Newly created position will provide scientific leadership to advance organic food and farming
The Organic Center today named Jessica Shade, Ph.D., to serve in its newly created position of Director of Science Programs. She begins working for The Organic Center today.
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As the Director of Science Programs at The Organic Center, Shade will manage ongoing science programs and related communicated activities for the non-profit affiliate science center housed in the Washington, D.C., office of the Organic Trade Association (OTA). She will provide leadership in research project formulation and management, grant writing and report writing. She will also assemble and coordinate The Organic Center’s Scientific Advisory Panel.
The Organic Center’s mission is to convene credible, evidence-based science on the health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming, and communicate those benefits to the public.
Serving most recently as the Director for the Diversity Mentorship Program at the University of California at Berkeley, Shade is an environmental scientist with experience in developing, conducting, monitoring and supervising conservation research, a record of successful science communication, and outreach program development knowledge.
Shade received a B.S. in Plant Science and B.A. in Environmental Studies from the Biology Department at the University of California at Santa Cruz. She also earned a Ph. D. in Integrative Biology at the University of California at Berkeley.
“We are excited to have Jessica take The Organic Center’s work to a new level,” said Christine Bushway, OTA’s CEO and Executive Director. “In her career thus far, she has demonstrated a wide level of talents and accomplishments, including grant procurement for environmental science and conservation efforts, strong communication skills, management of outreach programs, and collaborations with a wide variety of public institutions to increase effective communication of technical environmental science.”
Bushway added, “We envision that her skills will help strengthen, grow, and lead a collaborative vision for the advancement of evidenced-based scientific knowledge for organic food and farming.”
The Organic Center's mission is to convene credible, evidence-based science on the health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming, and to communicate the findings to the public. As an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) research and education organization, The Center envisions improved health for the earth and its inhabitants through the conversion of agriculture to organic methods.