Chair of the Organizational Council of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), Eowyn Corral, announced the selection of the organization’s new Coalition Director. Sarah Hackney, NSAC’s current Grassroots Director, was the Council’s unanimous choice for the position. Hackney will assume the role fully in mid-July. NSAC is a leading member-driven grassroots coalition advocating for federal policy reform to advance the sustainability of agriculture, food systems, natural resources, and rural communities.
Hackney has spent nearly eight years as NSAC’s Grassroots Director, working with member organizations and allies to empower and mobilize grassroots food and farm voices for the coalition’s national policy campaigns. Currently part of the organization’s senior management team, she has a strong track record of commitment to NSAC’s membership-led model for policy advocacy and grassroots organizing. Hackney came to NSAC in 2011 after serving as Executive Director of a rural Oregon-based farm and food nonprofit and holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Dartmouth College.
“The Council’s decision to hire Sarah, an internal candidate, was anything but a foregone conclusion,” Corral said. “Over six months, the hiring committee conducted phone interviews with talented and committed candidates representing every region of the nation, and final in-person interviews including staff conversations with each candidate. Of our many excellent candidates, Sarah is the stand-out best fit for NSAC at this time, and we’re very excited that she will be our new Coalition Director.”
Corral cited Hackney’s comprehensive and sophisticated understanding of NSAC’s organizational history, coalition culture and process, her instinct for organizational strategy, and well-honed communications skills as important to the Council’s decision. She emphasized that Hackney not only understands the crucial role of racial equity in the sustainable agriculture movement but also brings a strong track record of advancing that work within our staff and the broader coalition.
“NSAC’s members, staff, and partners are exceptional,” said Hackney. “I am both humbled and excited to step into this new role and continue to work with this community to advance our vision of a sustainable, equitable food and farm future. I’m looking forward to building on this coalition’s grassroots, policy, and organizational strengths to achieve our ambitious goals for the years to come.”
NSAC’s Interim Coalition Director, Margaret Krome, also expressed enthusiasm for the Council’s choice of Hackney. “I couldn’t be more excited by the Organizational Council’s selection. Sarah and I, other NSAC staff, and the Organizational Council are actively working to make this a seamless transition.”
“We recognize our good fortune in having a candidate of Sarah’s caliber, and we look forward to collaborating with her in leading NSAC into the next decade,” said Corral.
For more information:
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
sustainableagriculture.net