Samantha Levy

Samantha Levy, American Farmland Trust's Senior Policy Manager for Conservation and Energy, leads the development and implementation of the organization's conservation, soil health, and energy policy agenda. A passionate leader in protecting farmland, supporting farm viability and resilience, and advancing smart solar siting, Levy leads AFT's efforts to advance the adoption of regenerative practices on farmland, improve soil health, and encourage smart renewable energy siting on farms.

From 2017-2021, Levy served as AFT's New York Policy Manager, where she researched, built coalitions around, and advocated directly for public policies and programs at all levels of government that kept land in farming and farmers on the land and helped farmers adopt sound farming practices in New York. She worked together with farm, food, and environmental groups to create the nation's first 30% farm to school initiative, establish an innovative land access program, incorporate farmers into the state's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, advocate for smarter solar siting on farmland, pass soil health legislation, and support additional funding programs that helped farmers build resilience and mitigate climate change.

In 2020, Levy was appointed to serve as a member of the Agriculture and Forestry Advisory Panel to the Climate Action Council to develop recommendations to reduce agricultural GHG emissions and increase carbon sequestration in soils. She also served as a member of the Governors' Racial Equity and Diversity in Agriculture Workgroup. She was named one of City and State magazines' 40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Albany and was listed in their Agriculture Power 50 in 2021.

Prior to joining AFT, Levy earned a BFA in Musical Theatre from NYU's-Tisch School of the Arts. She also interned for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, for whom she investigated federal policy angles to facilitate the intergenerational transition of farmland. She holds a Master of Arts in Food Systems from New York University and graduated year one of Cornell University's LEAD NY program in 2020. In her free time, Samantha writes, sings, performs, tap dances, skis, plays with her dog Ash, and practices yoga. She is training to become a certified mediator in New York City through the New York Peace Institute.