Co-Founder, Prosperity Village

Sharlene Brown has a wealth of experience in financial inclusion having worked in development finance in over 15 countries and works as a certified financial health coach to help individuals achieve financial resilience and prosperity. In her previous roles, she led the Racial Equity, Economics, Finance, and Sustainability (REEFS) program at the Croatan Institute and served as executive director of the Partnership for Responsible Financial Inclusion (PRFI). She has also served as the national director of Oikocredit-USA ​and as a senior program officer for the Social Performance Management Center at the Grameen Foundation. Additionally, she is a certified financial health coach with the National Association of Certified Credit Counselors.

From stewarding investment portfolios exceeding $35 million to advancing microfinance projects across sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East/North Africa, Sharlene is a powerhouse of financial knowledge and equity-focused action. Her immigrant roots fuel her drive to uplift communities through access, education, and opportunity. [more]

Founder and Principal, Sacred Futures

Charity May is the Founder and Principal of Sacred Futures, an advisory practice that guides partners in the reimagining, designing and implementing of governance, leadership and ownership models, sustainable growth strategies, and financing vehicles to cultivate renewal and reciprocity between human and more-than-human worlds.

Before launching Sacred Futures, Charity was directly involved in the management of real estate private equity investments and debt capital markets. She has directed, led and supported the investment, structure and development of over $575 million of project value for education facilities across the country, serving over 40,000 students. In her time in investment banking, she conducted the underwriting, analysis, origination and structuring for over $3.8 billion of leveraged finance transactions across multiple sectors including technology, consumer goods, industrial, and energy. [more]

Managing Director, Fibers Fund

Sarah has been working at the intersection of food and fiber systems for 20 years and has been a leader in efforts to raise funder and investor awareness of the fiber sector. She brings expertise in impact finance, regenerative agriculture, and sustainability in the fiber and textile system, with deep knowledge of the integrated capital approaches needed to create more equitable and regenerative outcomes. Sarah served as lead author for the Fibers Roadmap report and has spearheaded the Fibers Fund’s development since that time.

Sarah is also Principal of Common Threads Consulting, working with funder and impact investor clients to mobilize innovative financing strategies and cross-sector approaches at the intersection of agriculture, petrochemicals, toxics, and textiles. Previously, Sarah served for 10 years as Senior Program Officer at the Island Foundation and five years as a nonprofit Executive Director.. She was selected as a 2018-19 Just Economy Institute Fellow, focusing on integrated capital strategies to drive change in the U.S. sustainable textile field, and was recently named to Impact Finance Center’s 2025 Who’s Who in Impact Investing.

Executive Director, Fibershed

Rebecca Burgess is the Executive Director of Fibershed. She has two decades of experience working at the intersection of ecology, fiber systems, and regional economic development. She is the author of the best-selling book Harvesting Color, a bioregional look into the natural dye traditions of North America, and Fibershed: Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy released in 2019. She has taught at Westminster College, Harvard University, and California College of the Arts. She also holds a new board position at the Livestock Conservancy and is serving on the leadership council of the Center for Regenerative Agriculture and Resilient Systems at Chico State University.

Vice President, Operations and Finance, SAFSF

Bridget Dobrowski is Vice President, Operations and Finance of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders. She oversees all aspects of SAFSF’s critical infrastructure including information technology, finances, human resources, and organizational structure and protocols. She’s been with SAFSF for over 10 years and has been involved in every aspect of the organization’s growth and development during that time. Starting in a programmatic role and leading the development of the annual SAFSF Forum, Bridget managed newsletter communications and partnered with members on webinar creation for many years, while also overseeing much of the infrastructure she manages today. She transitioned out of program development when SAFSF spun off from its fiscal sponsor and incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit in 2019. [more]

Chief Impact Officer, Circulate Capital

Ellen Martin is Chief Impact Officer of Circulate Capital, an investment firm focused on circular economy infrastructure and innovations in emerging markets. Circulate's Ocean Fund launched in 2019 and was the first dedicated exclusively to addressing the ocean plastics challenge in Asia and first circular economy fund to qualify for the 2X Challenge, committed to increasing gender lens investment. In her role, Ellen is responsible for driving impact and insights for Circulate Capital and managing ESG through the investment process. As a member of Circulate’s leadership and investment teams, Ellen is focused on ensuring the firm’s collective strategies, assets, and relationships deliver impact as it grows. She is also a senior advisor to Circulate Capital’s mission-aligned non-profit, The Circulate Initiative. [more]

NDN Fund Managing Director

Kim Pate (She/Her), is of Eastern Band Cherokee, Mississippi Choctaw and Black descent. Pate leads the daily operations of NDN Fund, the lending and impact investing arm of NDN Collective. She also supports NDN Fund fundraising, lending, power building, communications and evaluation.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Stanford University and a Juris Doctorate from University of California at Los Angeles School of Law. Pate is admitted to practice in Nez Perce Tribal Court and California.

Founder/Designer, OAK & ACORN

Miko Underwood is the Founder / Designer of OAK & ACORN ~ Only for the Rebelles, the first sustainable brand in Harlem, NY.  A denim expert and innovator, with nearly twenty years of wash, product and brand development, Miko has become a leading voice in the sustainable denim space. She is committed to propelling the fashion industry into a more sustainable era where empowerment, cultural responsibility & accountability are at the forefront. She is passionate in telling a more inclusive American Denim story by shining a light on the UNTOLD HISTORY of the Indigenous American and the enslaved Africans contributions that have shaped American manufacturing and American Denim. Miko noticed firsthand the devastating environmental effects of manufacturing denim, inspiring her to research and innovate sustainable alternatives.  [more]

Founder & ecosystems director, black fiber & textile network - Core Team, Investment Committee, and Advisory Council, 2023-2025

Steward. Cultivator. Shepherdess: High Hog Farm - Advisory Council, 2023-2024

Former VP, Strategy and Impact, SAFSF - founding Formation Team

Former E.D., SAFSF - founding Formation Team

Vice President / Lead Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Manager, Wells Fargo - Advisory Council and Investment Committee, 2023-2025

Founder and Designer, EMME Studios - Advisory Council, 2023-2025