Adam Warthesen | Director of Government & Industry Affairs | Organic Valley | OTA Board Vice President and Dairy Council Chair
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.
Chip English | Partner | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Chip English navigates and maximizes his clients’ success as affected by governments. He focuses on practical advice with the goal of minimizing risk while valuing reward. This means understanding and finding a creative and legal way to the client’s underlying goals where other lawyers might simply say “no.” He thus concentrates his practice on complex commercial litigation and regulatory matters for business and trade association clients, especially in food and agriculture. He proudly has more than 25 years of experience in organic farming and processing regulation. Chip handles significant FDA recall and other food safety issues. He regularly advises clients on labeling issues and defends clients against class-action claims that products are mislabeled or misleading.
Chip also focuses on constitutional matters involving the Commerce Clause, federal preemption, commercial speech, and the First Amendment. Chip has represented clients before multiple state and federal agencies, especially including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture where he has obtained numerous favorable rulings and results. He has also appeared successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court, in addition to arguing regularly before a number of trial and appellate courts.
Dr. Mark Lyons | Director fo the APHIS Ruminant Health Center | USDA
Mark Lyons is the Director of the Ruminant Health Center within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services. He directly supports cattle and bison health and the associated industries through programs and partnerships targeting priority disease issues. He is currently serving as the National Incident Coordinator for the emerging multi-state event related to decreased lactation in dairy cattle and the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in some affected herds.
Mark has also held a number of positions in regulatory medicine including time as a Research Fellow at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, a Public Health Veterinarian with the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Division of Meat Inspection, and an epidemiology officer with APHIS Veterinary Services office in Pickerington, Ohio. Mark completed multiple deployments for both HPAI and virulent Newcastle disease during his time with Veterinary Services’ Field Operations, assisting in multiple roles including surveillance, depopulation and disposal. Mark is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.
John Berge | Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs | USDA
John Berge was appointed by the Biden Administration to serve as the State Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Nebraska in December 2021. Since March of 2023, he has served as the Acting Deputy Administrator of Farm Programs (DAFP) at FSA. Berge is a western Nebraska native who grew up on a corn and wheat farm north of Lisco, Nebraska. In 2009, Berge was appointed as White House Liaison to USDA by President Obama where he was the principal liaison between the Executive Office of the President and the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture. He was later appointed as Deputy and Acting Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations and was a member of the Sub-Cabinet and Senior Policy Group. Berge also served as the Deputy Administrator for Field Operations with FSA, and as Executive Director of the National Food and Agriculture Council.
Prior to his appointment, Berge served as General Manager of the North Platte Natural Resources District. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Director of the Western Nebraska Community College Foundation and has also served on the staffs of U.S. Senators Jim Exon, Bob Kerrey, and Ben Nelson. Berge has served in many leadership roles for the Platte Basin Coalition, Nebraska Water Resources Association, US Global Leadership Coalition, and the Nebraska Conservation Roundtable. He was also involved in local and regional water management projects and served on the local Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Omaha, holds a Certificate in Climate Change and Energy from the Harvard Kennedy School, and is completing a Master of Applied Science in environmental studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Berge and his wife Kerri and their son and daughter live in Lincoln, Nebraska. He enjoys hiking, camping, and fishing.
Hayley Painter | Co-Owner | Painterland Sisters
Hayley Painter, along with her sister Stephanie are Founders and CEOs of Painterland Sisters, an Organic Skyr Yogurt Brand and is an advocate for grazing cattle, family farming and connecting consumers to the source of their food. Hayley is a 4th generation organic dairy farmer from Pennsylvania and is humbled to be named Forbes 30 under 30, “Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year for Organic Night Out” and SBA’s Eastern Pennsylvania’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year.