John Heywood has served as Executive Director of People, Food and Land Foundation (PFLF) since 2014. John brings executive leadership to PFLF with a background in the banking and financial industry in management, finance, and entrepreneurial activities. He has held senior positions in various California-based financial institutions such as Broadway Federal Bank, First Fidelity, and Irvine City Bank. John co-founded Numerata, a real estate and finance technology company, and was a founding partner at Irvine City Financial. As Group CEO of the ASEAN region for PC2A, a group of companies strategically focused on the nutraceutical and organic sectors, John gained firsthand experience with organic producers, which underscored the vital necessity of wide-scale adoption of regenerative agricultural practices.

John has also served on the Board of the Sierra Resource Conservation District. He has worked with non-profits, foundations, and governmental agencies in relation to land conservation and natural resource management of forests, rangelands, and agriculture. He is dedicated to expanding composting and other regenerative agriculture practices, through integrated resource management that facilitates the emerging circular bioeconomy.