2027
SPEAKERS
Mainstage Speakers
Keynote Speaker:
Qiddist Ashé
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Black Oregon Land Trust
Qiddist Ashé is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Black Oregon Land Trust, Oregon’s first Black-led community land trust. Through BOLT, she works to secure land access, protect ecosystems, and cultivate earth stewardship skills that support thriving land-based futures for Black communities across Oregon. In the past four years, BOLT has protected over 100 acres of land, supported dozens of farmers, and grown a powerful model of community-held land stewardship rooted in food sovereignty, cultural memory, ecological care, and intergenerational resilience. Born and raised in Oregon, Qiddist brings a multidisciplinary background in traditional midwifery, women’s health, education, and policy to her leadership. Across these fields, her work has always centered the same essential question: what conditions do communities need in order to live, heal, belong, and thrive?
Keynote Speaker:
Krish Srinivasan
CEO and President, PCC Community Markets
Krishnan "Krish" Srinivasan is the CEO and President of PCC Community Markets, a local, member-owned and -operated food cooperative. With over 25 years of leadership experience in diverse organizations, Krish joined PCC in 2018 as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and was named President & CEO in 2022. Prior to his time at PCC, Krish built the finance infrastructure and world class finance teams at Remitly and Lyft; before that, he held business and finance leadership positions at Amazon and Microsoft, driving a range of strategic endeavors in the US, India, and Japan. In addition to an ex-officio Trustee position on PCC’s Board, Krish currently serves on the board of Downtown Seattle Association and Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; he has also served on the boards of Splash International, National Co+op Grocers, and The Bertschi School. Outside of work, Krish is passionate about food, music, travel and the great outdoors. 
Keynote Speaker:
Jonalee Squeochs
Interim General Manager, Yakama Nation Farms
Jonalee is currently the interim General Manager of Yakama Nation Farms. She is an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation and a graduate of Washington State University. Since May of 2022, Jonalee has been closely working to assist with the Yakama Nation’s efforts in transitioning their recently acquired 1,500-acre grow, pack, and ship produce farm in Wapato Washington, to tribal management. Yakama Nation Farms proudly grows 500 acres of certified organic and 1000 acres of conventionally grown row vegetables. The farm, previously owned and operated by the Inaba family for over 100 years, has been a longstanding contributor of high-quality, locally grown products to the regional Pacific northwest fresh produce distribution system.
Keynote Speaker:
Jennifer Tucker, PH.D.
Deputy Administrator, USDA National Organic Program
Dr. Jennifer Tucker has been Deputy Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program since June 2018. Before that, she was Associate Deputy Administrator of the NOP for seven years. Before joining USDA, she led organization development and technology consulting practices in the private sector. She earned a B.A. in Environmental Science from Wesleyan University, an M.S. in Management from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from Virginia Tech.
Emcee:
Matthew Wellsandt
Quality Assurance Lead, Organically Grown Company
Matt Wellsandt has worked for Organically Grown Co. since 2019, primarily in leadership roles with operations and quality assurance. He has also served as a member of the sustainability committee; coordinating various recycling projects. In addition to his work with organic produce, Matt is a semi-professional comedian, performing in the Portland/Vancouver area. He has appeared in such acts as Magenta Improv Theatre, ComedySportz Rec League, “Medford Medical" and “Score!”Session Speakers
Peter Bungum
Research and Education Manager, The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
Since 2014, Peter has helped the Organic Materials Review Institute fulfill its mission to provide expert input material review and industry education. He has played an instrumental role in developing a team that has created over 50 technical reports (and counting) on input materials for the National Organic Standards Board. He attributes his interest in organic farming to his mother, who always appreciated high quality organic produce, even before the creation of a national organic standard. Peter earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology at the University of Oregon, in Eugene. Before coming to OMRI, Peter worked as a farm worker, biological scientist, teacher, and metal fabricator. Peter loves to explore the world by engaging in many forms of outdoor recreation, including climbing, skiing, and hiking. He also loves to learn and often picks up new skills and interests such as ham radio operation and lockpicking.
Chris Bupp
Review Program Specialist, The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
Chris Bupp holds a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Biology from the University of Oregon. He has a forestry background specializing in silviculture, reforestation, and seed orchard operations, and before joining OMRI he worked as a Silviculture Technician with the Bureau of Land Management and as an arborist for the Travis Tyrrell Seed Orchard. A lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Chris enjoys hiking, fishing, foraging, and canoeing, and in his free time works on classic motorcycles, tackles home
improvement projects, and cultivates gourmet mushrooms.
Cara Burns
Application Program Specialist, The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
Cara Burns is an Application Specialist II on the Application Support team at OMRI. She has eight years of experience helping applicants and suppliers with new product applications, Annual Renewals and Ongoing Compliance applications. Cara can also help navigate the published organic guidelines to answer questions about allowed and prohibited materials.
Doug Currier
Technical Director, The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
As OMRI’s Technical Director, Doug is responsible for standards and policy development including stakeholder outreach, leading OMRI’s subscribing certifier support, and OMRI’s educational activities. Doug has worked for OMRI since 2011, spending many years conducting reviews of brand name input products for use in organic production before transitioning to his current role in 2018. Doug holds an advanced degree in organic farming and lives in Eugene, Or.
Orsi Dezsi
Executive Director and CEO, The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
Orsi Dezsi is the Executive Director and CEO of the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), where she leads the organization’s strategy, culture, and continued evolution in service to the organic sector. With more than 20 years of experience in food contact material regulations, certification, and verification, she has worked closely with regulatory communities, industry stakeholders, and clients to navigate complex requirements while balancing compliance with practical needs. Orsi is passionate about building trusted systems, strengthening organizations, and helping OMRI adapt to the changing needs of the organic community.
Tina Jensen Augustine
Technical Operations Manager, The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
As one of the longest tenured members of OMRI, Tina has worn many hats since starting in 2006 as a Product Review Coordinator. She has worked in the OMRI Technical Department for over a decade, helping to produce numerous trainings, technical reports, and other resources for government, industry, and public stakeholders in the organic community. She currently manages the Technical Department operations, supervising a team of Technical Research Analysts and Administrative staff. Tina holds a master’s degree in forest soils and a bachelor’s degree in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology, both from the University of Washington, in Seattle. After 20 years on the west coast, Tina now lives in her hometown of Salt Lake City where she enjoys gardening, hiking, and keeping up with two teenagers.
Jarod Rhoades
Standards Manager, The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI)
Jarod has two decades of experience in various positions related to environmental sustainability and remediation, analytical chemistry, science education, and regulatory compliance. He draws from his unique background in geochemistry, water quality, scientific research, and technical writing to interpret organic food production regulations into accessible content for the greater community of organic farmers, certification agents, inspectors, and backyard gardeners. As OMRI’s Standards Manager, Jarod keeps a close eye on developments in agricultural practices, new agricultural input technologies, and government regulation.More speakers coming soon.