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
Partner, Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce
Ernie has worked in the berry industry in California and Mexico since earning a degree from UC Davis, and joined A&W over 15 years ago. Ernie brings a vast knowledge of the retail environment as well as extensive networks within the grower-shipper community.
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.
Executive Director of 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 Latinx community in Oregon.
Board Chair, Farmworker Justice
An attorney and a member of a farmworker/railroad labor family, Natalie has worked with unions as legal counsel and as a farmworker advocate. She serves on the Board of Farmworker Justice and on a variety of local, state, regional and national boards, task forces and commissions.
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 at 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.
Senior Policy Scientist, Center for Science in the Public Interest
Eva is a passionate public health advocate and systems thinker. At CSPI, she works on issues including food labeling, food safety, biotechnology and more. She holds a dual MS/MPH degree in Food Policy and Applied Nutrition from Tufts University.
Director of Food Policy, Consumer Federation of America
Thomas oversees research, analysis, advocacy and media outreach for the group’s food policy activities, and monitors food safety activities at USDA, FDA and in Congress. An attorney by training, Thomas also has deep experience in environmental law.
Sustainable Agriculture Specialist, National Center for Appropriate Technology
A certified Pest Control Advisor and trained agronomist, Martin brings years of experience as a grower and an academic to help strengthen EFI’s approach to Integrated Pest Management.
Ivanhoe is an attorney with over 12 years of policy research and advocacy expertise in business and human rights, corporate responsibility, and sustainable supply chains (with an emphasis on both the food and tech sectors). Ivanhoe is currently a lecturer at Berkeley Law (University of California, Berkeley) where she teaches Anticorruption Compliance among other courses, and a consultant for global nonprofit organizations working in the area of business and human rights.
Vice President of the 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.
Senior Scientist, Pesticide Action Network (North America)
Before joining PAN in 1996, Margaret spent nine years in Central America, teaching and conducting research to improve productivity of low-input ecologically sound agricultural methods. At PANNA she focuses on public policy related to sustainable agriculture and farmworker health and safety.
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.
President and Founder of the 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
Lilian Autler is a Organizational & Workforce Development Manager 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 Workforce Development team, Lilian trains labor-management leadership teams in workplace collaboration and problem-solving skills and supports ongoing learning and communication among workers, managers, growers and EFI.
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.
David Cea is the Senior Workforce Development Specialist for Equitable Food Initiative where he trains labor-management leadership teams in workplace collaboration and problem-solving skills. He has been training on EFI farms since 2014 and joined the staff as a full-time facilitator in 2021.
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 Marketing & Sales 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 of the Equitable Food Initiative. He directs the multistakeholder process responsible for the ecosystem of standards, policies, and relationships that make-up the EFI certification program and he leads EFI’s program to mitigate forced labor in the agricultural labor supply chain. As Managing Director, Kenton also holds responsibilities for internal management systems that amplify and measure EFI’s impact.
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 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.
As Data Manager at EFI, Diona works closely with the Certification & Impact team as Salesforce administrator, analytics manager, and implementation expert. She also works with the Market-Based Impact Team as the ECIP LAB administrator and data & analytics lead. She strives to ensure that EFI’s data and systems are streamlined, accessible, and aide in compelling story telling.
She/her/hers
Sky Navarro is the Certification Program Associate for Equitable Food Initiative. She provides support to various functions of the Certification Program. Sky assists with audit management and data hygiene on various platforms.
Peter O’Driscoll is Executive Director of Equitable Food Initiative (EFI), a non-profit skill-building and certification organization that improves working conditions, pest management and food safety in the fresh produce industry. EFI works with major buyers, suppliers, workers and consumer groups to provide greater assurance regarding supply chain conditions, while generating measurable value for all stakeholders.
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.
