Governance

Sarah Stokes Alexander serves as Vice President of Programs for Keystone Policy Center. She started at Keystone in 1994, and her early projects focused on the environmental restoration of federal facilities facing closure throughout the nation, balancing shrinking budgets and effective consultation with local communities, states, tribes and the environmental justice community. She led the formation of a multi-stakeholder organization focused on sustainability for commodity crops in the US which is now Field to Market, its own 501(c)3. She has worked on many other strategic efforts in the sustainable agriculture space to connect efforts and farmers on the ground with the supply chain, policy makers and others, including the formation of Keystone’s Monarch Collaborative. Sarah’s other work at Keystone has focused on developing transportation solutions to challenging corridors, bringing leaders together to focus on how to invest in water at the state level, as well as several leadership training programs that focus on collaboration and sustainability. She graduated from Middlebury College with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and holds a Masters of Public Administration from Harvard University.

Scott Edwards is the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Missouri, State Conservationist, headquartered in Columbia, Missouri, and has worked with the agency for 29 years. Edwards has focused on watershed-based initiatives and partnerships to expand the agency's capacity to deliver conservation on the ground. Edwards was born and raised in central Texas and graduated high school from Lometa, Texas. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University with a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy (minor in political science) and a Master of Science in Soils. Edwards and wife Monica Guidry have three daughters in college: Delaney, Quinn and Madelyn.

Alan Martinez leads Climate and Nature Finance at the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, where he bridges science, policy, and finance to advance climate and nature-positive solutions. As co-creator of the groundbreaking New York Outcomes Fund, Alan pioneered a model to incentivize regenerative agriculture across the Great Lakes Watershed, attracting multimillion-dollar investments and setting a standard for innovative climate finance.

In his role as Chair of the Coalition for Private Investment in Conservation, Alan fosters partnerships that mobilize capital for environmental impact. He frequently speaks at global conferences, sharing insights on sustainable finance, the intersection of science and sustainability policy, and the transformative potential of public-private collaboration. His contributions to advisory boards and publications reflect his dedication to creating a sustainable future where people and nature thrive.

At Field to Market, Alan brings his expertise to strengthen research partnerships and advance innovation in sustainable agriculture. His leadership has been instrumental in shaping dialogues and strategies that address financial and agronomic barriers to sustainability.

Alan holds a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University.