Mo Murrie Joins Kavita Koppa as Second Co-Executive Director
[Pittsboro, NC – January 13, 2026] — RAFI is pleased to announce the appointment of Mo Murrie to join Kavita Koppa as RAFI’s new co-executive leadership team. Both directors have risen through the ranks of RAFI and are uniquely positioned to move the organization forward in partnership
Claire Kelloway, RAFI’s Board President, says, “I couldn’t be more excited to have these two individuals leading our organization. When RAFI’s former ED, Edna Rodriguez, shared in 2024 that she would be leaving the organization, we began a thoughtful leadership transition process to determine the best way forward for this 35-year-old nonprofit. A team of staff and board was thrilled to identify two leaders within the organization. Both Kavita and Mo have proven track records of leadership in agricultural, financial, nonprofit, and community spaces. They are deeply committed to advancing RAFI’s mission, and all of us on the board look forward to what the future holds.”
“I’m excited to work alongside Mo, our board, and our staff to usher the organization into a new model of leadership and collaboration. Under this new structure, we are an even more powerful voice for farmers and fairness in the food system,” said Kavita Koppa.
Mo Murrie added, “Throughout my eight and a half years at RAFI, I’ve had the opportunity to grow alongside the organization. I’m grateful for the trust that the board and staff have in me to lead RAFI into our next phase, and I’m excited to face what’s next.”
RAFI has been working toward a more distributed management model over the past several years, helping ensure a smooth transition. Having co-executive directors expresses RAFI’s values of integrity and collaboration, enhances decision-making, strengthens resilience, and ultimately makes executive leadership more sustainable. This model, with Mo and Kavita at the helm, will ensure that RAFI continues to challenge the root causes of unjust food systems and advocate for system change.
Mo Murrie (they/them) began at RAFI in 2017 through the Come to the Table program and has taken on a series of growing leadership roles. In 2022, they assumed the role of Director of Operations, overseeing the finance, human resources, operations, and technology functions at RAFI. Over the past three years, Mo has continued to serve in roles of increasing responsibility, including Managing Director of Operations and Associate Director, before moving into their most recent role. Prior to coming to RAFI, Mo earned a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School and a Master of Social Work degree from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work and worked with faith- and community-based organizations in North Carolina and Washington, DC. Outside of RAFI, Mo enjoys time with their wife, daughter, and two dogs — especially when it can be spent in the woods, by the ocean, or near a lake.
Kavita Koppa (left) Mo Murrie (right).
Kavita Koppa (Kuh-vee-thuh) began her journey in agriculture as a farmhand and farm manager, where firsthand experience shaped her commitment to helping farmers succeed in their operations. She first came to RAFI in 2013 as an Americorps VISTA supporting military veterans interested in farming, and later continued her work across several aspects of agriculture, including managing a loan fund for climate-smart farming practices and working for an agricultural lender. Kavita returned to RAFI in 2023 and became co-executive director in 2025. Alongside her work at RAFI, she brings experience as a financial planner, specializing in serving clients who are often excluded from the conventional financial system. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in geography and biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a dual MBA/MA in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin. Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, thinking about practical access to financing, and getting lost in the woods.
###
Since our founding in 1990, RAFI (Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA) has recognized that our food system is deeply inequitable, where rural communities — their land, animals, and people — are exploited to benefit corporate power structures. Working across agricultural sectors and collaboratively through coalitions, we combine on-the-ground practical services and policy advocacy to ensure farmers have access to the tools they need to make the right choices for their farms and families, as well as for their communities and the environment.