Certification Specialist

• Jan 2023 - Present

Vice President, Research & Development

• Jan 2021 - Oct 2022

- Interviewed, selected, and hired a core R&D team including one Scientist, five R&D Associates, four R&D Technicians, and a Maintenance Manager. Managed six teammates as direct reports. - Developed, facilitated, and implemented plans for the conversion of a multi-tier sole-source LED production grow room into an R&D pilot-to-scale facility, including participation in implementation of data driven decision making. Project included improvements to airflow, lighting, and fertilization as well as sensor selection and installation and several infrastructure improvements. - Led the development of best practices and new or improved crops to drive unit economics - Worked with a team to plan and test a new National Organic Plan (NOP) compliant fertilization system designed to be more efficient and easier to operate and maintain. - Collaborated with key stakeholders on the Operations team to communicate R&D best practices and worked together to troubleshoot issues of concern during production startup - Facilitated work on sustainability framework and goals - Effectively and efficiently facilitated the work of the R&D teammates toward the achievement of our departmental goals - Successfully led a project to collect CO2 waste from a local brewery to use for CO2 enrichment in the R&D pilot-to-scale facility - Collaborated with a team to test real time nutrient management technology for use in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems. - Managed startup of four new research cells containing 168 square feet of bench space each. - Collaborated with the team to plan trials, facilitate experimental design, ensure proper data collection, and facilitate report generation and data interpretation. Show less

Director, Research & Development

• Oct 2019 - Jan 2021

- Coordinated variety trials for over 100 varieties of lettuces and greens in sole-source LED R&D facility and used various quality and yield metrics to select the top performers which translated directly to corporate product offerings- Assisted with pilot-to-scale planning for translation of R&D results into production SOPs and provided troubleshooting during the beginning stages of production- Managed R&D trials of trellised tomatoes in sole-source LED R&D facility - Assisted in the startup and day-to-day operations of the company’s first multitier sole-source LED basil production facility. - Managed and executed the startup and operation of two shipping container LED growing laboratories for improvement of existing crops and development of new crops.- Successfully took a new fertilizer blend through laboratory testing, label creation, SDS creation, food safety and Organic compliance approval, and Virginia Department of Agriculture licensing and registration to prepare for use in commercial production facilities Show less

Corporate Director, Food Safety & Compliance

• Nov 2016 - Oct 2019

- Interviewed, selected, and hired a core Compliance team including two food safety and Organic compliance specialists and a supplier compliance specialist and supervised all as direct reports- Directed policy and planning for the corporate food safety program- Managed compliance to the National Organic Plan- Spoke at the proceedings of the National Organic Standards Board on several occasions to advocate for inputs or processes that are key to company operations- Completed due diligence in Food Safety and Organic compliance prior to acquisition of 6 packinghouses, 3 greenhouses, and 4 farms- Performed the function of Compliance Lead on core corporate integration team- Successfully integrated a coast to coast company including 6 packinghouses, 3 greenhouses, and 4 farms obtained through corporate acquisition and transitioned audits between certification bodies- Completed training of a compliance associate in each facility location- Managed third party audit coordination, audit preparation, and audit participation (19 entities comprised of packinghouses, greenhouses, and farms)- Developed and implemented a microgreens food safety program including seed, soil, and water testing, and finished product test-and-hold, cleaning logs, and HACCP plan- Completed successful customer audits and assembled informational packets for customers/prospective clients- Established a unified corporate food safety and organic compliance calendar- Completed recall plan maintenance and quarterly testing- Served as Lead Instructor for in house Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) training Show less

National Director, Food Safety & Complaince

• Jun 2015 - Nov 2016

- Directed policy and planning for the corporate food safety program- Managed compliance to the National Organic Plan- Selected, designed, and implemented an online compliance platform including Standard Operating Procedures, Logs, Task Assignment, Exception Reporting, and Supplier Control- Planned and executed a Microbial Risk Assessment for all areas of production- Designed, implemented, and maintained an environmental and equipment swabbing program- Completed third party audit coordination, audit preparation, and audit participation annually (8 entities comprised of packinghouses, greenhouses, and farms)- Completed recall plan maintenance and quarterly testing- Assisted key suppliers to bring their facilities to GFSI level food safety and achieve certification- Managed Non-GMO Project submissions for product verification, renewal documentation, and product status management Show less

Assistant Grower

• May 2008 - Jun 2015

- Managed greenhouse environment including, fertilization, irrigation, and climate controls- Managed the Organic System Plan for the farm and greenhouses, including updating plans, participating in inspections, and maintaining compliance with the NOP- Designed and implemented a food safety plan for the greenhouses and maintained that plan which accomplished improved food safety as well as GFSI level third party certification- Conducted research and development, including new product development, identification and testing of new inputs (i.e. soil, fertilizer, pest control, etc.), insect and disease pest identification- Developed and implemented a workstation task checklists and supervisor sign off structure for greenhouse production facility Show less

Commercial Horticulture Extension Agent

• Jan 2006 - Jun 2008

- Organized and conducted capacity building educational programs for producers of fruits, vegetables, floral crops, etc. - Provided individual consultation to culturally diverse audiences in order to assist them with their production systems - Assisted in managing the Virginia Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program statewide - Organized meetings of the VA-SARE committee and served as statewide interagency liaison - Organized and conducted capacity building educational programs for producers of fruits, vegetables, floral crops, etc. - Provided individual consultation to culturally diverse audiences in order to assist them with their production systems - Assisted in managing the Virginia Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program statewide - Organized meetings of the VA-SARE committee and served as statewide interagency liaison

Agroforestry Program - Rural Agriculture Development Specialist

• 2002 - 2004

- Collaborated with forestry technicians, nongovernmental organizations, and other community groups to promote resource management in a remote indigenous region of western Guatemala - Organized and increased capacity of over ten independent forestry committees via transference of technical skills and knowledge, enabling the reforestation of over 100 acres within the municipality - Conducted training sessions aimed to promote: soil conservation, fire prevention, forest management, seedling production, agroforestry, income generation, group organization, and marketing skills - Provided technical training and consultation in plant pathology and other related topics for fellow U.S. Peace Corps volunteers Show less

Agronomy & Plant Genetics Research Associate

• 2001 - 2002

- Designed protocol for extracting soybean isoflavones and screening soybean varieties for isoflavone content using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) - Identified soybean varieties for high isoflavone content as a possible alternative to estrogen for hormone therapy - Designed protocol for extracting soybean isoflavones and screening soybean varieties for isoflavone content using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) - Identified soybean varieties for high isoflavone content as a possible alternative to estrogen for hormone therapy

Insectary Manager

• 2000 - 2001

- Collaborated with team of scientists conducting in vivo/vitro metabolite screening to detect pesticidal properties of natural compounds - Managed insect rearing facilities coordinating the rearing of six insect genera maintained in the laboratories - Interviewed, hired, trained, and supervised research assistants - Collaborated with team of scientists conducting in vivo/vitro metabolite screening to detect pesticidal properties of natural compounds - Managed insect rearing facilities coordinating the rearing of six insect genera maintained in the laboratories - Interviewed, hired, trained, and supervised research assistants

Plant Pathology Research Associate

• 1999 - 2000

Researched the comparable effects of powdery mildew on different grape varieties Researched the comparable effects of powdery mildew on different grape varieties

Summer Research Assistant

• 1997 - 1998

- Assisted in plant pathology lab researching diseases of vegetable crops- Collected and analyzed populations of leafhoppers know to vector the disease aster yellows on lettuce- Conducted experiments using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) as well as many other useful laboratory and field techniques in the course of completing a 2-year honors project- Assisted in inoculation of field plots with plant disease isolates, application of pesticide treatments, and disease rating of harvested products Show less

Plant Pathology Research Assistant

• 1997 - 1997

- Assisted in plant pathology lab researching diseases of alfalfa- Performed many useful laboratory and field techniques such as field plot organization and inoculation of field plots with fungal isolates