Board & Staff
EFI’s diverse group of board members and staff share a passion for transforming the agriculture supply chain. We support the skill development and contributions of farmworkers in growing and harvesting safer fruits and vegetables. We believe that the future of agriculture lies within the collaboration among all members of the food supply chain. We work each day to create solutions for the continuous improvement of the fresh produce industry.
EFI Executive Board
Executive Director, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN)
Reyna is the proud daughter of immigrants from Mexico and has been a fierce leader and advocate for the Latino/x community in Oregon.
Partner, GoodFarms
Ernie has worked in the berry industry in California and Mexico since earning a degree from UC Davis, and joined GoodFarms over 15 years ago. Ernie brings a vast knowledge of the retail environment as well as extensive networks within the grower-shipper community.
Independent Consultant
An entrepreneur, software executive and marketing strategist, Carol founded or was involved in the start-up of a series of Silicon Valley companies. She is an advisor and angel investor with Astia.org, a global network providing expertise and funding to women-led ventures.Director, Supplier Code of Conduct Compliance, Costco Wholesale
In his role, Preston oversees supplier engagement with the company’s Code of Conduct, and he has managed rigorous investigations into sourcing practices in the seafood, dairy and fresh produce industries.
Supplier Risk & Compliance Manager, The Kroger Co.
Kim Combs has over 20 years of experience with The Kroger Co., holding roles in quality assurance, food safety, regulatory compliance, supplier risk and compliance, human rights, and more. She has managed communication with various US regulatory agencies and, as a certified Qualified Individual, designed and oversees the company’s current FDA Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP). Kim has represented Kroger on the ECIP Advisory Committee since 2023 and joined EFI’s Standards Committee in 2024.Independent Consultant
A published expert on the impact of certifications on corporate supply chains, Michael contributed to the growth of the Forest Stewardship Council and chaired its international board of directors, has served on the boards of several other certification organizations, and was an academic economist at the University of Texas and a grantmaker with the Ford and Rockefeller Brothers Foundations.
Vice President, Misionero
Pete grew up in Ventura County in a fifth-generation farming family and spent 26 years at Earthbound Farm where his relationship with EFI was formed. He has been on the EFI Standards Committee since 2018 and helped Misionero achieve EFI certifications at two of their packing facilities.
Co-Founder and CEO, CIERTO
Joe has dedicated his career to creating frameworks that allow for communication and cooperation between Mexican State governments, worker communities of origin, North American growers, international retailers, and labor representatives. Since co-founding CIERTO, Joe has worked closely with NGOs and international governments to address farmworker recruitment and labor practice issues.Country Program Director, Solidarity Center
Gonzalo has over fifteen years of experience advancing farmworker protections, leading policy campaigns, and managing large-scale worker-centered programs. He oversees the Brazil office of a global labor rights organization and directs a multi-million-dollar initiative improving working conditions in the agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and digital platform sectors in the Americas.
Vice President, United Farm Workers (UFW)
Erika, a former farm worker herself, has been representing agricultural workers for 15 years internationally. Her commitment to workers rights and advocacy began in the city of Delano, CA, where she volunteered until she was recruited by UFW. Her vision is to improve farm workers lives and their future.
Co-Founder and General Manager, AgSocio
AgSocio is an agricultural labor and service provider operating in California, Arizona, and Colorado, founded on the belief that farm labor contractors can operate ethically, justly, and transparently while remaining competitive. Matt’s experience includes working for more than 13 years at Whole Foods Market, where he dealt with social, environmental, and food safety issues. This inspired his vision for AgSocio, which seeks to provide better work environments for farmworkers and improved services to growers.Sustainability and Social Impact Director, NatureSweet Tomatoes
Fernanda is passionate about human rights and social change. She is committed to contributing to the development of safe environments where human rights and labor practices are the base of the success and progress of the produce industry. At NatureSweet, she works leading the sustainability and social impact strategy that can generate positive change in the agricultural workers, their families, and communities.
Founder & CEO, The Produce Moms
Lori Taylor is a passionate advocate for fresh produce. As the founder of The Produce Moms, Lori leads a platform, with an audience of over 4 million people worldwide, dedicated to educating consumers about changes happening within the grocery store experience and our food supply chain, both for the health of the industry and the health of consumers. Lori and her team are committed to empowering consumers with knowledge while supporting farmers and produce brands across the United States.
Global Sustainability & Responsible Sourcing Leader
Jamie Thorn is a results-driven sustainability and responsible sourcing professional with over 15 years of experience. She drives high-impact initiatives, coaches team members, ensures accountability, and champions global funding. As the program lead for the global sustainable dairy program, Jamie advanced company commitments by integrating social and environmental practices across global operations.
President and Founder, Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC)
Baldemar grew up in a migrant farmworker family, based in Texas and harvesting crops in the Midwest. Under his leadership FLOC has set international precedents in labor history, including being the first union to negotiate multi-party collective bargaining agreements, and the first to represent H2A international guestworkers under a labor agreement.
EFI Staff
He/Him/His
Kevin Boyle is the Director of Organizational & Workforce Development of the Equitable Food Initiative. He is responsible for creating an industry-wide framework of frontline agricultural skills, skill-building and credentialing to provide professional career ladders for agricultural workers and supervisors. He is also responsible for working with growers and their workforce in redesigning production systems to meet the needs of future trends in the industry and maintaining high performing work organizations.
She/her/hers
Shaleena is the Finance Manager of Equitable Food Initiative. She is passionate about human equality and cultural inclusion. Prior to EFI, Shaleena worked with varying nonprofit organizations providing administrative support, handling contract negotiations and analyzing budgets.
Karla Cook is Certification Manager for Equitable Food Initiative where she implements the certification program and works closely with growers and third-party auditors. She also manages the EFI Standards Committee, which provides input and oversight of the EFI Standards.
Madelyn is the Product Marketing Manager for Equitable Food Initiative. After beginning her career in the environmental nonprofit sector, she later transitioned to agriculture where she learned about EFI. Madelyn joined EFI’s Marketing and Communications team in 2022, where she works on a variety of marketing campaigns as well as sales lead generation.
He/Him/His
Kenton Harmer is the Director of Market-Based Impact at EFI. He leads efforts to elevate the professionalism, dignity, and business value of agricultural workplaces through scalable models such as the Ethical Charter Implementation Program (ECIP). This work complements EFI’s certification program, which Kenton led for the organization’s first eight years.
Star Huff is the Operations Manager at Equitable Food Initiative. She provides day-to-day management and oversight of EFI’s operations, facilities, IT, human resources and organizational planning.
She/her/hers
Alice Linsmeier is a Organizational & Workforce Development Manager at Equitable Food Initiative (EFI), a nonprofit certification and skill-building organization that seeks to transform agriculture and improve the lives of farmworkers. As part of the Workforce Development team, Alice trains labor-management leadership teams in workplace collaboration and problem-solving skills and supports ongoing learning and communication among workers, managers, growers and EFI.
Gaby is the Equitable Charter Implementation Program Manager for Equitable Food Initiative where she implements a framework on how to produce fresh produce and flowers with a common baseline for accountability, transparency, and ensuring that people throughout the industry are treated with dignity and respect.
As Director of Certification Programs at EFI, Adriana Martinez oversees all aspects of the certification program, streamlines processes to ensure efficient and satisfying customer experiences, and engages retailers in recognizing EFI certificates and paying a premium on certified products.
Alexandra Martinez is the bilingual Sr. Digital Marketing & Sales Associate of Equitable Food Initiative, a nonprofit certification and skill-building organization that seeks to transform agriculture and improve the lives of farmworkers. As part of the Marketing & Sales team, Alexandra supports a variety of marketing and sales outreach efforts with technical, communication and analytical skills.
As Director of Finance & Operations at equitable Food Initiative, Candace and the Operations Team are responsible for Human Resource Administration, Financial Management, Contracts and Grants Administration, Policies and Procedures, Information Technology and the overall day to day management of Operations.
Diona is the Technical Product Manager at Equitable Food Initiative (EFI), where she drives the development and optimization of data-driven products and services. With a strong background in data management and analytics, Diona ensures that EFI’s innovative solutions are backed by robust data insights, enhancing user experience and supporting EFI’s impact and financial goals.
She/her/hers
Sky Navarro McAbee is the Senior Data Associate for Equitable Food Initiative. She is responsible for maintaining and advancing data systems while ensuring data integrity and accuracy across platforms. She supports data collection, evaluation, and analysis for Market-based Impact, leveraging analytics to track performance and inform decision-making.
Peter O’Driscoll has served as EFI’s executive director since 2011. Previously, he was Executive Director of ActionAid USA, an international development organization that works to address hunger, poverty and human rights around the world. As Director of the Private Sector in Development Project at the Center of Concern, he led research and advocacy on hunger, sustainability and market access in developing country agriculture. Peter was Latin America Director for Ashoka, an organization promoting social entrepreneurship, and also worked from 1987-94 on resettlement and rural development in El Salvador, including two years as country director of the Jesuit Refugee Service.
Ana (Lulu) Luisa Rivera Collazo is the Training Manager for Equitable Food Initiative where she trains labor-management leadership teams in workplace collaboration and problem-solving skills. She has been training on EFI farms since 2016 and joined the staff as a full-time facilitator in 2019.
She/her/hers
LeAnne R. Ruzzamenti is the Director of Marketing & Communications for Equitable Food Initiative where she oversees strategic branding, communication efforts, lead generation and new client engagement. She works closely with EFI partners to coordinate industry and consumer outreach to generate awareness of EFI’s impact.
