The Walker family has been in the agriculture business since the late 1960s, starting with Bartley’s father, Charlie, who moved to the Salinas Valley from the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Bartley was raised in the Salinas area and earned a bachelor’s in ag management and marketing from California Polytechnic State University. He worked at Tanimura & Antle, eventually being promoted to value-added product manager. Bartley left Tanimura & Antle to join forces with his father selling and renting farm equipment at Salinas Equipment Distributors. The business was sold to RDO, the largest Deere Dealer in the United States. Charlie started another tractor rental business in 2001 called Pacific Ag Rentals. Bartley joined his father in their new business venture that continues to this day. The fleet has grown to over 3,500 pieces of equipment and 300 employees, serving growers across a million acres of farmland in multiple states.

Brosseau spent his childhood weekends riding back and forth to his family’s vineyard in Monterey County, Calif. He went on to earn a degree in enology and viticulture from the University of California, Davis, and complemented his studies with viticulture and winemaking programs at the University of Burgandy and University of Bordeaux in France. He has crafted more than 2,000 wines, scoring 90-plus points, and earning accolades from the likes of Wine Spectator, The Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast and International Wine Review. Most recently, Brosseau helped secure Winery of the Year for Testarossa Winery in 2020 and White Wine of the Year in Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine in 2021. His pursuit of authenticity and essence from vineyards shows in all the wines that he crafts. This measure of success could not be achieved without the continued support of his family, friends, and vineyard and winery team members.

Brise oversees the organization’s research, education, and advocacy initiatives, supporting farmers and driving policies that champion organic agriculture. Brise helped create the Organic Agricultural Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives and secure the recognition of organic farming as a “good farming practice” under federal crop insurance programs. She has also served as Director of Policy and Programs at California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and as a senior lobbyist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, where she led campaigns linking organic farming to climate resilience and public health. She holds a B.A. in Community Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz, a Certificate in Conflict Resolution, and an M.A. in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

When she’s not advocating for organic farmers, Brise enjoys working in the garden, experimenting with new vegetarian recipes, traveling, and spending time with her family. 

Before working at Viva Terra, Ford was the organic and food service category manager for Oppy. He has also worked in management and purchasing at Alfalfa’s and Wild Oats Markets, commodity management at Earthbound Farm and Global Produce, and a floral purchasing team leader for Whole Foods Market. As global senior produce buyer at Whole Foods, Ford was a daily purchaser of table grape, apple, pear and stone fruit.

Colby is the Chief Operating Officer at Braga Fresh Family Farms, a vertically integrated company that grows and ships organic and conventional fresh vegetables worldwide. Colby holds a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural business with a minor in crop science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.  She lives where she was born and raised, in Soledad, Calif., also home of Braga Fresh and the company’s brand, Josie’s Organics. 

She is the current board president of the Monterey County Farm Bureau where she participates on the Food Safety, Land Use and Water Use Committees. She also sits on the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement Advisory Board & Technical Committee, the California Leafy Greens Research Board, Cal Poly’s Plant Science Advisory Council, the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce Board, the Hartnell College Foundation Board, and is an elected director to the Salinas Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency. Outside of work, Colby enjoys volunteering, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Karr is the recent past chair of the ACA board of directors, bringing consistency and collaboration across accredited certifying agencies globally, while growing the organization's reach, stability and impact. She recently stepped away from a 25-year career at Oregon Tilth Certified Organic, where she was certification director for over a decade. She was responsible for all aspects of organic certification and international standards, growth planning, and the organization's preparation for Strengthening Organic Enforcement implementation. Under her leadership, OTCO received numerous accolades from the National Organic Program for high performance in implementation of program standards. Karr helps manage the family farm in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

The venture capital firm invests in startups focused on maximizing California’s natural resource markets. HawkTower believes a new crop of technology startups will achieve exponential commercial scale by developing novel products that safeguard and optimize finite industrial and environmental resources. Before HawkTower, Bernstein spent 20 years in Silicon Valley, holding executive roles at Google and Microsoft. At Google, he ran business development, strategic partnerships and developer programs for products such as Google Search, Google Assistant, Google Research, Chrome/Web Platform, Google Identity and Sign-In, and Firebase. In 2012, he sold Meebo, a startup backed by Sequoia Capital, to Google. At Microsoft, Bernstein led critical product lines for Microsoft Teams. An alum of University of California, Davis, and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, he lives in Carmel Valley in Monterey County, Calif. 

Dave was selected President and CEO of Western Growers in 2019. Since joining the organization in 2005 he has focused on leading public policy initiatives affecting the agriculture industry in California and other western states. Dave has been at the forefront of major legislative and regulatory issues involving water supply, water quality, energy, air quality and labor. He helped negotiate statewide water bond provisions to enhance storage capacity, advocated for a comprehensive safe drinking water solution in partnership with environmental justice leaders, and negotiated the nation’s first state regulatory standard for prevention of heat illness in agricultural settings. Before joining Western Growers Dave served in the California Attorney General’s Office, first as Press Secretary and then as Director of Public Affairs and Communications. A Sacramento native, Dave earned a bachelor’s degree in Government-Journalism from Sacramento State University and resides with his wife Lezlie in Orange County, California.

Peixoto’s company is the largest family-owned organic vegetable operation in the United States. He is a third-generation farmer, with 50 years of experience. Peixoto started his farming career in eighth grade by hiring neighborhood kids to pick tomatoes on his family farm so he could market them. In 1996, he began to transition from conventional to organic. Starting with only 55 certified acres, the operation now has 3,300 in California, with over 50 organic commodities, distributing from coast to coast and into Canada. When Peixoto is not in the field or at Lakeside’s 52,000-square-foot custom cooler, he is at his restaurant in Watsonville, Calif., called The California Grill. The farm-to-table restaurant serves organic vegetables delivered daily from Lakeside.

Currier has worked at OMRI since 2011. He has a master’s in organic farming from Scotland’s Rural College. His research focuses on public sector procurement and the organic sector, specifically identifying and overcoming barriers to the procurement and supply of organic produce in schools. Currier leads policy and standards development, as well as educational outreach, and manages other projects including the creation of technical reports for the National Organic Program.

Brennan’s work focuses on organic production and climate-smart farming at the Agricultural Research Service in Salinas, Calif., where he has worked since 2001. His current research is in vegetable and strawberry production, with an emphasis on cover crops, weed and soil fertility and nutrient management, and biological control of insect pests. He says he is passionate about sustainable agriculture, long-term agricultural research and effective communication of practical research results. Before the Agricultural Research Service, Brennan worked as a farm adviser in Thailand, researching tree propagation, plant breeding and plant-insect interactions. He earned a bachelor’s in agronomy and soil science at the University of Hawaii, a master’s in horticulture from Cornell University, and a doctorate in plant biology at University of California, Davis.

Before his current role, Morgan was a pest control adviser and manager for Valley Farm Applications. In 2009, he founded Soil Health Laboratories LLC to help growers reduce fertilizer inputs based on real-time lab results. This soil lab provides same-day analysis of soil and water for nitrate, ammonium and pH levels for cool-season vegetables in the Salinas and Imperial valleys. The Braga family started farming in the Salinas Valley in 1928. Now vertically integrated, Braga Fresh combines innovation with tradition to grow, harvest and process fresh vegetables and leafy greens under the Josie’s Organics brand. Under Morgan’s leadership, Braga Fresh sets aside 10% of farmland for beneficial habitat and has launched regenerative farming trials. In 2023, Braga Fresh partnered with Whole Foods Market to introduce regeneratively grown sweet baby broccoli into the marketplace under the Josie’s Organics brand.

Colfer grew up on a small farm and went on to major in crop science at California Polytechnic State University. Her ag career focuses on the production of specialty vegetables for the Central Coast of California as a pest control adviser and certified crop adviser. She is now involved in the development and promotion of biological products, cover crops, insectary habitat, and nutrient efficient and sustainable fertilizers for Wilbur Ellis Ag. 

Lopez joined Reiter affiliated companies 12 years ago, and today focuses on blackberries and organic raspberries. In previous positions, he worked as a knowledge and innovation agronomy technician, knowledge and innovation manager, and ranch manager in organic strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. He received technical training at WyoTech (formerly known as Wyoming Technical Institute) and attended Hartnell College in Salinas, Calif.

Tucker has been deputy administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service’s National Organic Program since 2018, after being its associate deputy administrator for seven years. Before joining USDA, she was a consultant, working primarily with scientific and technical organizations. She earned a bachelor’s in environmental science from Wesleyan University, a master’s in management from Purdue University, and a doctorate in science and technology studies from Virginia Tech.

Parr began studying food systems and organic farming in high school alongside her mother and stepfather, who farmed in California’s Salinas Valley. She holds a master’s in community development from the University of California, Davis, and a certificate in ecological horticulture from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Before joining CCOF, she spent five years producing a global documentary on soil and food systems, called “Symphony of the Soil.” She now co-leads the new USDA Transition to Organic Partnership Program and is an advisory committee member for UC’s Organic Agriculture Institute and the Grimm Center for Organic Production at California Polytechnic State University.

Foster has long been involved in certified organic food and agricultural projects. His 30 years in corporate, small-scale and nonprofit enterprises has earned him national recognition in organic certification and policy, business strategy, growth management, and strategic planning — all focused on developing and growing the organic sector. For more than 10 years, he managed organic compliance at Earthbound Farm and then was director of supply chain strategy under White Wave Foods and Danone NA ownership. He is experienced in the development, implementation and monitoring of National Organic Program standards for crop production, livestock, processing, wholesale, distribution and retail operations. For the last three years, Foster has focused on business growth, including new regulations under the Strengthening Organic Enforcement initiative. 

McKeon oversees organic compliance and regenerative organic practices for farming and processing at Taylor Farms. He also supports field food safety research, agronomic and biodiversity programs and trials, and quality management. He has worked at Taylor Farms and Earthbound Farm for 15 years, working in field and facility food safety, international organic supply chain compliance, and organic ag operations. Before working there, he was at California Certified Organic Farmers for 10 years — first as an intern, then certification director and last as an inspector. He studied horticulture, sustainable agriculture and environmental studies at Cabrillo College and the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Lowell provides agronomy support for NRCS staff and works with individual farmers, as well as a wide range of public and private partners, to manage conservation challenges in a complex production, market and regulatory climate. A certified crop adviser based in Salinas, Calif., she covers 14 counties in the Central Coast, the Bay Delta region and the Central Valley. She was an agriculture Extension agent in Sierra Leone with the Peace Corps. She has a master’s in agronomy from University of Maryland and a doctorate in soil, crop and atmospheric science from Cornell University. Before her work with NRCS, Lowell taught a class in food safety and environmental quality at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Ross was appointed CDFA secretary in 2019. In re-appointing Ross, Gov. Gavin Newsom cited her unmatched leadership experience in agricultural issues within the state, nationally and internationally in areas including environmental stewardship, climate change adaptation and trade. Ross was initially appointed by Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. in 2011. Before joining CDFA, Ross was chief of staff for USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. Prior to that, she served as president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers from 1996 to 2009, and as vice president of the Agricultural Council of California from 1989 to1996. Ross grew up on a farm in Nebraska. She owns 800 acres of the family farm, where her brother is mentoring beginning farmers in growing no-till wheat and feed grains, incorporating cover crops, and practicing rotational grazing for beef production. 

Horton began farming insects in 1998 as a part-time job in college. She went on to pursue a degree in entomology and nematology at the University of Florida. She continued rearing insects and mites for the biological control industry for the next 15 years. In 2015, Horton began working on a large organic vegetable farm in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Now at Taylor Farming, she researches above- and belowground associations between plants, insects, diseases and soil. Her favorite insect is the dung beetle.

Pepper has championed organic and regenerative fibers for over 30 years, driving major change in the apparel and textile industry. Growing up on a rain-fed cotton farm in Texas, she gained a deep understanding of the importance of representing farmer voices in the journey toward sustainable practices. As a co-founder of Textile Exchange, Pepper has held key roles, including chairman of the board, managing director and CEO. Starting in 2024, she continues her work as a senior adviser, focusing on initiatives such as Women’s Empowerment and Regenerative Agriculture with Fashion Makes Change. She serves as vice chair and interim CEO of the Regenerative Organic Alliance, and chair of the CottonConnect board. She was a founding member of the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative with her late husband, Terry. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Abilene Christian University and a master’s in organizational leadership at Lubbock Christian University.

As founder and president of California based Jacobs Farm • Del Cabo, Larry created a network of small and medium scale family-owned farms over a 1,500-mile geography. This network provides a year-round supply of fresh cherry tomatoes and culinary herbs to major retailers across the country. Data and communication technologies played a critical role. Larry is an early adopter of robots to leverage field worker productivity and sees the confluence of computer vision, increasing chip speeds, and real time sensors as the solution to labor shortages, food waste, increasing input costs, and crop productivity.

A Monterey, Calif. Native and Fresno Bulldog Alumni, Meghan has spent her career in produce driving for meaningful change, developing profound partnerships, and spreading her joy and passion for all things produce. A blended background with produce experience in logistics, supply chain, food service, and retail, Meghan is an energetic leader, not afraid to approach complex problems in unorthodox ways. Known for her unwavering drive and passion, she approaches her work with a blend of creativity and competitiveness that constantly leads to growth and new opportunities. With a focus on forward-looking strategies, Meghan is dedicated to driving consumption and enhancing consumer engagement and education within the produce industry. 

Meredith plays a pivotal role in maintaining organic certification compliance across the company’s organic supply chain. Meredith works closely with both large and small growers, assisting them in achieving and maintaining certification, ensuring that Heath & Lejeune only partners with certified entities to protect the integrity of their organic products. Meredith's broad, seasoned expertise extends to managing certification processes and navigating the complexities of regulatory changes that impact the organic industry, most notably the recent Strengthening Organic Enforcement, or SOE enhancements, to the National Organic Program. 

Colfer has over 22 years of experience in the organic farming industry, specializing in leafy vegetables and other specialty crops grown in the western United States. His focus is on research and development, and agronomy at True Organic Products, where he leads efforts to optimize organic fertility systems and enhance soil health, crop nutrient availability and crop resilience through the use of organic soil amendments. Previously, he worked at Earthbound Farm, focusing on pest management, fertility management, variety selection and agricultural research. Colfer earned his doctorate in population biology from University of California, Davis, where he studied the ecological principles to improve agricultural systems.

A certified crop adviser, Park is a first-generation farmer in Sacramento Valley. He has farmed 51 years, with the past 40 years focusing on soil health as the problem-solving tool for most farm woes. The farm in Meridian, Calif., is approved by the California Certified Organic Farmers, Regenerative Organic Certified and Real Organic Project Certified. Park Farming Organics was the recipient of the 2023 California Leopold Conservation Award, and the Department of Regulation Award for innovation in Integrated Pest Management. Park is a consultant for son Brian, who now owns and operates the farm. He is also finishing a book that will focus on the trials and tribulations of transitioning the farm from conventional to organic farming.

Growing up on a dairy farm in the Chino Valley of California, Alexandre was out with the calves and cows as soon as she could walk. After high school, she went to California Polytechnic State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in ag business with a minor in dairy science. At Cal Poly, she also met her husband, Blake Alexandre, a fourth-generation dairy farmer. Alexandre Family Farm follows sustainable organic practices and pursues environmental stewardship in its management. The family operates four grass-based organic dairies in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, with 4,200 crossbred milk cows on 6,000 acres of irrigated pasture. The farm is also the first certified regenerative dairy in the nation. Included in the operation is Alexandre Kids Eggs, a pasture-based organic egg business that uses the same regenerative organic practices as the dairy operation. 

Born and raised in the rural Yolo County of California, Thaddeus grew up participating in all aspects of the family’s small organic fruit and vegetable farm while attending public school in Esparto. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Bio Resource and Agricultural Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He and his brothers would inherit the small farm, Capay Fruits & Vegetables, and the small CSA, Farm Fresh To You, when their mother Kathleen Barsotti passed in 2000. Over the next two decades Thaddeus and his brothers grew the business to over 1,000 acres of organic produce, delivering over three million boxes of fresh organic produce across the West Coast while employing over 1,000 individuals. Thaddeus enjoys sharing his knowledge of the complete food system and advocating for changes needed to make farming and ranching profitable for new and existing individuals. 

Linsky’s career of more than 35 years has taken him from a small natural-food store to the boardrooms of more than a dozen companies. Along the way, he has built some of the most prolific organic produce brands in the world. In 2015, he formed Todd Linsky Consulting, known as TLC, to advise industry investors, startups, retailers and growers. His client list includes national and international groups in the produce, medical cannabis and hemp industries. Linsky has helped people and companies — from students’ edible gardens to lobbyists to retail dietitians.

Smith leads JV Smith Co., a diverse group of operations with farming, cooling and distribution facilities and shipping capacities in Arizona, California, Colorado and Baja, Mexico. Skyview Cooling was the companies’ first operation, formed in 1970 as a cooling company in Colorado and New Mexico. By 1977, it had expanded to Yuma, and then in 1982 it began operations in northern Mexico. Today, JV Smith Companies farm several commodities including romaine, iceberg lettuce, spinach, celery, mixed leaf and organic spring mix, carrots, and green onions. Vic studied Economics and Business Law at the University of Colorado from 1970-1974. He went on to study Finance at Arizona State University in 1975. Since 1991, he has overseen all the companies’ farming, packing and cooling operations, including over 27,000 acres of vegetable production annually. Smith is on the Board of Directors of Brighter Bites, and ifoodDecisionSciences, Inc. He is a member of International Fresh Produce Association and Western Growers.

Estes helps bring technology to the produce industry by bridging the gap between tech innovators and producers to identify and solve pressing needs. She has held leadership roles with multinational agribusinesses, such as Monsanto, Syngenta and DuPont, along with startups. She produces a weekly podcast, “Fresh Takes on Tech,” and manages the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator to bring new technologies into the industry. Estes has a bachelor’s in horticulture from New Mexico State University and a master’s in plant pathology from University of California, Davis. The Biotechnology Innovation Organization awarded her with the fourth annual Rosalind Franklin Award for Leadership in Industrial Biotechnology in 2017, an award recognizing women who make lasting contributions in biotechnology.

Walt helps AgTech startups scale faster and work better with growers. Western Growers Innovation helps solve some of agriculture’s biggest challenges related to labor, water, and food safety. The Innovation team leads global initiatives around harvest (Global Harvest Automation Initiative) and educates the next generation of ag workers (Next Gen Ag Worker Initiative). Walt is a fifth-generation family farmer growing cattle, specialty crops, and wine grapes in Monterey County. Walt has over 25 years of experience in Silicon Valley startups, including eBay, MerchantCircle, and APTARE. Prior to Western Growers, Walt helped SVG-THRIVE build the top AgriFoodTech Accelerator.