Improved Sense of Inclusion & Belonging for Participants

Most recently, her work led her across the Atlantic to Parma, Italy, home of beauty brand and fellow B Corp Davines. Partnering with the Rodale Institute, Davines built the Rodale Institute European Regenerative Organic Center, a regenerative organic center dedicated to soil health. They named Cee their inaugural “Good Farmer” for the United States, inviting her to spend time with soil scientist Dario Fornara.“What struck me most,” she says, “was how two seemingly different people from different countries and different worlds—beauty and farming—are deeply connected through a common thread: the soil.”

While pursuing B Corp Certification in 2021, Farmer Cee challenged B Lab to consider the unique barriers faced by women- and BIPOC-led businesses. Her candid conversations with B Lab’s team helped shape and launch the Level program. As a part of the inaugural five-member cohort, she aimed to bring more farmers into the B Corp community. “My goal was to get more farmers B Corp certified so more acres could be stewarded regeneratively and organically, more farmworkers could be treated better, and more women—especially Black women—could run thriving businesses,” said Cee.

​​For Cee, partnerships like those with Gaia and Davines are about opportunity and alignment. “While we’re small, I’m as protective of my brand as a larger company,” she says. “If you don’t have good practices, I don’t want Green Heffa Farms tied to you.”It also resonates with customers. “There are people who only purchase from B Corps,” she says. “It helped with reception and recognition. People know what we stand for before we even say a word.”

Washington now uses this platform to champion initiatives that connect B Corps with timely and relevant equity topics. In 2024, B Local Illinois launched a Second Chance Employment series to raise awareness among business leaders about hiring individuals with criminal records, highlighting both the social and economic benefits of inclusive hiring. The conversations drew interest from employers eager to contribute space, resources, and funding to continue the work.

She is now planning to launch a women’s series to engage B-curious companies in conversations about supporting women in middle management as they move into leadership and C-suite roles. Washington continually makes it a priority to introduce BIPOC-owned businesses to the B Corp community, often directing them toward the Level program for tailored support.

For Washington, the B Local Illinois network has become both a professional and personal home base. “I was intentionally using the B Corp infrastructure — the BIPOC Slack, B Local events — as my market to see which consultants and companies I could partner with for large-scale contracts,” she says. “It’s about putting our people on the map in places where we can make an impact.”