Driven by a lifelong commitment to sustainability and a desire to ensure future generations can experience the world’s natural abundance—especially through food—Leah Ross is a strategic marketing and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience across the restaurant, retail, commercial real estate, and entertainment sectors.

Leah currently serves as the Operations & Outreach Coordinator for the Los Angeles County Office of Food Systems (LAC-OFS), where she supports initiatives that strengthen local food systems, advance equitable access to healthy food, and foster collaboration among public agencies, nonprofits, and community partners.

Her appreciation of the natural world was cultivated growing up in the Pacific Northwest, where her parents supported environmental causes and tended a substantial garden on their 13-acre farm. After earning a degree in Broadcast Journalism and completing the Professional Cooking Program at Westlake Culinary Institute, Leah combined her creative and culinary passions into a career that bridges storytelling and sustainability.

Leah’s experience includes nine years leading public relations, marketing, and environmental initiatives for celebrity chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger and their Border Grill Restaurants & Truck. She developed their environmental policy centered on organic ingredients, sustainable seafood, and plant-based cuisine—work that earned her recognition as a Seafood Watch Hero by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

An advocate for food system transformation, Leah served on the Leadership Board of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council and co-chaired Sustainable Seafood LA, producing the educational event “Sustainable Seafood Solutions: Is That Fish in Your Dish Sustainable?”

Before joining LAC-OFS, Leah was Director of Retail Marketing for Brookfield Properties, where she led branding, advertising, PR, and social media strategy for major downtown Los Angeles destinations, elevating community engagement and brand visibility through award-winning campaigns.