Chris Adamo | Vice President of Government Affairs, Policy, and Partnerships, Danone North America (discussion leader)
Chris spent over a decade at the highest levels of the federal government working on issues related to agriculture, environment and nutrition. He was chief of staff for President Obama’s White House Council on Environmental Quality from 2015 until 2017. Chris worked as a senior fellow at National Wildlife Federation advising on sustainable agriculture, climate change, natural resources, and water. Previously, he worked in the U.S. Senate as an advisor to various U.S. Senators, both Democrats and Republicans. Chris graduated with a degree in economics and business from Kalamazoo College and a law degree from Vermont Law School.
Robert Bonnie | Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation Programs, USDA
Robert Bonnie is the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation at USDA. Prior to his confirmation, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Climate Advisor at USDA. Before joining USDA, Bonnie was at Duke University first as a Rubenstein Fellow and later as an Executive in Residence at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions working on conservation and environmental issues in rural America. In 2020, Bonnie also worked with the Bipartisan Policy Center on its Farm and Forest Carbon Solutions Initiative. He was Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at USDA from 2013 to 2017 and a senior advisor to Secretary Tom Vilsack from 2009 to 2013.
Beth Jensen | Climate+ Strategy Director, Textile Exchange
Beth Jensen is Climate+ Strategy Director at Textile Exchange, the leading global nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the use of sustainable fibers and materials within the apparel, footwear, and home textiles industries. She oversees the evolution and implementation of Textile Exchange’s Climate+ Strategy, supporting the industry’s efforts to achieve positive outcomes in the areas of climate, biodiversity, soil health, and water. Prior to Textile Exchange, Beth held leadership roles overseeing and driving sustainable materials and products programs at VF Corporation, a Fortune 500 company with a portfolio of outdoor and active brands including Vans, The North Face, Timberland, and Smartwool, and at Outdoor Industry Association, the North American-based trade association for the outdoor apparel, footwear, and gear sector. She holds a B.A. from St. Olaf College and an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder Leeds School of Business.
Joseph Brinkley | Director of Regenerative Farming, Fetzer Vineyards
With a degree in horticulture, another in economics, and 15 years in the field, Joseph Brinkley specializes in soil health, farming efficiencies, compost, cover crops, biodynamic farming and viticulture, and regenerative agriculture as a path towards increased vitality and resilience on the farm as well as a means to climate change mitigation through carbon reintegration. While Joseph's career is focused on wine grapes, he also has a small-scale farm raising pastured meats and specialty crops.