Hello! It's lovely to meet you!

Greetings from the little town of Decorah, Iowa.

I love exploring the fact that positive change can start from anywhere. I started that journey by blooming where I was planted, in Northeastern Iowa. I am inspired to work at the intersection of environmental justice, sustainable agriculture, and politics. I believe we are all part of an interconnected whole, and that we are called to remember that connectedness as we extend our sense of self into the world around us.

I don't use social media very much, so I figured I'd make a little landing page on the internet. Below, I'll include some information about my professional history that will give you a glimpse into how I choose to move through the world. Expect this space to change! I'd love to add photos to further tell my story and share my experiences. Thank you for being here.

About Toby Cain:

Toby has dedicated her career to strengthening rural communities, empowering emerging leaders, and building resilient coalitions. She currently serves as the Organizing Director for Democracy Forward’s Civil Service Strong initiative. Prior to joining Democracy Forward, Toby served as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency where she supported more than 1.1 million farmers through a $207B federal farm safety net program while advancing agency-wide equity initiatives, expanding outreach to underserved agricultural communities, and working on the Farm Bill.

For more than fifteen years, Toby has stewarded sustainable agriculture networks as the Education and Outreach Coordinator at Seed Savers Exchange, the Midwest Ambassador for WWOOF-USA, co-founder of the Driftless Young Farmers Coalition, board member of the Iowa Farmers Union, and Sustainability Coordinator for Luther College. Toby has built participatory coalitions as a leader with Rural Organizing, the Mutual Aid Hub, the Local Seeds Coalition, and the Iowa Organic Association; and she has gained valuable electoral campaign experience across the country, serving in strategic roles for razor-thin elections like Kayla Koether’s 2018 Iowa House race, Pete Buttigieg’s Iowa Caucus team, and Abigail Spanberger’s 2020 Congressional campaign.

Throughout her life, Toby has benefited from federal initiatives such as the Pell Grant, Perkins Loans, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and Medicaid. She is grateful for the generosity of Grinnell College alumni, whose contributions made it possible for her to attend college as a low-income student, and to the college, whose need-blind admissions policy and commitment to meeting every student's demonstrated financial need has allowed her a chance to flourish.

In addition to movement work, Toby helped her family start a small business, Sundog Colorado, which is now celebrating its 15th year. In her free time, she loves to share potluck meals with friends, explore yard sales, read, wander, and go to art museums. She volunteers with the American Cancer Society, Grinnell College, and the Winneshiek County Democrats, where she serves as chair.

Toby grew up in Southern Illinois, in Madison County, near the Mississippi River. She lives and works in Decorah, Iowa, part of the Driftless region of the Upper Midwest that was - and is - home to the Ho-Chunk people.