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California Agroforestry Network
ABOUT US
California Agroforestry Network
LEADERSHIP TEAM
01
Katherine Favor, Founding Executive Director
Katherine serves as the Founding Executive Director of the California Agroforestry Network. She has worked in the agroforestry sector for 12+ years, with experience advancing climate-resilient land management, conservation, and farmer well-being across the United States and internationally. Her work focuses on interagency collaboration, technical assistance, science translation, and national training efforts to integrate agroforestry into federal and regional programming. She brings extensive experience in project and grant management, partnership development, and education, with a track record of leading multi-organizational initiatives, authoring peer-reviewed and applied publications, and delivering trainings for producers and natural resource professionals. A published scientific author and farmer herself, she is committed to equitable, community-driven approaches to conservation and climate adaptation.
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01
Katherine Favor, Founding Executive Director
Katherine serves as the Founding Executive Director of the California Agroforestry Network. She has worked in the agroforestry sector for 12+ years, with experience advancing climate-resilient land management, conservation, and farmer well-being across the United States and internationally. Her work focuses on interagency collaboration, technical assistance, science translation, and national training efforts to integrate agroforestry into federal and regional programming. She brings extensive experience in project and grant management, partnership development, and education, with a track record of leading multi-organizational initiatives, authoring peer-reviewed and applied publications, and delivering trainings for producers and natural resource professionals. A published scientific author and farmer herself, she is committed to equitable, community-driven approaches to conservation and climate adaptation.
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California Agroforestry Network
STEERING COMMITTEE
01
Sonja Brodt
02
Andrew Tuttle
Andrew Tuttle is a regenerative agriculture educator, designer, and co-founder of Edge Perma and Redtail Edge Design. Since 2015, he has worked at the intersection of land stewardship, education, and technology, helping to advance regenerative farming practices and make them more accessible to broader audiences.
03
Brandon Hurd
Brandon is a restoration ecologist and environmental planner with a Master's focused on agroforestry in Mediterranean landscapes of California. He specializes in oak woodland restoration and the cultivation and processing of climate-adapted tree crops (acorn, mulberry, jujube, chestnut). To inspire new sustainable food systems, he brings people into relationship with their land through education, events, and applied stewardship practice.
04
Richard Holland
Rick is an international consultant Working with Nature, and retired sociologist. For 40 years he served as President of Agropecuaria Colibri and a Director of the Institute for Central American Studies. As owner/operator of Rancho Colibri he continues managing the ranch in a silvopastoral system incorporating native tropical hardwood trees and raising livestock in northwestern Costa Rica. He splits his time between the ranch, properties in Marin and Sonoma counties in California, and traveling throughout the world.
01
Sonja Brodt
02
Andrew Tuttle
Andrew Tuttle is a regenerative agriculture educator, designer, and co-founder of Edge Perma and Redtail Edge Design. Since 2015, he has worked at the intersection of land stewardship, education, and technology, helping to advance regenerative farming practices and make them more accessible to broader audiences.
03
Brandon Hurd
Brandon is a restoration ecologist and environmental planner with a Master's focused on agroforestry in Mediterranean landscapes of California. He specializes in oak woodland restoration and the cultivation and processing of climate-adapted tree crops (acorn, mulberry, jujube, chestnut). To inspire new sustainable food systems, he brings people into relationship with their land through education, events, and applied stewardship practice.
04
Richard Holland
Rick is an international consultant Working with Nature, and retired sociologist. For 40 years he served as President of Agropecuaria Colibri and a Director of the Institute for Central American Studies. As owner/operator of Rancho Colibri he continues managing the ranch in a silvopastoral system incorporating native tropical hardwood trees and raising livestock in northwestern Costa Rica. He splits his time between the ranch, properties in Marin and Sonoma counties in California, and traveling throughout the world.
California Agroforestry Network
BOARD MEMBERS
01
Chair: Amy Quandt, PhD
Dr. Amy Quandt is an Associate Professor of Environmental Geography at San Diego State University. She is an environmental social scientist who studies adaptation and resilience in agroecosystems. Her current research focuses on how agroforestry is being used to adapt to the impacts of extreme events and climate change. She works largely in East Africa and California and has experience collaborating with organizations including the World Agroforestry Center, Red Cross, The Nature Conservancy, and others. She served as an Environmental Education and Sustainable Agriculture Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Tanzania from 2007 to 2010, conducted a livelihoods survey for the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre in Kenya in 2013, and spent a year in Thailand as the base manager for a Thai Elephant conservation project run through Global Vision International.
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Treasurer: Nikki Turner Brown, MBA
Nikki is the Director of Development, Regional Philanthropy at Vanderbilt University. She is a senior philanthropy and advancement leader with over a decade of experience driving major, principal, and planned giving for large research universities. She is a mission-driven nonprofit leader dedicated to advancing institutional impact through strategic philanthropy and empowered relationships. Her progressive career in the nonprofit sector reflects a deep commitment to understanding how philanthropic partnerships enable organizations to fulfill their core missions. Throughout her career, Nikki has demonstrated that nonprofit excellence emerges when teams understand their missions deeply, relationships are built on authentic values, and data informs decisions about where impact can be greatest. She brings a values-driven perspective that views philanthropy as a means to advance the vital work of higher education and research.
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Secretary: Laura Bechard, MPS
Laura is the Chocolate Supply Chain Coordinator at Equal Exchange - a fair-trade company that sources from agroforestry farms across the world. Laura manages supply chain relationships with 18 farmer cooperatives representing more than 20,000 farmers, and she oversees logistics, forecasting, and product development for organic chocolate and sugar supply chains. She is experienced in cooperative partnership management, farmer relationships, and impact measurement, with a track record of successful product launches and strategic planning. She also brings additional leadership experience as a former Board Director and Governance Committee Co-Chair for a $50M worker-owned cooperative. She served as an Environmental Conservation Specialist in Peace Corps Paraguay, where her work focused on agroforestry education, community-led conservation projects, and participatory research.
01
Chair: Amy Quandt, PhD
Dr. Amy Quandt is an Associate Professor of Environmental Geography at San Diego State University. She is an environmental social scientist who studies adaptation and resilience in agroecosystems. Her current research focuses on how agroforestry is being used to adapt to the impacts of extreme events and climate change. She works largely in East Africa and California and has experience collaborating with organizations including the World Agroforestry Center, Red Cross, The Nature Conservancy, and others. She served as an Environmental Education and Sustainable Agriculture Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Tanzania from 2007 to 2010, conducted a livelihoods survey for the Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre in Kenya in 2013, and spent a year in Thailand as the base manager for a Thai Elephant conservation project run through Global Vision International.
02
Treasurer: Nikki Turner Brown, MBA
Nikki is the Director of Development, Regional Philanthropy at Vanderbilt University. She is a senior philanthropy and advancement leader with over a decade of experience driving major, principal, and planned giving for large research universities. She is a mission-driven nonprofit leader dedicated to advancing institutional impact through strategic philanthropy and empowered relationships. Her progressive career in the nonprofit sector reflects a deep commitment to understanding how philanthropic partnerships enable organizations to fulfill their core missions. Throughout her career, Nikki has demonstrated that nonprofit excellence emerges when teams understand their missions deeply, relationships are built on authentic values, and data informs decisions about where impact can be greatest. She brings a values-driven perspective that views philanthropy as a means to advance the vital work of higher education and research.
03
Secretary: Laura Bechard, MPS
Laura is the Chocolate Supply Chain Coordinator at Equal Exchange - a fair-trade company that sources from agroforestry farms across the world. Laura manages supply chain relationships with 18 farmer cooperatives representing more than 20,000 farmers, and she oversees logistics, forecasting, and product development for organic chocolate and sugar supply chains. She is experienced in cooperative partnership management, farmer relationships, and impact measurement, with a track record of successful product launches and strategic planning. She also brings additional leadership experience as a former Board Director and Governance Committee Co-Chair for a $50M worker-owned cooperative. She served as an Environmental Conservation Specialist in Peace Corps Paraguay, where her work focused on agroforestry education, community-led conservation projects, and participatory research.
California Agroforestry Network
Our network partners are the people and organizations bringing agroforestry to life across California. From land stewards and technical assistance providers to researchers, educators, agency staff, and community advocates, our partners are the boots-on-the-ground people who drive real change on California’s working landscapes.
PARTNERS
California Agroforestry Network
FUNDERS
Our work would not be possible without the generous support of our funders and donors. Their commitment to sustainable land stewardship and climate-smart agriculture enables us to expand agroforestry education, research, and implementation throughout California.
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