Our Team
Joe Shultz
Executive Director
As The Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation Executive Director, Joe draws on more than 15 years of leading food and agriculture policy in the U.S. Senate and his work on the past three bipartisan Farm Bills. A graduate of The Ohio State University and Cornell University, Joe is active in the management of his family's fourth-generation farm. Joe is based in Washington, D.C.
Katie Hanson
Tribal Nation and State Program Director
Hanson brings years of philanthropic experience partnering with nonprofits to create positive environmental change. In her previous role with Crown Family Philanthropies, Hanson managed a portfolio with over 50 nonprofits through all phases of the grant cycle. She has deep working relationships across the environmental sector, including with agriculture and food system funders and nonprofits. Hanson is a graduate of Northwestern University and earned her Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She is based in Chicago.
Natalie Carr
Program Coordinator
Natalie brings significant experience in grants administration and program evaluation. Most recently, Natalie was an associate at Arabella Advisors, a philanthropic consulting firm, where she supported a variety of philanthropies and nonprofits to advance their social impact goals through strategic development, grants administration, and evaluation projects. Natalie has always had a passion for climate justice and sustainable agriculture; she studied Environmental Sociology and graduated from the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is based in Chicago.
Valerie Leung
Director of Operations and Impact
Valerie is a mission-driven operations director with over a decade of experience in non-profit management. Before joining PACT, Valerie led programmatic and business functions at The Nature Conservancy, most recently with the North America Agriculture Program and, prior to that, the Eastern U.S. Legal Team. A pragmatic problem-solver and strategic thinker, Valerie is adept at connecting people, resources and ideas across complex systems and strategies. She resides in Washington, D.C. with her partner, two cats and a rotating cast of foster dogs.
