Working Lands Alliance Project Director & New England Project Manager

Leah Mayor joined American Farmland Trust in 2011 as the Working Lands Alliance Project Director and New England Project Manager. In these roles, she will focus on policy, outreach, and education about the importance of farmland protection in Connecticut and the Northeast.  

Mayor has an extensive background in education and community leadership, as well as experience with sustainability initiatives focused on food and agricultural systems.  Her work has focused on leveraging enthusiasm of a growing local foods movement to protect farmland, natural heritage, and artisanal traditions.  

Mayor is also the founder and principal of Taking Root, an ecotourism initiative devoted to stimulating local economies, building community viability, and celebrating our connections to food and culinary history. She also blogs about food and agricultural systems for a number of online platforms, including the Huffington Post.

According to Mayor, "Recognizing the important connections between food, environment, people, and culture, my work seeks to leverage the enthusiasm of a growing local food movement to protect farmland, natural heritage, artisanal traditions, and our cherished ways of life."

Mayor earned her undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She also holds a Ph.D. in Adult Education and Cultural Anthropology from Cornell University.