Lisa Fernandes

Interim Development Director

Lisa has been a dynamic and inspiring leader in nonprofit, sustainability, and social impact sectors for more than two decades, with particular strengths in delivering results for values-driven projects while using participatory methods and centering equity and justice.

Her specialties include strategic planning and communications; project and people management; participatory engagement; network development and strengthening; sustainability topics; and supporting democratic & inclusive methods. She most recently served as Director of Marketing & Communications for the Institute for Nonprofit Practice and the Communication Director for the Food Solutions New England network at UNH.

As founder and Executive Director of the Maine-based Resilience Hub from 2005 until 2018, she grew the organization to nearly 3K members and delivered more than 800 network-building and community-strengthening events. She and Hub community members appear in the 2015 film "Inhabit: A Permaculture Perspective."

She is a highly effective team builder, movement builder, strategist, facilitator, speaker, network weaver, and administrator who believes that resilience-building, connectivity, and participatory approaches are among the best tools we have for creating vibrant futures and for navigating the challenges we face.

She's currently the Interim Development Director for NFFC and NAMA, Advisor to Interlace Agroforestry Commons, a member of Grist's New England Fix! Network, and on the editorial board of the Journal of Agriculture, Food & Community Food Systems. She served on the Eat Local Foods Coalition (ELFC) board, the Permaculture Association of the Northeast (PAN) board, the Grant Review Committee of the Grassroots Fund, and the Advisory Panel for Green & Healthy Maine Homes magazine. She was also active in the Portland Mayor's Initiative for Healthy Sustainable Food Systems, MOFGA's Agricultural Services Committee, the Portland Food Coop, Hour Exchange Portland, and is a Master Food Preserver and Master Composter.

An avid gardener, orchardist, and forager, Lisa and her family have been actively converting their 1/2 acre Maine (Wabanaki territory) home site into a model for comfortable, affordable "post-fossil fuel" living while beginning to work on their regenerative forest farm on Cape Breton Island (Unama'ki).