July 8th, 2019
By Lori Sallet
American Farmland Trust Hires Robbin Marks as Director of Institutional Partnerships
She brings programmatic and policy expertise in conservation, plus a proven track record as a fund-raising executive at major conservation organizations
WASHINGTON, D.C. – American Farmland Trust, the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food®, has hired Robbin Marks as director of institutional partnerships. Marks will lead AFT’s robust and ambitious institutional partnerships efforts, specifically securing grants and contributions from foundations and government sources. She will manage the institutional partnerships team and drive both the long-term strategy and day-to-day execution of the IP program.
“AFT seeks to grow institutional partnerships in support of our mission to save the land that sustains us by protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land. As we ramp up key initiatives like Farmers Combat Climate Change, Women for the Land programs in our regions, IP will be key to achieving the goals AFT has set forth and ensuring a secure and productive future for farmland, farming, and farmers,” says Nick Herman, AFT’s vice president of development.
He continues, “Robbin brings her extensive conservation background in sustainable agriculture, water resources, and climate change mitigation along with her experience as a development executive and policy expert, providing a powerful combination that is sure to drive success in AFT’s IP efforts.”
Robbin joins AFT from the Environmental Law Institute where she was vice president of development and membership. Previously, she directed foundation relations at the World Resources Institute, was the vice president for development operations and senior director of foundation relations at American Rivers and was an agriculture policy specialist at The Natural Resources Defense Council. She began her career with the Maryland General Assembly as the chief of staff to the Maryland State House of Delegates and Senate budget committees and the Special Joint Committee on Program Open Space and Agricultural Land Preservation. She holds a Master of Arts in politics and public policy, graduating with a fellowship from Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics, and a Bachelor of Science in political science from American University.
“I look forward to expanding the support from foundations and governments to AFT. Together with the talented development and program staff, I will work to raise these institutions’ awareness of the vital mission, impact and success of AFT in advancing sustainable food, farms, communities and the environment. This position returns me to my roots working on agriculture policy earlier in my career, while building on decades of experience in institutional fundraising,” says Robbin.
Robbin will be based out of the Washington, D.C., office. Robbin, her husband and her adult daughter and son (both of who work in conservation) love hiking and have visited many of the nation’s national parks, while also enjoying these that are more local. Additionally, Robbin loves to cook, bake and paint.
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American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.