Kyle Cornforth believes that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, to have agency over their lives, and to be seen, heard, and valued. That conviction has shaped two decades of work on systems change in education, the food system, criminal justice, and inside the institutions that fund them.
As Chief of Staff at The Just Trust, Kyle partners with the CEO and Board to steward strategy, operations, and culture across a philanthropic platform deploying more than $50 million annually toward criminal justice reform. She designed an AI-enabled measurement system that shows leadership and funders where investments are working and where they are not.
Previously, Kyle was Executive Director of Maker Ed, where she led the organization from fiscal sponsorship to independent 501(c)(3) status. Before that, she spent thirteen years as Managing Director of the Edible Schoolyard Project, supporting Alice Waters and overseeing partnerships and curriculum globally. She advised on USDA policy for school food and built a globally recognized professional development program integrating food and environmental justice into curricula. Through Beet Root Strategies, she advises CEOs, boards, and funders on aligning capital with the change they say they want.
Kyle has served as Board Co-Chair of The Field Semester and Acta Non Verba, an Oakland food justice organization. She lives in Oakland with her spouse, two children, a dog, and 18 chickens, where they do their best to live with joy and justice at the forefront of each day.