Mississippi River group on supply chain initiatives and Farm Bill policy. Before joining the foundation, Paul worked for the National Sustainable Agriculture Campaign focusing on crop insurance, agricultural conservation and climate change. He's also worked on sustainability and food issues in the U.S. Senate for Senator Maria Cantwell.
Paul holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law and a B.A. in political science from Gonzaga University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
RICHARD ELM-HILL is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and is a Senior Program Officer at First Nations Development Institute. He supports First Nations' Nourishing Native Foods & Health program by providing education, technical assistance, and grant opportunities.
Richard manages several projects dedicated to Native food sovereignty and healthy Tribal food economies. He collaborates on First Nations' Food Sovereignty Assessment, Native Farm to School initiative, Business of Indian Agriculture, and serves on the project team for the Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice in partnership with Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders.
As a former Operations Analyst for the Oneida Nation, Richard established the Oneida Emergency Food Pantry and continued the development of the Oneida Community Integrated Food System. He was the inaugural board present for the Oneida Youth Leadership Institute, a newly assembled 7871 tribal organization. Richard holds a graduate degree in Applied Teaching and Learning from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Policy Committee
- Executive Director of Inclusive Action for the City
Rudy Espinoza is the Executive Director of Inclusive Action for the City, a community development organization designing innovations to responsibly revitalize low-income, urban areas. He specializes in designing economic development initiatives in low-income communities, researching the informal economy, building private/nonprofit partnerships, and training the working poor to participate in the socio-economic revitalization of their neighborhoods.
At Inclusive Action, he leads their advocacy efforts in support of the working poor and their micro-finance programs that support micro-entrepreneurs. Under his leadership, Inclusive Action helped legalize street vending in Los Angeles, has deployed over $500,000 in low-interest micro-loans to under-served entrepreneurs, and co-created a unique commercial real estate initiative that preserves small businesses in gentrifying neighborhoods.
He serves as the President of the East Area Planning Commission for the City of Los Angeles as well as the Board Chair of the LA Food Policy Council. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Nonprofit Management and the Advisory Boards of the LA Development Fund and Investing in Place. Rudy holds degrees in Business Administration and Urban Planning.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Policy Committee
- Program Officer With the McKnight Foundation 's Midwest Climate & Energy
Tenzin Dolkar (Dolkar) is a program officer with the McKnight Foundation's Midwest Climate & Energy program, where she works to shape and guide the trajectory of the Foundation's climate initiatives, aligning McKnight's equity goals. Prior to McKnight, Dolkar served as a climate advisor to the City of Minneapolis through a Natural Resources Defense Council partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge. From 2016 to 2018, Dolkar served as a senior policy advisor to Governor Mark Dayton on transportation and agriculture.
Dolkar holds a master's degree in social work from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in international studies with a minor in social work from the University of St. Thomas.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Nominating Committee
TIM CROSBY leads the Thread Fund that focuses on investing multiple forms of capital to generate social and environmental returns alongside financial returns. Tim is Coordinator of the Cascadia Foodshed Financing Project, participant in the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, founding board member Partners for Rural Washington, and a partner with Social Venture Partners. Tim's previous work includes Co-Chair for the Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders, Director of Slow Money Northwest, Board Chair for the Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network, Board Chair and Interim Executive Director for NW Sustainable Energy for Economic Development, Program Officer and Trustee for the Carolyn Foundation, and fifteen years as a professional photographer and graphic designer. Tim coached club soccer for eleven years and lives in Edmonds with his wife and two daughters. He holds an MBA in Sustainable Business from Pinchot University and a BA in Anthropology from Kenyon College. Tim will talk fly fishing with anyone.