2025 Women Transforming Food & Finance

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Registration is open!

April 29-30, 2025 | Atlanta, GA

stock photo - copy - copy

Registration is open!

April 29-30, 2025 | Atlanta, GA

Agenda | Speakers | Venue | Sponsors | Who We Are | Register

Our food and finance systems are broken, designed over decades to be extractive.

Agriculture and food are responsible for one-third of global green house gases (GHGs)
Biodiversity, water, and soil resources are being degraded by intensive practices
Prescriptive conventional agriculture systems are leaving farmers ecologically and economically vulnerable
The quality and nutritional density of our food has declined and is contributing to health epidemics

AND our financial systems perpetuate these trends.

We need new systems and we need diverse leaders who are equipped to lead through transformation…that’s where women come in.

Compared to their male counterparts…

Women led companies yield stronger outcomes
Women investors have better results…

Yet, also in comparison…

Women are underrepresented in leadership roles
Women are significantly underfunded

We can change that.

Coming Together to Lead Transformation

RFSI, in partnership with Robyn O’Brien of Montcalm, are hosting the second Women Transforming Food & Finance event – a truly unique gathering that is part conference, part mastermind, and all about activating collaboration and solutions. When you join us, you will be part of a high-caliber room full of influential leaders from agriculture, food, and finance ready to engage in dialogue and activities geared toward action and outcomes.

Event Goals:

Collaboratively learn and build solutions for new food and finance systems
Drive change that will increase diverse leadership
Activate processes and relationships to increase funding to female founders
Develop fruitful and lasting connections across sectors that are critically important to each other and the planet

Featured Speakers

Beth Leonard is the CFO of 4P Foods, a regional distributor of fresh, local food based in Warrenton, VA. 4P Foods connects more than 200 food producers and 15 cooperatives and food hubs with institutional demand - K-12 schools, universities, health care providers, and retailers - across the Mid-Atlantic. To finance 4P's growth, Beth has been instrumental in building out a blended capital stack that includes philanthropic and governmental grants, equity, and a wide range of debt vehicles. She is also an impact investor in regenerative food businesses, so she has sat on both sides of the fundraising table. Beth brings to her work decades of experience in international finance, banking, and insurance as well as a global perspective having sailed around the world (twice) with her husband and lived in more than 35 countries. She considers herself a recovering capitalist pioneering alternative models that use market forces to shape a resilient, profitable, sustainable business; turn extraction into regeneration; and share value creation with all who have contributed to it.

Beth Leonard4P Foods | CFO

Robyn O’Brien is on Forbes Impact 50 List for her work at the intersection of agriculture and climate. She is the founder of Sirona Ventures and co-founder of rePlant Capital, financial services firms scaling climate solutions on farm and inside the food industry. She is a Fulbright scholar, best-selling author and widely recognized speaker on global food systems.

Robyn O’BrienMontcalm | Partner

Tina is a systems leader, strategist and futurist within the Organic and Regenerative Agriculture movements in the United States. Her background spans two decades within the world’s largest food companies and includes leading transformational shifts in food and agriculture systems via supply and operations as it relates to on-farm profitability, sustainability, regenerative agriculture financing, consumer activism related to clean label and organics, plus unfolding food as medicine and nutrient dense systems. Tina holds multiple board and advisory positions across the regenerative agriculture movement. From 2022 to 2024 Tina co-founded and led the Nutrient Density Alliance, an effort to link consumer demand to regenerative agriculture and shore up the demand systems needed to support safe framer transition into regenerative systems. From 2018-2022 Tina worked for Danone North America where she was the Senior Director of Food & Agriculture Impact and developed the first stacked financing program within the CPG regenerative movement, comprised of millions of dollars in grant, philanthropic, and impact investing capital directly available to key farming partners. Tina worked at Kellogg Company from 2001-2018 on food systems transformation and sustainability for some of the world’s largest organic brands. She walks the talk through regeneration of the land on her own family farm in Michigan where Tina and her family raise heritage, pastured animals for nutrient dense outcomes, to regenerate their land, and to provide a deeper understanding as it relates to scaling regional regenerative food systems.

Tina OwensSnowehaven Regeneration | Principal, Regenerative Agriculture Consulting

Kathleen has been in the philanthropic and impact investing world for more than two decades. She founded and led Conscious Capital, an impact investment and philanthropic advisory firm and led that for ten years before moving into intensive, organizational and issue-specific work where she has helped raise over $500MM. Throughout her career, her work has centered on aligning the use of capital with an individual’s or organization’s highest values and the belief that transformational financial and social impact occur only when qualitative and quantitative measures are focused on in equal measure. At Regenerative Social Finance, she leads the organization’s efforts to secure values-aligned capital to entrepreneurs working in regenerative agriculture, climate and energy, education and community impact. She has a master's degree in public policy from Tufts University and a BA from Mount Holyoke College. She is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®.

Kathleen PaylorRSF Social Finance | Vice President, Impact Investing and Philanthropy

Heather K. Terry is the Founder & CEO of GoodSAM PBC, a certified B Corp committed to sustainability and climate action. Under her leadership, GoodSAM achieved B Corp certification in 2022, won numerous awards—including the prestigious Anthem Award and multiple NEXTY's—and expanded nationally into Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, and key retail partnerships, making sustainable snacking more accessible. She has raised over $10.5 million to scale GoodSAM’s mission-driven business. With over a decade in the CPG industry, Heather has built and advised multiple brands, focusing on female-founded businesses. She has successfully placed 300+ SKUs in major retailers nationwide. A tireless advocate for farmers' rights, equity, and inclusion, she champions indigenous and smallholder farmers in developing climate and planetary solutions. Heather studied Pastry Arts & Chocolate at the International Culinary Center and holds an MFA from Rutgers University and a BA from Valparaiso University. She has been a mentor, angel investor, and advisor to emerging wellness brands aiming to land on major retail shelves. She is a sought-after speaker at industry events, including New Hope, Loyola, Good Housekeeping, Climate Collaborative, COP, and FLII.

Heather TerryGoodSAM PBC | Founder & CEO

< AGENDA ANCHOR >

The Program

The 1.5 day program will include time for peer learning, professional development, and deep, authentic dialogue between leaders in agriculture, food, and finance. The result will be fruitful insight and connections that can serve your goals long into the future.

Preliminary Agenda*

Women Transforming Food & Finance Agenda

DAY 1 | April 29, 2025

Doors open at 1:30 pm

2:00 p.m. ET

Welcome

2:10 p.m. ET

Leading Transformation in 2025 and Beyond

The transformation of agriculture and food systems from extractive and degrading to healthy and resilient is underway – not only because it can lead to beneficial environmental and social outcomes but also because it makes good business sense. Women are leading this transformation in business, and as the US undergoes a great wealth transfer, women are expected to influence an increasing amount of wealth. This session will explore where we are on this journey today, the changing role of women, and what the path forward looks like.

2:30 p.m. ET

Panel: Female Farmers & Founders Leading Systems Change from the Ground Up

Women are leading transformation across the sector from farm to consumer. Hear from three incredible women who can help translate the realities of their work into the opportunities that exist to finance and invest in change.

3:15 p.m. ET

A Systems-Based Approach to Financing & Investing in Agriculture & Food

The undeniable and complex interconnectedness of agriculture, food, healthcare, policy and finance mean that in order to create lasting change, a systems approach must be used. What does this mean in theory and how does that translate to action in our daily work?

3:30 p.m. ET

Workshop: Articulating & Activating a Holistic Approach to Systems Change

Leaders from across multiple systems and often working in very different silos are all working to change our agriculture, food and finance systems for the better. But how do these visions align across the traditional boundaries between these systems? This session will invite participants to take a closer look at the desired goals and outcomes of diverse groups in the room and challenge them to think about how and where there can be alignment and collaboration.

4:30 p.m. ET

Finding Your Balance: Managing Mission & Margin As Investors & Founders

Investing in systems transformation often requires a transformation in thinking and approach – for both the investor and the founder. In this fascinating session, you’ll hear from a woman who has worn both hats – investor and CFO of a food system start-up. She’ll explain what it takes to balance mission and margins for both sides – how we may need to redefine returns and how to build a capital stack that doesn’t require a sacrifice of mission.

4:55 p.m. ET

Closing Comments

RECEPTION | 5:00-6:30 p.m. ET

DAY 2 | April 30, 2025

Doors open at 8:30 am

9:00 a.m. ET

Welcome

9:05 a.m. ET

Building Resilient Farm & Food Businesses

What are the building blocks for a resilient farm or food business? We’ve learned over time that these blocks must be built both within a business and in the systems around them that provide integral support. Explore what this looks like through the case of one sector service provider that has established a robust ecosystem of support for farms and businesses.

9:25 a.m. ET

Navigating a Changing Policy Landscape

2025 has brought a rapidly changing and often chaotic political landscape for agriculture, food and finance. What can those working within these systems expect and what can they do to advance their work even in the face of the unexpected? How is this landscape impacting women and what can be done to ensure they are not adversely impacted?

10:00 a.m. ET

Panel: Designing and Aligning Innovative Capital Approaches for the Entire Value Chain

As we seek to transform agriculture and food systems, it’s important to design finance and investment approaches that meet the system’s needs. Meet the women who are leading this effort and learn:
– What types of investments are needed to de-risk and drive change?
– How and where diverse asset classes can play a role?
– What innovative approaches are coming on the horizon?

NETWORKING BREAK | 10:45-11:15 a.m. ET

11:15 a.m. ET

Case Study: Harnessing the Super Power of Collaboration

Get a close-up look at what collaborative supply chain transformation looks like with this case study.

11:45 a.m. ET

Workshop: Managing Personal and Professional Transition

Just as our work is all about steering systemic transition, so too do women perpetually navigate personal transitions. From adolescence to college, work to weddings, company launches and fundraising, motherhood to elder care, democracy, divorce and death. Managing through life and work’s changes requires resilience and a lot of balancing. This session will dig into the how and what is needed to support yourself and others through life and work transitions.

LUNCH | 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET

1:30 p.m. ET

Panel: Key Lessons from the Front Lines of Farming, Food & Finance

Sit down with experienced leaders who have already navigated transformation on their farm, in their business, and in their portfolio and learn from their journey. Find out how their lessons can inform your own path to success … and be prepared to take lots of valuable notes!

2:20 p.m. ET

Closing Keynote: Making the Most of This Moment

2:50 p.m. ET

Closing Thoughts

CLOSING REFRESHMENTS | 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET

< VENUE ANCHOR >

Venue

The Trolley Barn | 963 Edgewood Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307

The Trolley Barn is nestled in the walkable, tree-lined neighborhood of Inman Park, surrounded by late 19th and early 20th century architecture. Designed in 1880 with thoughtful awareness of its residential surroundings, The Trolley Barn is an architectural gem and a graceful reminder of the past that serves today as a unique site for this event.

Places to Stay

Inman Park, where the event venue is situated, has many boutique hotels and AirBnBs and many are within walking distance of The Trolley Barn.

< WHO WE ARE ANCHOR >

Who We Are

RFSI

Founded in 2019, Regenerative Food Systems Investment (RFSI) works to catalyze capital and connections for regenerative food systems. With 25 years of combined food systems event experience, this female founded team has built an unparalleled ecosystem of agriculture and food finance and investment leaders. Our events, including the successful RFSI Forum, have a track record of producing significant outcomes – including the launch of new businesses and investment funds, and the allocation of capital to food system transformation.

Robyn O’Brien

Over the past 20 years, Robyn O’Brien of Montcalm has been at the absolute forefront of changes in the food industry. Today, she focuses her attention on the capital markets in order to provide integrated capital solutions at scale and transition supply chains in the face of climate change and supporting female leadership in the industry.

Regenerative Food Systems Investment