Grace Kaufman is a Senior Project Manager, supporting Valley Vision’s Food and Agriculture and Clean Air and Climate impact areas. Throughout her four years at Valley Vision, Grace co-authored the regional Food System Action Plan in 2021, the Coordinated Rural Opportunities Plan (CROP), and has been a leader in the formation of the Yolo County Food Hub partnership activation and business model design. She is actively working to advance action to address climate change in our region, and has provided leadership on the Capital Region Climate Readiness Collaborative (CRCRC) for over six years.

Grace also manages communications and partner coordination for the USDA Southwest Regional Food Business Center, a four-state effort to accelerate resilient, diverse and competitive local and regional food systems by improving opportunities for food and farm businesses across Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. She also manages community engagement for the West Sacramento Hydrogen Locomotive pilot project, and is on the advisory committee for the Yolo County Regional Resilience Collaborative.

Prior to Valley Vision, Grace worked at CivicWell, formally the Local Government Commission, where she managed several regional and statewide collaboratives focused on energy efficiency and climate action.

She is an alumni of UC Davis with a degree in Community Development. Grace is passionate about community development, environmental justice, and sustainable food systems. In her free time, Grace loves riding her bike and eating at farm to fork restaurants and markets.