Sarah Kelley is Senior Program Officer at Island Foundation, a private foundation based in Marion, MA. She manages the Foundation’s Environment program area, which includes grantmaking on sustainable agriculture, food, and fiber systems; climate change and alternative energy; land and water conservation; and marine mammal conservation. Before coming to the Foundation in 2009, she served for five years as Executive Director of Southeastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and expanding sustainable farming and access to local food. Sarah also has extensive research and work experience in textiles and fibers. She has been a shepherd on a 200-head sheep farm, managed production for the farm’s line of woolen goods, and sewn professionally for several years in theater costume shops. Sarah serves on the Board of New England Grassroots Environment Fund, as a guest lecturer on sustainability in apparel production at Rhode Island School of Design, and on the Membership Committee of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF). She is the author of the 2017 report “Common Threads: U.S. Foundation Opportunities in Sustainable Fiber and Textiles,” published by SAFSF. She holds an M.S. in Plant and Soil Sciences from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a B.A. in History with a concentration on the Irish linen industry from Yale. Sarah lives in Providence, RI with her family.
Cohort 2 (2018-2019)
Roger Milliken
- BA in English. Began Buddhist practice senior year, followed by retreats, pilgrimage to Asia and three-year study of Sanskrit.
- With Margot, raised a son and daughter, now dedicating themselves to a more just and whole world. Delight! 11 weeks into grandparenthood.
- 35 years managing a green-certified timber company, highly regarded for sustainable and ecologically sensitive forest management on 128,000 acres in Maine.
- 10 years of collaborative leadership, bringing timber interests together with environmental community in Maine to resolve thorny issues of clearcutting and biodiversity.
- 30 years working with 24 cousins in our 4th generation family business to prepare to govern a family company after my father, who died (as chairman) at age 95 in 2010. Six years on Board of Milliken & Co, a textile and chemical company, and three on Pacolet, a real estate and renewable energy company.
- 22 years of leadership with The Nature Conservancy in Maine and globally. Chaired TNC’s global board from 2009-2011.
- Board service on multiple environment/conservation non-profits.
- 35 years of active philanthropy focused on environment, conservation, reproductive rights, “progressive infrastructure,” and sovereignty of indigenous peoples.
- 25 years participating in and guiding wilderness rites of passage.
Nikishka Iyengar
Nikishka Iyengar (she/her) has over a decade of experience in building the solidarity economy as a social entrepreneur, consultant, organizer and writer. She uses a ‘systems thinking’ and emergent strategy approach across her work in racial justice, economic development, and climate action. Nikishka believes “another world [beyond capitalism] is not only possible, she is on her way” (word to Arundhati Roy). As founder and CEO at The Guild, Nikishka develops community-owned models of land, housing and real estate as a means to build self determination for Black and other communities of color, and poor and working class communities. Nikishka is a current Loeb Fellow at Harvard University and her work has appeared in the New York Times, Next City, Nonprofit Quarterly and other publications. She is also co-host and producer of Road to Repair — a podcast exploring our journey out of a “business-as-usual” economy toward justice, solidarity and collective liberation.
Wendy Cooper
Wendy Cooper serves as the Co-CEO of Dragonfly Ventures working in partnership with the founder and the rest of the team to advance solutions for a clean, healthy planet and equitable society by creatively using a suite of financial tools grounded in relationship. Prior to joining Dragonfly Ventures, Wendy worked in the charitable and philanthropic sector for nearly two decades at a community, regional and national level. During that time, she served as an Executive Director, developed programs and collaborations, and provided philanthropic advisory services supporting a range of areas including land conservation, Indigenous youth leadership, freshwater health, and toxic elimination.
In 2018, Wendy began exploring an expanded set of financial and organizing tools to address inequities and the health of people and planet, leading to her participation in the Just Economy Institute. Soon after the completion of that fellowship she joined Dragonfly Ventures where she provides operational leadership including managing financial commitments across the spectrum of grants to investments, learning from community, building reciprocal relationships, and co-managing the team.
Travis Green
Travis Green, a team leader at LOCUS Impact Investing, assists place-rooted foundations and organizations in implementing regional community economic development strategies to help people and places prosper. He authored a series of practitioner guides on value chain economic development focused on wealth building for low-income households. He also coordinated Rooting Opportunity, a national conference on emerging economic development practice. Previously Travis served as program manager at the Aspen Institute in Washington, DC focusing regional community economic development and community development philanthropy. He was part of the team that organized and facilitated the Rural Economic Development Philanthropy Innovators Network. Travis also served as a research assistant for Building Integrated Communities, an effort by leaders in Durham, North Carolina to make their community more welcoming to foreign-born residents. Travis is a graduate of Haverford College and has a Master’s degree in city and regional planning from University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill.
Tory Dietel Hopps
Tory appreciates that philanthropy is a deeply personal expression of caring. Dietel Pickering & Partners’ clients credit her with helping them align their giving with their values and transforming their attitudes about what is possible with philanthropy. Tory manages portfolios for clients with both domestic and international interests, while assisting grantees with their strategies, resource development and capacity building. She has a gift for bridging the good intentions of funders and grant seekers through her thoughtful approach. For 25 years, Tory focused on resource development, management and governance for non-profit organizations in education, health and human services. She trained with BoardSource as a nonprofit governance consultant, and served as a principal of Turning Point Consulting, specializing in strategic planning and organizational capacity building for nonprofits. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Health Care Without Harm, the National Advisory Board of Wholesome Wave, the Development Committee of Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project in Uganda, and the Development Committee of RefugePoint. Tory is a graduate of the Emma Willard School and the University of Vermont. She is an Alum of Rockwood Leadership Institute’s Art of Philanthropic Leaders Program. She’s the mother of two grown children and lives with her husband in Maine.