November 9, 2023

Croatan Institute is pleased to welcome Masika Henson, who is joining our board as of September 2023. 

Masika Henson is committed to fighting climate change by building resilient communities. She focuses on the interconnection between land and water systems to address the effects of climate change. She has worked in many sectors, including philanthropy, non-profit, private, academic, entertainment and government.

Masika fell in love with ecosystem-based water and climate solutions while mapping and restoring waterways in New York City with NYC Parks. More recently, she was a grant-maker working to support a just transition of national food systems at the 11th Hour Project. Before that, she led projects and communications for the Nature Conservancy’s Global Soil Science Program. She was also a grant-maker at the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, where she managed projects that improved California’s watersheds.

Today, Masika supports movement building and systems change as a member of the Food and Farm Communications Fund Grants Advisory and Steering Committees. She is the host, narrator and co-producer of the documentary Digging In, where she amplifies the voices and experiences of farmers throughout the U.S.

Masika received her Bachelor’s in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara and her Master of Science in Sustainability Management from the Earth Institute at Columbia University.