CS Fund is inspired by movement leaders in environmental justice, worker justice, climate justice, Indigenous Sovereignty, Black Liberation and more in their collective framing of Just Transition: “Transition is inevitable. Justice is not.” We launched our program at the end of 2023, with a core focus on community self-determination and power building that transforms our current extractive, supremacist culture to one of justice, joy, belonging and liberation for all living beings. We acknowledge the many visions toward liberation that are grounded in cultures around the world, from Buen Vivir to Ubuntu to Ahimsa, and recognize that a pluralistic view of transformation is needed to build across our cultures.

Led an initiative based on this study with 10 organizations across the Bay Area to envision and plan and campaign for a 2024 Ballot Measure to create a new bioregional governance entity for food sovereignty that centers racial, gender and intersectional justice. The governance entity will be accountable to communities using Participatory Budgeting and other community decision making protocols. Similar initiatives for other sectors such as healthcare, transportation, housing, and conservation have yielded $500 million in special tax revenue for over 25 years, which could dramatically shift the power and sovereignty for community food systems.

Consulted for various grassroots and movement organizations on research and organizing strategy. This includes working on a project for the National Black Food & Justice Alliance on land defense and land sovereignty for Black foodways and belonging. Also worked for ETC Group on developing a set of briefings on the impact of digital agriculture on food sovereignty and racial justice. Additionally, worked for United Farm Workers on worker justice implications of digitization. Consulting on strategy review and design for various philanthropic orgs to advance their work in supporting a Just Transition.

Appointment at the Digital Civil Society Lab at Stanford’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society, with a joint appointment at the Center for Comparative Studies on Race and Ethnicity. Selected project focuses on the impact of digital technologies in agriculture, known as AgTech, on farmworker livelihoods and equity in California and in the US. Working with United Farmworkers, IATP, PAN and ETC Group on designing digital rights for farmworkers for technology use and value generation.

Recruited to join the Climate Policy Committee and the Agriculture and Rural Development Policy Committee for the Biden-Harris Presidential campaign. In September, took a leave of absence from work to volunteer full time as a Team Lead for the Voter Protection team on the Biden for America North Carolina team. Duties included designing back end logistical systems to interface with LBJ and state poll observer database. Also recruited volunteers, performed trainings and conducted Chase and Cure calls directly with voters. Managed poll observer volunteers in the Piedmont region of NC. After the election, worked to support the Biden-Harris Transition Team on elevating policy priorities.

Led the San Mateo Food System Alliance, a public-private partnership between the San Mateo County government, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, and various local NGOs and private sector organizations. The FSA is made up of government and community leaders in agriculture, nutritional health, school food, workforce development and environmental conservation. The Network Manager leads the Alliance on its work to improve the social justice, environmental sustainability and health of the regional food system to serve residents of San Mateo County. Specific work focuses on farmworker health, regenerative agriculture, food access for marginalized communities, and BIPOC community power building. Responsibilities include organizing, facilitation, fundraising and coordination of various working groups and campaigns.

Developed the WWF-International strategy on technology and innovation to improve ecosystem health and human wellbeing for all of WWF’s international programming. Helped to setup innovation teams across WWF country offices that work in concert as an innovation unit. Also developed the theme and led the design of the WWF and National Geographic Fuller Symposium on Systems Change, which is the largest facing public event on conservation science.

Senior Scientist at the USAID Global Development Lab. Led the Agency's work on Adaptive Programming Using Real-Time Data in how US foreign aid program delivery and implementation can be more adaptive, iterative and agile to promote a learning culture for improved data for decision making and outcomes. Led teams on humanitarian response on the Ebola Task Force and other disaster response programming.

Working between the Digital Development and the Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN) teams at USAID's recently launched U.S. Global Development Lab. Work includes advancing mobile data collection research through ICT platforms, adaptive learning systems for impact evaluation and integrating complex systems, sustainability and resilience thinking with international development practice. Current projects include 1) Helping to design the data infrastructure and management system for the US government's Ebola response in West Africa, 2) Designing a real time data system for the Indian government's Jan Dhan financial inclusion program for over 100 million underserved Indians, 3) Integrating an ICT4D workstream across 8 HESN academic labs, and 4) advancing the ICT4D Principles with other donors and practitioners.

Appointment at the Department for Engineering’s Centre for Industrial Sustainability. Research incorporated engineering, ecology, sociology, economics and governance to pilot innovative participatory action research and evaluations of sustainable agriculture interventions using ICTs with feedback loops for learning and adaptation in India, Brazil and South Africa. Also responsible for leading and teaching on the Centre research group module and paper sessions. Additional appointments at the Centre for Governance and Human Rights, Department of Geography, and Centre of Development Studies.

Taught an online course on Sustainability Science for the Environmental Studies core curriculum. Course was transitioned from a classroom version developed previously, and uses web 2.0 platforms such as twitter, video blogs and a discussion forum to mimic a classroom discussion experience.

Advised on the design and development of the MA in Ecological Design Thinking program. Also guest lectured on economics, ecological design, and community resilience.

Senior Scholar working with Prof. Anil K. Gupta on expanding the use of successful grassroots innovations developed by villagers to other villages. Worked on different educational and technology transfer programs to increase adoption. Also appointed as a Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.

Appointment at Stockholm Resilience Centre and Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics. Helped to develop a new research theme with Prof. Per Olsson on Sustainability Transitions focused on transitioning communities and institutions towards resilient and sustainable economies. Research included exploring community resilience models for indigenous communities in India, Brazil and South Africa that are transitioning away from single-resource dependent economies towards sustainable and equitable infrastructures.

Appointment at the Robert M Buchan Department of Mine Engineering, the fifth largest mining department in the world. Taught the department’s senior capstone course on ‘Mining and Sustainability’ and a graduate seminar, “Mining as a Complex System.” Research involved working with rural mining communities in Canada, India and other developing countries to help transition to a sustainable and resilient economy. Advised by Profs. Anthony Hodge and Laeeque Daneshmend.

Responsible for designing a program for National Audubon’s TogetherGreen program, linking people and place across political and sociocultural divides. Fellowship project was to work with leaders and organizations around the country to address the issues of diversity, power and privilege between generations and to teach place-based workshops on how communities can restore their own landscapes to generate social and economic capital. Worked closely with the Highlander Research and Education Center for environment and social justice program facilitation.

Taught an online course on “Sustainability for the Engaged Citizen” during summer terms for UVM. Course was transitioned from a classroom version that I developed and taught from 2008-2011. Course was offered for non-environmental majors as an introduction to conservation sustainability topics and solutions, and what ordinary citizens could do to advance these causes. Included local conservation and sustainability organizational partners in the VT area.

Department of Crops and Soil Environmental Sciences. Research involved soil sampling and characterization of mine soils, as well as bioenergy feedstock production and ecological restoration in Virginia and West Virginia minded landscapes. Soil assays included physical, biological, and chemical measurements.

Maintained and installed Whisper Windmill turbines and solar thermal systems in Patagonian region of Argentina. Construction of natural buildings with cob. Maintenance of agroecological farm sites and rainwater harvesting system for indigenous Mapuche communities. Coordinated environmental education programs for villages.

Designed irrigation methods and developed a well system for indigenous Ogiek villages in Kenya. Worked on rainwater harvesting and water filtration systems in Thailand. Taught sustainable agriculture workshops for Maori farmers in New Zealand. Helped establish local non-profit school in Kerala, India for underprivileged children. Worked as a farmer and educator at Navdanya for Vandana Shiva, as well as for Kutchi tribal communities in India. Volunteered at Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, India for His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama as a teacher and dishwasher. Worked at Laskeek Bay Conservation Society in Canada as a Risk Assessment Intern on Sustainable Forestry for the Haida Nation.