MFF Staff
COY SMITH, Executive Director
Coy Smith oversees the staff of seven at MFF and is responsible for the Foundation’s overall management and administration. He has over 18 years of recycling business development experience involving the start-up of both private for-profit and nonprofit recycling enterprises. He served as the Executive Director for San Diego Recycling Company for six years and prior to that he co-founded Solana Recyclers, a nonprofit community-based recycling organization. He has also held positions in the public sector, serving as Recycling Program Director for the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego respectively. Mr. Smith has a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and a Communications minor from San Jose State University. He has served on the Board of Directors of the National Recycling Coalition, the California Resource Recovery Association, Solana Recyclers, the Environmental Health Coalition and Californians Against Waste.
LINDA CHRISTOPHER, Program Director
Linda Christopher is responsible for MFF’s recycling enterprise assistance programs. Prior to working at MFF, Ms. Christopher was the Education Director for nine years at Garbage Reincarnation Inc., a nonprofit organization which operates reuse and recycling centers in Sonoma County. Ms. Christopher researched and wrote articles on solid waste and recycling issues, advocated recycling policy, conducted workshops, and provided technical assistance to governments, businesses and nonprofits. She was the first Recycling Coordinator at Sonoma State University and she was responsible for developing and implementing the campus recycling program. Ms. Christopher holds an A.S. in Solar Energy Technology and completed study in Environmental Studies and Planning with an emphasis in Energy Management and Design at Sonoma State University. She is currently the President of the Northern California Recycling Association.
SHEILA DAVIS, Community Development Director
Sheila Davis works with the City of San Francisco’s Recycling Market Development Zone to improve opportunities for recycling business development in the City’s Bayview Hunters Point community. She hopes to generate interest in recycling enterprises during San Francisco’s military base conversion planning process and to support nonprofit recycling businesses which employ youth. Formerly a policy advisor for State Senator Milton Marks, Ms. Davis has worked extensively on community economic development and recycling policy issues. She drafted legislation on micro-enterprise development for Aid to Families with Dependent Children recipients, state recycled paper procurement policy, and electronic product recycling. Ms. Davis currently serves on the Californians Against Waste Foundation Board of Directors and the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Community Development Citywide Loan Fund Citizen’s Advisory Committee.
LISA GELLER, Base Conversion Coordinator
Lisa Geller has been working on MFF deconstruction and wood reuse projects since 1997. Lisa is currently coordinating the development of Community Woodworks, a reclaimed wood mill that will work closely with MFF’s training and employment partner organizations to both increase wood reuse and create economic opportunities for low-income individuals. Lisa received her BA from the Peace and Conflict Studies program at the University of California, Berkeley with an emphasis on political economy and social justice.
DAVID HANCHETT, Environmental Economic Development Associate
Originally hailing from the tundras of upstate New York, David spent his undergraduate education years at the University of New Hampshire. Knowing what his education interests were before he even became a college freshman, he studied Environmental Conservation. Given the choice between a policy or a science-based curriculum, Dave felt that the policy option offered a greater variety of learning options, from political science to english to general science courses. From the technologically challenged “Live Free of Die” state, across the country, to the heart of the digital revolution in San Francisco, CA, Dave sought a new challenge known as the Internet. Three years with a start-up Internet company gave him business experience and skills that enhanced his social and environmental education and interests, allowing him to become a greater asset. Dave looks forward to gaining a better understanding of the nonprofit world.
STEVEN SHERMAN, Revolving Loan Fund Administrator
Steven Sherman, principal owner, has 13 years of consulting experience in composting and recycling program development. He specializes in program planning; economic and policy analysis; facility siting; researching and testing new composting systems; and educating policy makers, regulators, and the community about composting. Mr. Sherman served as Policy Director for the California Organics Recycling Council from 1992 to 1995. He holds an M.S. in Resource and Agricultural Economics from Cornell University and a B.A. in History/Environmental Studies from Yale College.
SIMON WALKER, Resources Coordinator
A jack-of-all-trades, Simon supports all aspects of operations at MFF. Aside from handling general office managerial duties, he edits and designs the foundation’s website & publications, contributes to the grant writing efforts and works with grantees. Simon has dabbled in various San Francisco non-profit organizations prior to settling down at MFF. A native of New York state, he received a B.A. in English Literature and Spanish Language from SUNY Binghamton in 1998. He is an enthusiastic cyclist and enjoys guitar, music and singing.