Our Team
Justin is a seasoned leader passionate about empowering teams and fostering innovation across the local food and farming sectors. As co-founder of Mrktbox, a B-Corp-certified local food hub, he expanded the enterprise to three stores, supporting over 150 farmers and producers. Under his leadership, Mrktbox was twice recognized as one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies. In 2023, Justin was named one of the top 50 Changemakers in Canada in The Globe and Mail’s Report On Business.
His leadership experience spans diverse sectors, including launching the first public avalanche bulletin system for the Yukon Territory and leading avalanche forecasting teams. Justin also co-founded Batched, an e-commerce technology company empowering food entrepreneurs. He brings a collaborative approach and is dedicated to advancing the Fair Finance Fund’s mission of supporting local food and farm businesses across Ontario.
Justin Abbiss | Executive Director (he/him)
Afua is a Sustainable Farmer with over 10 years of experience working in under-served communities in Canada and Ghana. In Toronto, she began her food security work with Afri-Can FoodBasket, then with FoodShare Toronto as the Senior Good Food Program & Community Engagement Coordinator and Food Secure Canada’s Indigenous & Black Peoples Food Sovereignty Project. At FoodShare, Afua implemented Toronto’s pioneer produce Mobile Market and Public Health’s Grab Some Good subway produce markets. Afua is a founding member of the Pan-African Canadian Food Sovereignty Network, which is pursuing equitable participation of African-Canadians in the agriculture sector and emerging national school food policy.
Afua Asantewaa | Inclusive Prosperity Executive Director (she/her)
With a Master's in Environmental Studies, Michelle has been recognized for her research on decolonizing local food culture and for her contributions to expanding two campus Good Food Markets. Her experience includes roles with marketcityTO, Local Food and Farm Co-ops, and the Ontario Co-op Association’s Principle 8 working group, and as previous board member for Et Al Co-op Café. Michelle is dedicated to promoting equitable change in food systems through policy and advocacy. She has experience in conducting workshops and presentations on decolonizing food culture, and furthering equity in the local food and farm sector.
Michelle Chin-Dawe | Nourish Fund Coordinator (she/her)
Johanna (“yo-ha-nah”) is passionate about empowering entrepreneurs and enterprises with the resources and access to the capital they need to start, grow, and thrive in the Northern Ontario local food and farm sector. Her experience includes northern value chain coordination, remote community capacity building, and business technical assistance for BIPOC youth. Johanna has a degree in Environment & Business, where her studies focused on combining environmental and social impact metrics with profitability and economic growth. She was born and raised in northern Ontario, where she grew up on a family farm; today, Johanna is based in Timmins enjoying seasonal local farming work and is a board member with the Anti-Hunger Coalition.
Johanna Mercedes | Loan Officer & Northern Social Finance Coordinator (she/her)
With a passion for food equity, local economies, and social and environmental justice, Rebecca comes from a background in environmental governance, international development, and social geography. She has over 10 years of experience working in public outreach, marketing, and communications in the non-profit and food social enterprise sectors. Rebecca’s work has taken her from farms in southern Ontario to Mexico, Ecuador, and Zanzibar, where she works to facilitate storytelling direct from the farmers to wider audiences in Canada and beyond.
Rebecca Jacobs | Marketing & Communications Coordinator (she/her)
Fair Finance Fund | Board of Directors
Sarah Bakker | Chair
Sarah Bakker is the Vice President of Operations for the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices. She brings 18 years of experience in marketing and fundraising multi-million dollar projects in the non-profit sector to the Board of the Fair Finance Fund. She previously served on the Board of the West End Food Co-op as Treasurer and the Organic Council of Ontario as Vice Chair. She also co-owns Field Sparrow Farms with her partner, Henry, where they raise pastured livestock on 100 acres in Bobcaygeon.
Sophie Duncan | Vice Chair
Sophie Duncan (MBA) is the Director of Programs and Operations at the New Farm Centre for Climate Action, where she works on the organization’s strategic direction, program design and implementation, and operations. Her previous work as a consultant, researcher, and project manager has been at the intersections of social, economic, and environmental justice issues, taking an interdisciplinary approach to food systems, DEI, and leadership development work. Her food systems experience includes work as a Fulbright Researcher in Morocco, collaboration on development strategies for a farmworkers rights organization, team coaching related to food justice in the GTA, behavioural insights research on Canadian food policy, and food access programming in Vermont. Sophie is also a project coach for the Leading Social Justice Collective and holds an MBA from U of T’s Rotman School of Management.
Courtney Miller | Secretary
Courtney Miller is the Business Enterprise Centre Manager for Grey County. Through her role at the BEC, she offers consulting and business development support to local entrepreneurs, many of whom are in the ag and food sector. Courtney is passionate about supporting local social enterprises and currently sits on the Social Enterprise Sector Development Group for Grey County. Courtney and her husband own Creamery Hill Farms in Owen Sound, raising grass-fed beef using regenerative practices.
Keshiv Kaushal | Treasurer
Keshiv is the Director of Impact Investing at Propel Impact, where he oversees the operations and investment strategy of eight youth-led, place-based impact investing teams across Canada. Since graduating from Queen’s University with a BComm. (Hons), he has held various roles in impact investing and community economic development as a consultant as well as at SVX and the County of Lennox & Addington. Keshiv has worked across the impact investing ecosystem, evaluating social enterprise loans and venture investments, working with organizations to design funds and build capital deployment strategies, consulting directly with impact-driven ventures, running investment readiness programming for social enterprises, and supporting capital raising strategies for funds and impact investment products like Manitoba’s first Social Impact Bond focused on reducing recidivism of Indigenous youth involved in the justice system. Keshiv has successfully passed his Level I CFA exam and holds his CSC and SASB FSA credentials.
Gina El Kattan | Board Member
Gina is the founder of Nuba, a mission-driven beverage company that partnered with small-scale female farmers in Southern Egypt to bring traditional herbal drinks to markets across North America. She holds an MBA from Duke University and currently serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Spring Activator, where she supports diverse founders through coaching, program design, and capital readiness initiatives. Her work spans governance, impact-focused growth strategy, and ecosystem development, with a strong commitment to equity and regenerative economic models. Gina is also a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto, where she teaches entrepreneurial strategy.
Marshall King | Board Member
Marshall King is an accomplished agribusiness leader and the owner of King Organic Grain, a grain merchandising company specializing in organic commodities. With over 12 years of experience as the grain and egg pool manager at Organic Meadow Co-operative, Marshall played a pivotal role in shaping the organization’s operations and market positioning. Following the reorganization of Organic Meadow into Ontario Organic Farmers Co-operative, Marshall assumed leadership, guiding the co-op through a transformative period. Over seven years, he spearheaded strategic partnerships to expand the egg business and successfully restored the organization’s financial stability. Marshall has since transitioned from the co-op and now dedicates more time to his organic farm, further deepening his commitment to sustainable agriculture. He holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business and brings extensive expertise in cooperative leadership, strategic growth, and financial stewardship to board governance.
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