Shea Ruyak joined Conservation Innovation Fund to assist in administering the Fund’s $25 million dollar USDA Climate Smart Commodities Grant, following her educational career in environmental finance. Prior to joining the Conservation Innovation Fund, Ms. Ruyak supported Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics work under USDA’s "Thriving Agricultural Systems in Urbanized Landscapes" initiative. Her background applies economic principles to environmental management, decision making, and policy. Ms. Ruyak holds a BS in Applied Economics Management with a concentration in Environmental Economics from Virginia Tech.