Iya Mahan

Program Director

As Program Director, Iya Mahan leads initiatives that strengthen the local food economy, enhance food system resilience, and create opportunities for beginning farmers. She excels at bringing people together to foster meaningful discussions and drive community-led action.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, with an emphasis in Ethics, from Cal Poly Humboldt, where she graduated magna cum laude. Her academic background includes natural resource conservation, sustainable agriculture, and environmental justice—areas that continue to inform her approach to food systems work.

Her work includes managing the Downtown Crescent City Farmers Market, which the Community Food Council (CFC) recently took over, ensuring it remains a vibrant hub for local producers and consumers.

Iya also serves as the Del Norte lead for the USDA Regional Food Systems Partnership, a six-county initiative spanning from Del Norte to Marin. This effort integrates local food into emergency food systems and has led to the development of the North Coast Emergency Food System Partnership—a multi-county network of emergency food professionals. Building on this, Iya launched and facilitates the Del Norte Emergency Feeding Task Force, ensuring local food and resources are incorporated into emergency preparedness strategies.

In collaboration with the North Coast Growers Association, she has played a key role in launching the North Coast Land Match Program, connecting beginning farmers with land access opportunities, as well as the Climate Resilient Farmer Training Program. 

Beyond program development, Iya actively facilitates key community meetings, including the DNATL CFC Quarterly Meeting, the DNATL CFC Steering Committee, and a series of community planning sessions focused on organic waste management and SB1383 compliance. She is also deeply engaged in state and national food system networks, contributing to policy and advocacy efforts through the California Food Policy Council, the California Food and Farming Network, and the Wallace Center’s Farm to Food Assistance and Value Chain Coordination Community of Practice.

Additionally, Iya loves working with The CFC Staff to organize community engagement events, workshops, and training sessions, including the annual Seed and Plant Exchange and educational programs for beginning farmers and food producers.

Iya’s work is deeply shaped by both her professional and personal experiences, which inform her approach to strengthening local food systems. She has spent much of her life working across various areas of food systems—from farming in Hawaii, to working in food service, and delivering nutrition and garden education in schools. These experiences have given her a strong understanding of the interconnectedness of food, community health, and sustainability.

Iya’s dedication to community engagement and leadership began in high school, where she served as student body president and learned how to bring people together around a shared vision. These early leadership skills have carried through to her work today, where she excels at uniting diverse stakeholders around initiatives that strengthen local food systems, enhance food security, and promote sustainability. What makes Iya especially valuable in her role is her ability to build relationships, elevate local voices, and create strategic partnerships that turn ideas into actionable, community-driven solutions.

Her dedication to this work is driven by a strong belief that food is at the heart of community health, culture, and resilience. She believes that everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food and that strengthening local food systems is essential to a sustainable future.  Outside of work, Iya enjoys gardening, hiking in the redwoods, paddling local rivers, and exploring beaches with her family. She also loves cooking and eating wholesome, home-cooked meals.