Rizpah Bellard is a graduate of Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (BS '15). Raised on a Black Angus cattle ranch, Cornell was the perfect fit. Through both lived and academic experiences, Rizpah has combined natural sciences with social sciences. In her professional experience, Rizpah has tackled many socio-biological issues such as human trafficking, mental health illnesses, homelessness, global health, and education. After many years working with socially disadvantaged populations, Rizpah has pinpointed a major source of imbalance between the social and biological worlds - a widening gap between humans and their food.

As an entrepreneur, Rizpah founded Nova Farming to educate and expose members of society to the American and global agriculture sectors, and to build a bridge to agriculture as a pathway to higher education and career opportunities, to eventually even out the imbalance between society and nature. Rizpah also has experiences in global agriculture in Changchun, China; Cali, Colombia; and Akure, Nigeria.

Rizpah holds a Master of Arts from The University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies in International Studies with a Concentration in Human Trafficking and Forced Labor and a Certificate of Global Health (‘20).

Rizpah is a recipient of a Fulbright Scholar Award (2020), a member of COWGIRL Magazine’s 30 Under 30 Class of 2024, announced as CAFF's New Farmer of the Year (2024), and is the Board President of Magdalena's Daughters, an anti-trafficking nonprofit in San Bernardino County, CA. Recently, she has been featured in the Fresno Bee, The Fresno Business Journal, KVPR/NPR, ABC30 (twice), KSEE24 and the Western Landowners Alliance for her work in agriculture, housing and community service. In October 2024, Congressmember Jim Costa visited her Fresno Ranch and awarded her a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for her work with Nova Farming. Lastly, she has won Operator of the Year under the Fresno County Independent Living Association for the third year in a row due to her dedication to housing and advocating for members of the unhoused community.