Caesaré Assad, using all pronouns, brings over two decades of experience at the forefront of food and social change across the sectors of industry and entrepreneurship, local and national non-profits, and philanthropy. They’ve most recently supported nonprofits and foundations in developing strategic grantmaking programs, food system assessments, and cross-sector partnerships through their consultancy, Centipede Collective. Previously, Caesaré served as the Executive Director of Food System 6, empowering frontline leaders and entrepreneurs in building a more equitable food economy. Their advocacy efforts resulted in over $30 million in integrated capital support during their tenure, amplifying the impact of over 60 visionary founders.

Caesaré is a 2022 Just Economy Institute Fellow and a 2021 Emerging Leader in Food & Agriculture. Additionally, they are a strategic co-creator with Narratives Unbound, a wealth redistribution platform prioritizing Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities. Prior to FS6, Caesaré led the merger between two national non-profits focused on health, labor, and sustainability, co-founded a food environment design consultancy, launched two wellness ventures for Whole Foods Market, and worked in marginalized communities to develop job skill training, nutrition, and holistic health programs. 

As a seasoned facilitator and executive leader, Caesaré enjoys guiding organizations and teams through complex socio-economic landscapes to achieve values alignment and maximize impact. They have served on the Board of Directors for Capay Valley Farm Shop, Mandela Marketplace, Oklahoma City Food Hub, and continue to dedicate their time to volunteering with community-based organizations. 

In addition to their professional endeavors, Caesaré is also an artist and actively involved in various creative healing and restorative communities. As a proud queer, non-binary, multi-racial individual from a rural Native American community, Caesaré brings a unique perspective and lived experience to their work. Drawing from years of experiences as a laborer and cook, they are acutely aware of the systemic oppression, extractive practices, and racial injustices inherent in our current economy. These understandings fuel Caesaré’s unwavering commitment to stewarding Mother Earth, nourishing communities, and fostering pathways to collective liberation.

Angie Boone joined the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) in May of 2022 and currently serves as the Senior Program Associate. She provides operational coordination and project management support to the Programs team.

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 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. 

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.

Holly fosters organizational growth and brand elevation for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) as the Senior Membership Associate. In this role, she drives new membership, fosters member engagement in our network, and supports the Nominating Committee, Membership Committee, Board of Directors, and Executive Director in organizational development.

Prior to SAFSF, Holly worked as the sole employee of the Deaton Institute for University Leadership where she managed strategic partnerships, domestic and global university engagement, and organized all in-person and virtual events. Her previous work includes partnerships with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Farm Journal Foundation, World Food Prize Foundation, and 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. Her previous consulting work includes St. Louis Area Foodbank, Operation Food Search, and Justine PETERSEN. Holly has engaged over 25,000 students, organizations, and professionals in #HungryForChange, an initiative she created to generate public accountability about hunger and poverty.

After the 9-to-5, Holly can be found leading The Letter Project as its Executive Director, coordinating the Missouri Youth Institute, or volunteering in her community. She lives outside of Kansas City, Missouri with her fiancé and two cats. You can often find her kayaking, exploring local coffee shops and restaurants, eating buffalo chicken wings, or reading a nonfiction book.

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. 

Phoebe Gooding is the Program Director for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF). She has a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from Antioch University New England and is farmer and co-owner of Hawk’s Nest Healing Gardens, an urban organic farm growing food to heal the land, our bodies, and our communities. Born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and raised in the states, she learned from living in an intergenerational household the culture of self-sufficiency and respect of resources. 

Phoebe has been intentionally learning from Mother Earth for over 25 years, starting from a young age at The Agriculture Education Center in Toledo, Ohio and carries this into her non-profit leadership work. Her passion for food justice emerged while working alongside Environmental Justice communities fighting against toxic pollution. During her time at Environmental Justice Health Alliance and Coming Clean, she helped lead a Local Food Solutions project as part of a campaign to encourage dollar stores to remove the toxic products from their shelves and replace them with healthy food options. Guided by community-led solutions, she learned that food sovereignty is a systems approach powered by the people. Phoebe also founded the North Carolina Women of Color Farmers Network during her tenure at Toxic Free NC. The network connects farmers to resources and opportunities from which they have historically been disenfranchised. Phoebe also started a Community Farming Group on her own farm, and leads Eco-Immersions trips to explore sustainable farming, climate change and interdependence through culturally and ecologically immersive experiences in Mexico. Phoebe has served on several non-profit Boards of Directors, including previously serving as Co-Chair  for RAFI-USA and Board Chair of The Root Social Justice Center in Brattleboro, Vermont. She is a 2023 Women’s Earth Alliance fellow. 

Phoebe gives gratitude for the lessons received from all of her relationships, and foremost as a mother. Phoebe currently resides in North Carolina with her wonderful children and amazing husband. She is grateful to her community for holding space to practice unapologetic, radical racial justice in real life. She continues to center and build on these teachings for our collective liberation now and for future generations. 

Maggie joined Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) as the Public Policy Associate in October 2022. In this role, she leads SAFSF’s policy communications, conceptualizes and develops SAFSF policy programming, and helps create 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 and a Masters in Food Policy and Agricultural Law from Vermont Law and Graduate School.

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. While 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, daughter, and two dogs. In her free time, she enjoys trying new recipes, gardening, journaling, and traveling.

Ellen Serpico (pronunciation) joined Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) in October 2021. As Technology and Data Insights Manager, she acts as the behind-the-scenes organizer for SAFSF’s information, ensuring its accuracy and accessibility, and builds reports and dashboards that turn this data into insights.

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 worked on research projects in horticulture, grassland ecology, and local food systems. 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.

Ellen was raised in Oregon and Kentucky, and now resides in Los Angeles, CA. Outside of the virtual office, she loves to run, ski, read, and play piano.