Cortney Renton (she/her) is the Executive Director of Proofing Station, a nonprofit charitable investment fund providing capital access to food and agriculture organizations and businesses in the Midwest. She is rooted in 15 years of multidisciplinary experience in leadership and strategy roles across diverse social impact organizations. Previously, she served as the Executive Director of CitySeed, and has also held research, fundraising, and sustainability roles with Feeding America, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, The Greater Chicago Food Depository, and Sir Kensington’s. Her interest in food systems began with an apprenticeship on a family farm where she trained in organic farming practices from seed to harvest.
Cortney serves on the Board of ClimateHaven and the Huneebee Project. She received her B.A. from Colgate University in Peace and Conflict Studies, focused on international social justice. She earned her Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment where she co-founded the Regenerative Agriculture Initiative.