Organic Consultant List

Name Areas of Expertise Office Contact Information Biography Location Bob Anderson is a recognized authority on , processing, , certification, animal welfare and . He is the Senior Trade Advisor to the • Processing Systems Organic Trade Association, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service Certification & and the Office of the United • Assessments and Guidance States Trade Representative. He serves the United States Secretary of as an advisor for organic agriculture • Handling Plans and international trade and served as the chairman of the • Inspection preparation National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) during the • Security Strategies [email protected] Robert Anderson development of the U.S. National Organic Regulations. Bob is • Crisis prevention and Pennsylvania T: 814.574.1063 Sustainable an organic industry representative to the Foreign Agriculture Intervention Strategies LLC Service - Agriculture Trade Advisory Committee (ATAC) and • International Trade & Market currently serves on the ATAC. Bob was Development President and CEO of Walnut Acres Organic , one of the • U.S. & International founding and most respected vertically integrated organic Relations foods in the United States. • Strategic Planning Bob Anderson is the Founder & Principal of SUSTAINABLE STRATEGIES LLC - Advisors in Food and Agriculture, and currently advises businesses exploring organic certification as well as organic companies, organic agricultural initiatives and organic industry projects. • Handling Plans • Precertification Assistance Patti Bursten Deutsch has been in the organic industry for 20 • Materials and Ingredient years as an organic inspector, consultant and technical Patti Bursten Evaluation [email protected] reviewer. Patti's experience spans many types of operations Deutsch • System Plan Development Wisconsin T: 608.206.6499 including farms, livestock, fiber, , body care products Full Circle • Co‐packer Research & Audit and a wide variety of processed products. Patti has been Consulting LLC • Retail Compliance trained in Field Crop Scouting, IPM, GMP's, HACCP, ISO Development auditing, NonGMO Project and SQF. • Education • Label Compliance • Organic Due Diligence [email protected] We will consult to achieve org. certification to NOP or NSF Gay Timmons • Cosmetic Certification and California T: 408‐623‐7117 standards, we produce and implement Quality Systems and Oh, Oh Organics Inc Processing consult on various areas re cosmetics / FDA / USDA / EU

compliance. Name Areas of Expertise Office Contact Information Biography Location • Processing Systems Rick Martinez has been a respected leader in the organic • Organic Program industry for almost 30 years with extensive experience Development providing organic inspection, consulting and training services Rick Martinez • Inspection Preparation [email protected] to countless farms, processing facilities, retail chains, diverse Organic Integrity • Organic Regulatory Training Florida T: 813‐765‐0282 food businesses, governmental and non ‐ governmental International • Customized entities as well as US and international certification agencies Management/Employee in over 40 countries around the world. Rick will help you Training ensure ‘best in class’ skills for your organization and its • Private Label/Co-packer organic program(s). Fluent in both English and Spanish. Management Managing Partner and Senior Associate of Wolf, DiMatteo + [email protected] Katherine DiMatteo Associates, Katherine DiMatteo has 20+ years of experience www.organicspecialists.com Wolf, DiMatteo + with US and international organic standards development and T: 413‐624‐5569 Associates implementation, organic trade and business development, • F: 413‐624‐5569 Processing Systems and management. Past Executive Director of OTA. Past

• Organic System Plan President of IFOAM-Organics International. Development • Inspection Preparation President, manages Business Planning Services, and has 40+ • Precertification assistance [email protected] Bill Wolf years of experience in the organic sector from food • Materials and Ingredients www.organicspecialists.com Wolf, DiMatteo + production to and pest controls. Bill works closely Evaluation T: 540‐864‐5107 Associates with clients providing strategic advice on business planning, • International regulations Virginia F: 540‐864‐5161 regulatory compliance, National Organic Standard Board assistance petitions and recommendations, market and industry trends. • OMRI applications • Regulatory Compliance • Business Planning Managing Partner and Senior Associate, manages Organic Serving: Producers, [email protected] Compliance Services, and has over 20 years of experience in Sandy Mays Processors, Handlers, and www.organicspecialists.com organic production and marketing. Sandy works with

Wolf, DiMatteo +

Retailers T: 540‐864‐5107 businesses across the country to oversee the organic Associates F: 540‐864‐5161 certification of products, source organic ingredients, and

develop organic system plans including pest control programs.

A Washington lawyer specializing in food and agriculture law, [email protected] Richard D. Siegel, Richard D. Siegel is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of www.rdslaw.net Attorney at Law • Certification Adverse Action Washington, Agriculture. He has written articles and a primer on the T: (202) 518-6364 Richard Siegel Law assistance DC National Organic Program. Through counseling and Federal F: (202) 234-3550 Offices representation, Richard D. Siegel Law Offices provides

effective solutions to companies and certifiers

for their regulatory problems at the USDA and other agencies. Name Areas of Expertise Office Contact Information Biography Location The Organic Consulting Firm (The OCF) is an international company providing full service evaluation, development, training, and verification to many organic standards, including USDA, JAS, IFOAM, EU, and others. The Founders of The • Crop [email protected] Organic Consulting Firm Karen Troxell, and Shannon Murphy, • Livestock Karen Troxell www.theocf.com have a wealth of practical experience in the organic industry. • Processing The Organic California T: 951-326-4594 They have worked in all fields of the industry from raising • Personal care Consulting Firm T: 760-802-0134 organic crops and livestock to managing organic processing • Cosmetics F: 760‐454‐2337 plants in the US. The founders are active in today’s organic • International standards certification industry, working as consultants, inspectors, reviewers, and certification managers for several certification agencies. The OCF will integrate organic compliance into existing procedures or create a complete Organic Systems Plan.” Cara Smiley, owner of Integrated Organic Services, has over 15 years of experience working in the organic industry. During this time, she has worked for 2 organic certification • Handling Plans agencies and performed inspections in the USA, , Mexico, Central America and South America. In addition to • Standard Operating performing inspections and reviews for these certification Procedures (SOPs) and Logs agencies, Cara Smiley has assisted many US and Mexican for Organic Production Cara Smiley [email protected] Producers and Handlers to obtain organic certification to the • Pre‐ Inspection Preparation Integrated Organic Mexico: (011-52-1) / (045) 951- NOP, COR and EU Regulations. Integrated Organic Services, • Materials and Ingredient Mexico Services, Inc. 228-3386 Inc. also offers individualized trainings on the organic Evaluation regulations and the organic certification process. On the • Training and Education materials side, Integrated Organic Services, Inc. has worked • OMRI Applications with input manufacturers to list over 100 products with the • Bilingual English and Spanish Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). Integrated Organic Services can assist you in understanding and preparing the documentation required by organic certification agencies and the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).

• Dairy cattle and ruminant 20+ years of experience in dairy nutrition and management Daniel Giacomini [email protected] nutrition and management consulting, organic dairy consulting for over 12 years, MS and Pacific Nutrition- California T: 707‐321-5402 • Organic certification BS in Dairy Science, experience in wide range of organic Consulting • Regulatory policy navigation problem solving including experience with a number of

and management accredited certifiers. Former NOSB member and chairperson. Name Areas of Expertise Office Contact Information Biography Location Grace Gershuny has over 30 years of experience developing and implementing organic certification standards and • Regulatory policy and programs for the Northeast Organic Farming Association compliance (NOFA) and the Organic Trade Association (OTA). She served • Precertification services on the USDA National Organic Program staff for 5 years, where she was a principal author of the certification and • General processing accreditation requirements and the crop standards. She • Crop production [email protected] served as a policy consultant to OTA for 10 years, where she Grace Gershuny • Soil management and Vermont T: 802‐633‐4152 worked on organic textile and personal care standards. She composting helped develop the ANSI approved LEO-4000 Sustainable • Organic system design Agriculture Standard, and has also worked on animal welfare • Food security standards. She has performed inspections for QAI for over 10 • Textile and personal care years, and conducts internal audits for various USDA • Training and education accredited certifying bodies. Grace has taught agriculture and food systems issues at the college level for over 25 years, and currently teaches in the Green Mountain College on-line MS program in Sustainable Food Systems. Luis holds a M.Sc. degree in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. With over 20 years of experience in organic • Organic production and inspection, Luis has served growers and food processors as certification compliance: consultant, trainer and inspector in Latin America, the US, the crop and food processing Caribbean, the Pacific and Southeast Asia, and the Arab • Grower group certification Peninsula. As consultant he has developed and implemented • International organic organic system plans and internal control systems from small [email protected] standards, including NOP, San José, holder organizations to large corporate farms. Fluent in skype: agrivita IFOAM, COR, EU, JAS, Hong Costa Rica, English and Spanish, with a strong background as former Luis Brenes https://cr.linkedin.com/in/luisbren Kong, Pacific Organic Central extension agent and currently serving also as university esagrivita Standards, Costa Rica, etc. America postgrad professor, Luis is a very well-known and respected T: +(506) 8891-0728 • Education and training trainer and teacher with excellent communication skills. He

• Tropical agriculture has contributed to the training of numerous organic • Strategic Planning facilitator inspectors throughout the world and also serves as reviewer for non-for-profit and certification specialist for several certification agencies. organizations His inspection and certification review experience gives him a strong understanding of certification requirements and allows him to facilitate its implementation and compliance by certified operations. Name Areas of Expertise Office Contact Information Biography Location • Internal Control & Quality krista@organiceducationsolutions. Krista Wanser has over 10 years of experience developing, Krista Wanser Systems com managing and auditing quality system programs for all types Organic Education • System Plan Development Nebraska www.organiceducationsolutions.c of accreditation bodies, certification agencies and food Solutions LLC • Multi‐ Site/Group om processing facilities. Krista also specializes in quality system Management Systems T: 402-545-3481 programs for organics and . • Education Kelly is an IOIA-accredited process inspector, consultant and curriculum designer/trainer who has worked in the organic industry in Canada, the USA and Europe since 1997. She has • Processing inspected for ten international certification bodies and has • Organic system & plan assisted manufacturers across North America in obtaining design certification to the NOP and COR. Kelly is a member of the [email protected] Kelly A. Monaghan • Precertification assistance Ontario, Canadian Standards Interpretation Committee, the OMRI www.ashstreetorganics.com Ash Street Organics • Training and education Canada Canada Review Panel and is a Board Member of the Canada T: 416‐528‐1490 • Canada Organic Regime Organic Trade Association. She co-wrote the CORP (Canadian • US/Canada Organic Organic Retailing Practices Guide) and has developed CORP Equivalency Arrangement In-Store Curriculum for retailers in Canada. Kelly has designed and facilitated training on organic regulations for certifiers, inspectors, processors and government authorities.

Let me help you to organize your organic documentation for an initial application or your next inspection. I have over 15 • Certification –Grower/ years of experience in organic growing, consulting, and Processor inspections for growers, handlers, and processors. I can save you time and money; creating your organic system plan • Food Safety [email protected] (OSP), training your staff to lead inspections, preparing for • Audit Preparation www.organicandfoodsafetytrainin Stephen V. Bird Utah your next inspection (mock inspection), or solving issues of • OSP Preparation g.com concern identified on your last inspection. I know what it • HACCP Training T: 916-214-3954 takes to get through inspections efficiently. I am presently • PCQI Training assisting clients in California and other western states. In • GAP Training addition, I also am a lead instructor for HACCP, Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCQI), and GAP. Please go to my website for a list of upcoming trainings.

Name Areas of Expertise Office Contact Information Biography Location • Organic food and agriculture policy • Federal rules and regulations governing the organic agriculture sector and food labeling, including labeling of GMOs • Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Karlin Strategic Consulting offers strategic advice and counsel • Developing solutions for to organic and farms and businesses. farms, corporations, and With over fifteen years of experience in the private, non‐ Marni Karlin nonprofits www.karlinstrategic.com profit, and government sectors, Marni is an expert in strategic Karlin Strategic Louisiana • Innovative analytical thinking T: 202‐236‐7473 thinking, advocacy and analysis, particularly in the areas of Consulting, LLC and strategic advice organic food and agriculture policy, congressional and • Coalition and partnership administrative advocacy, coalition building, and antitrust and development in pursuit of competition law. end goals • Law and policy related specifically to food and agriculture, organic production, and antitrust/competition • Experience in Washington, DC • Product and Operations Heather Ganske has 20+ years of experience in the organic Transition from Conventional as a trained Food Scientist. Before becoming an to Organic Compliance IOIA trained inspector in 2016; she worked as a Process • Handling Plan Development Heather Ganske Development Manager within the Research and Development • Product / Ingredient [email protected] Ganske Consulting Minnesota department for a large International Food Company that Processing and Sourcing T: 507‐456‐9822 LLC specialized in organic retail and industrial food ingredients. • Processing Development She was also responsible to bring new processing facilities on • Process Modification for online with organic production including the process of Organic Compliancy obtaining organic certification. • Product Formulation • Organic certification of Zareb has an M.S. in nutrition from UC Berkeley and worked processing facilities for the USDA Agricultural Research Service for eight years. He Zareb Herman • System plan development has over 25 years of experience in the organic food industry [email protected] Zareb Herman • Audit preparation California and has worked for years with OTA and the National Organic T: 626-513-5764 Consulting • Comprehensive regulatory Standards Board to shape organic policies. As Regulatory affairs services Affairs Director for the Hain Celestial Group he directed an • Food allergens organic certification program with over 1000 products and Name Areas of Expertise Office Contact Information Biography Location • Export multiple production facilities. Besides offering organic consulting services, Zareb offers complete regulatory affairs consulting, including nutrition facts, ingredients, label claims and allergen labelling.

• Preparation for organic Organic certification consultant and IOIA accredited certification independent organic processing inspector who has worked • Organic compliant policies, with QAI’s documentation systems for 10+ operational and record years. keeping procedures • Writing of Organic Silke served on the IOIA Board of Directors for two years. She Silke Fuchshofen Compliance Plan [email protected] co-developed the Fair-Trade Alliance (FairTSA) Organic Insights, • Ongoing maintenance of New York www.organicinsights.com program where she also was a Board Member for five years. Inc. organic certification M: 518-708-2244 Silke created inspector and certifier trainings and is engaged • Staff training in the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) Fraud Prevention • Presence at annual and International Trade Task Force activities. inspections • Ingredient sourcing Fluent in German and English with knowledge of French and Spanish. • Internal Control System development • Organic, Fair Trade, Kosher, In today’s market, food safety and green initiatives are pivotal Non-GMO, Gluten-Free in your ability to stand out from the competition and create a certification consulting sustainable business. If the requirements surrounding new • Product and manufacturing product specifications, FDA compliance, or specialty specifications certifications seem daunting or you do not have the resources • Quality Control monitoring to dedicate to the process, let us help you achieve a more • Global Food Safety Initiative prestigious status by guiding you every step of the way. John Weaver and Food Safety [email protected] FoodCrafters Modernization Act Florida www.foodcraftersconsulting.com The team is led by John Weaver, who is a seasoned Consulting compliance T: 813-887-3030 x102 professional with over 25 years in the natural/organic foods • FDA and USDA label industry with skills in purchasing, distribution, and compliance manufacturing. He has worked across a range of businesses • HACCP program from one-person start-ups to multi-facility public companies. development • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and logs • Operations and supply chain Name Areas of Expertise Office Contact Information Biography Location Leonard Pollara is a forward-thinking strategist respected for ingenuity and creativity focused on organic, biodynamic and regenerative agriculture. Introduced to farming at age 5, Len • Organic farming and continues to learn and had built his commercial operation sustainability Upper Meadows (a fully integrated interspecies • Living systems design and certified organic operation including fruits, vegetables, management pasture, berries, herbs, mushrooms, flowers, orchards, • Short and long-range goal livestock and fowl), from 4.5 acres to 153; developing a 200 implementation family CSA, 8 remote markets, and founding an ongoing • Holistic systems integration market in Manhattan. Growing up in both urban and • Innovative problem solving rural communities has given him a unique understanding of • Animal husbandry, livestock, the urban/rural dynamic in regards to farming. Working as an poultry expert independent inspector since 2010, currently with over 30 • Cost reduction and process certificates from IOIA including farm, livestock, processing, Leonard J Pollara improvement non-GMO and other specialty foci, Len continues to build on California Organic Sage • Productivity optimization [email protected] his expertise. In addition, he holds HACCP certification and Michigan Consulting • Farmining systems and M: 570-228-8368 CQI/IRCA FSSC 22000 Food Safety Management Systems New Jersey Inspector Len LLC application Auditor/Lead Auditor certification with a long involvement in • Lean systems approach food safety. Working worldwide (5 continents to date), he has • Certified in Strategic no travel restrictions other than to active war zones. In marketing addition to other affiliations, Leonard has served as past • Organic farm development President of: The Rutgers Board of Managers; Sussex County • Strategic Sequencing Board of Agriculture, Northeast Organic Farming Association - • Work/life balance NJ; Montague Grange140 Master; NOFA Interstate Council • Pasture-based dairy VP. Len graduated with Class IV of the NJ Ag Leadership • Product development Development Program. Working as a union carpenter for • Infrastructure development outside income, he reached the level of Millwright General • Practical regenerative Foreman and has held many other off farm jobs. All of which agriculture contribute to a broad and unique understanding of farm to food systems. In short, Leonard brings a well-informed practical approach to understanding, refining, and implementing systems across all areas of agriculture.