FSFS is governed by an active Steering Committee that meets semi-monthly and is led by the FSFS Co-chairs. The FSFS Coordinator manages and administers all day-to-day activities of the funders group. In addition, an experienced and diverse group of consultants advise FSFS.

FSFS Steering Committee

Center for Ecoliteracy
Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation
Columbia Foundation
Foundation for Deep Ecology
Fred Gellert Family Foundation
Gaia Fund
Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund
Marin Community Foundation
Roy A. Hunt Foundation
William Zimmerman Fund



Nicole Mason

Nicole Mason coordinates activities for FSFS, including educational events, meetings, publications, and communications efforts. In addition, she assists in FSFS development, and supporting the day-to-day operations of the organization. In conjunction with her work for FSFS, Ms. Mason works with the Roots of Change Fund, a collaborative of funders working to support the transition to sustainable food systems in the state of California.

Ms. Mason also serves as an Associate for California Environmental Associates (CEA), an environmental consulting firm that seeks to transform markets and business practices, and to create economic incentives that will yield positive environmental outcomes. Prior to joining CEA, Ms. Mason worked in agriculture and sustainable food systems both nationally and abroad. With a B.S. degree in International Agriculture and Development from Cornell University, Ms. Mason spent one year researching organic cropping systems in New Zealand. After some brief work researching the environmental causes of breast cancer in Massachusetts, Ms. Mason moved to New York where she worked at the New York Botanical Garden and taught classes in plant science and botany. Ms. Mason then served as Program Director for an environmental organization focused on local, sustainable agriculture and cuisine. Her main focus was on connecting local farmers to markets in New York City.


Jamaica Maxwell

Jamaica Maxwell helps manage the day to day activities of FSFS, including administration of funder convenings and the development of educational programs. Ms. Maxwell is also the Program Director for the Roots of Change Fund. She administers the ROC Fund, overseeing strategy development, project management, and fundraising for the Fund. Previously, Ms. Maxwell worked with the Community Conservation and Investment Forum on building a sustainable business model for marine conservation in the Indo-Pacific. Ms. Maxwell is an Associate at California Environmental Associates (CEA), an environmental consulting firm that seeks to transform markets, business practices, and policies to create economic incentives that will yield positive environmental outcomes.

FSFS Consultants

Jill Kauffman Johnson

Jill Kauffman Johnson is a Senior Associate at California Environmental Associates with policy and operations experience in environmental strategic planning and hazardous materials issues. She helps clients strategically assess their operations to improve environmental management, reduce the use of hazardous materials, and reduce costs.

Ms. Kauffman Johnson also has experience with program design and implementation. She worked with a philanthropic organization to design a national program to reduce the use and release of toxic chemicals in manufacturing. She currently serves as the Executive Director for that program, the Chemical Strategies Partnership, a project of the Canpoy Trust. She also previously has served as the Coordinator for the Funders for Sustainable Food Systems.

Prior to joining CEA, Ms. Kauffman Johnson was the founding Director of the Pacific Coast Regional Office of the Center for Marine Conservation. She also served as a market analyst for recycled plastic at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She has published several reports and papers on issues of reducing marine pollution and markets for recycled products.

Ms. Kauffman Johnson holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University and a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University.