The Organic Trade Association Board of Directors consists of fifteen 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 eleven at-large members elected by the general membership and four members who are appointed by elected Board members.
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BOARD PRESIDENT
Tracy Favre has over 30 years in natural resource management working in various positions, now serving as the Vice President of Sustainability for Live Operations at Handsome Brook Farms, LLC. From 2012 – 2017, Ms. Favre served on the National Organic Standards Board, wrapping up her tenure there as board chair. Tracy has worked as an independent organic inspector, and served as the Global Director for Quality Assurance International, setting strategic direction for the organization, including international expansion. She is passionate about the intersection of good, healthy food and sustainable livelihoods.
BOARD VICE PRESIDENT
As Senior 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.
SECRETARY
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.
TREASURER
Kellee James is the Founder of Mercaris (acquired by Argus Media in 2023) and the VP of Agriculture for North America for Argus Media, 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.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE, CHAIR
Paul Schiefer is President of Amy’s Kitchen where he oversees key corporate functions and the senior leadership team, including sales, marketing, supply chain, finance, technology, and employee engagement. He is excited to be part of the next generation of organic industry leaders and is dedicated to ensuring that Amy's Kitchen continues to deliver great-tasting food that is also good for the planet.
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE, CHAIR
Ann Marie Hourigan is a Quality Standards Principal Advisor 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.
COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE, VICE CHAIR
Heidi grew up on her family farm getting folks excited about all things Diestel. Today, Heidi is President of Sales & Marketing at Diestel Family Ranch, leading the industry one turkey at a time.
GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE, VICE CHAIR
Edward Fish is the Vice President and General Manager of Varietal Solutions at Bay State Milling where he works to connect food with agriculture. Prior to joining Bay State Milling, Ed worked across a variety of businesses at Cargill focusing on corporate strategy and business development. He currently chairs the Organic Trade Association’s Grains Council and the Board of Directors of About Fresh, a Boston-based nonprofit that gets healthy foods to vulnerable populations, and serves on the MIT Sloan Sustainability Advisory Board. Ed holds various certificates and degrees from UC Davis, Kansas State, George Washington University and MIT. He resides in Boston where he enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.
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.
Leonard Freeman, Managing Director of Oregon Tilth, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing organic food and agriculture through certification, education, and advocacy. He’s deeply involved in the community, with affiliations including the NFL and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas, using sports for community building and personal development. A noted writer, he’s featured in Forbes and publications, sharing insights on innovation, diversity, and leadership. Leonard holds a bachelor’s in Kinesiology and a minor in Special Education from Sam Houston State University, a master’s in Public Administration from Grand Canyon University, and serves on the boards of The National Society of Black Sports Professionals and the Hue Project, residing in Houston, Texas, as a dynamic force for positive change.
Suzanne Sengelmann has a diverse work experience in executive leadership roles. Suzanne is currently serving as the Chief Growth Officer at Lundberg Family Farms since October 2022. Prior to that, they worked as the Chief Executive Officer at Sensitive Home from September 2019 to October 2022. In addition, they served as the Chief Brand Officer at Oh My Green from November 2019 to July 2020. Suzanne Sengelmann also founded OTN Strategy, where they provided brand strategy consulting services from January 2015 to November 2019. Suzanne has held executive positions at Angie's BOOMCHICKAPOP, ParaPatch, and The Clorox Company, where they had extensive experience in marketing, business development, and new product innovation.
John McKeon is the Director of Organic Integrity and Compliance at Taylor Farms Retail overseeing organic compliance and regenerative organic practices. John also supports field food safety research, agronomic and biodiversity programs and trails, and Quality Systems management. He has worked at Taylor Farms & Earthbound Farm for years 15 years working in organic field and facility food safety, international organic supply chain compliance and organic agricultural operations. Prior to working there, John spent 10 years working at CCOF, from an intern to certification director, then inspector. John studied horticulture, sustainable agriculture and environmental studies at Cabrillo College and University of California Santa Cruz. He lives with his family on the central coast of California.
Luke Howard is an organic farmer from Millington, MD where he grows 600 acres of organic grains and 700,000 organic broilers. He has been involved in organic agriculture since 1998.
In 2002 Luke and his wife Alison purchased 77 acres of bare farmland on the Eastern shore of Maryland. With a $1200 dollar rototiller, they started to grow vegetables for a Farmers Market and a 10 member CSA. From those humble beginnings, Homestead Farms was born. Today Homestead Farms grows certified organic corn, soybeans, and wheat on about 600 acres, along with 700,000 certified organic broilers for the Coleman Organic label. In 2018 their son, Joseph started to work on the farm and today he manages the operation. Transitioning the farm to the next generation is a priority for Luke.
He has worked in the organic industry as a farmer, consultant, salesperson, and manager. Having spent his whole career in agriculture it did not take long to appreciate the connection that organic agriculture has with the consumer. He is passionate about protecting integrity and communicating the advantages of organic farming.
He also enjoys reading non-fiction books, along with an affinity for studying watersheds in his travels.