The Organic Trade Association Board of Directors consists of seventeen people, each of whom serves a term of three years. A Board member cannot serve more than three consecutive terms. OTA Board members are elected by OTA trade members each year. The Board is made up of nine at-large members elected by the general membership, two Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA) representatives who have been elected by the general membership of COTA and five members who are appointed by elected Board members. There is also a dedicated Farmer Board seat.
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BOARD PRESIDENT
Paul is the Vice President of Impact & Communications for Amy's, producer of organic frozen meals and soups. He oversees Amy’s Planet Strategy, which includes integrating sustainability into all aspects of the business, including sourcing and agricultural practices, manufacturing operations, and products. He also leads Amy’s Policy and Advocacy Strategy, and is a member of Amy’s Leadership Group.
BOARD VICE PRESIDENT AND GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Tracy Favre is the owner of Fig Hill Farm Consulting. Fig Hill Consulting works with farm and food production supply chains to identify sustainability goals and to achieve regulatory compliance for organic certification. Formerly an organic inspector, she worked for 25 years in environmental management, as an engineer and in sustainable agriculture.
TREASURER
Domenic Borrelli is the President of Plant-Based Food & Beverages and Premium Dairy for Danone North America Danone North America, where he balances the company’s commitment to social and environmental progress while generating profitable, sustainable growth. Domenic brings 24 years of food and beverage experience, including work in sustainable meat, refreshment beverages, coffee, cheese, cereal and ready-to-eat meals.
SECRETARY
Britt Lundgren is the Director of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture at Stonyfield Farm. With over a decade of experience working to advance agricultural sustainability through policy and supply chain initiatives including six years at Stonyfield, she brings much relevant knowledge and enthusiasm to the Board.
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE & FARMER SEAT
Doug and his wife Anna own and operate Vilicus Farms, a 5,000-acre certified organic dry-land farm growing 12 to 15 grain, pulse, broadleaf and oilseed crops annually. Having started the farm “from scratch,” they share a passion for beginning farmers. Doug has been an active member of the Farmers Advisory Council and regular participant in OTA’s Policy Conference and Hill Visits.
Kim is the Business Development Director of Organics, Extracts and Sustainability for Firmenich. Kim has been involved in organic farming sustainability her entire life, and has over 30 years of experience and expertise regarding organic and non-GMO compliance and standards; her commitment to organic has been shown in her voluntary work with OTA throughout her career, both as a leader and a participant.
CHAIR, ORGANIC PAC
Matthew Dillon is Chief Sustainability Officer at Farmer Focus. Before his role at Farmer Focus, Matt led Clif Bar's federal and state advocacy engagement. Matthew spearheaded Clif Bar’s organic research investments, endowing four chairs in organic research and funding 17 Ph.D. students, making Clif the largest private funder of organic research in the United States. He has held diverse roles in organic agriculture and policy fields since 1982, including farmer, advocate, and consultant to food companies, government agencies, and non-profits.
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Ann Marie Hourigan is a Quality Standards Sr Team Leader for Sourcing Standards at Whole Foods Market. She has worked in the organic and natural foods industry since 2003 in a variety of roles. Prior to working at Whole Foods Market, Ann Marie was the Director of Organic Integrity and Compliance Programs at Earthbound Farm, a dedicated organic producer and handler of packaged salads and other produce. In previous roles Ann Marie has been an organic inspector and technical reviewer for Quality Assurance International (QAI), member of the California Organic Products Advisory Committee (COPAC), and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) chapter leader.
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE
Kellee James is the Founder and CEO of Mercaris, a start-up company that provides a market information service and online trading platform for organic and non-GMO crops and ingredients. Kellee currently serves on the Board of Oregon Tilth. Kellee has an interest and experience in values-driven entrepreneurship, finance, and governance issues.
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE, CHAIR
Bob Kaake is Principal at Slice of Kaake Consulting. He uses his entrepreneurial background in product development and quality to help companies bring great tasting, organic products to market. His time at Annie’s proved to him that good food can also do good. Bob firmly believes meaningful partnerships across all levels of the organic supply chain are key to a successful food company and are critical to the essential work needed to leverage agriculture as a solution to climate change.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE, CHAIR
David Lively and his brother Tom started out with gardening organically on a one-third acre designed to feed a commune of 15. Froom there, they started to professionally farm and the work that created Organically Grown Cooperative. This evolved to Organically Grown Company, with grower and employee owners. He currently is Pioneer Ermeritus at Organically Grown Company. He is a co-founder of the Sustainable Food Trade Association, Organic Produce Wholesalers Coalition and the Organicology Conference. He has also served on the Boards of Oregon Tilth and the Organic Seed Alliance.
Community Relations Committee
Mike is the Vice President of Food Safety & Technology for True Organic Products. His curiosity about the organic industry and how to affects the biological systems around it continue to be satisfied in his role by helping to find new inputs for use as organic fertilizers.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Johanna Phillips is a technical director of the USDA NOP certification team for Ecocert USA, where she also works on technical and policy initiatives as part of Ecocert Group. She carries over a decade of regulatory experience in commercial feed, food, and organic certification, and a lifetime of experience in agriculture. Johanna has a passion for agriculture that is closely tied to her belief that we can do so much more to support the sustainability and wellbeing of the planet, as well as lifestyles that ensure healthy and safe food available domestically. She is inspired and driven by a calling to support opportunities for families and businesses to operate sustainably and make a living.
Daniella Velazquez de Leon is the general manager of Organics Unlimited, where she's responsible for the success of day-to-day operations across sales and distribution, logistics, and production entities. Daniella is the newest generation of this family business: the fourth generation of organic growers in her family and the third generation of organic banana wholesalers. Organic Unlimited primarily imports top-quality bananas from farms deep in the soil of Mexico.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE, VICE CHAIR
As Director of Government and Industry Affairs for Organic Valley, Adam oversees the cooperative’s government affairs and engagement with industry trade groups. His duties include cultivating relations with policymakers, engaging administrative agencies, and driving forward-facing public relations with numerous food, farm and media stakeholders.