Kelly Damewood is the CEO of CCOF.
Kelly’s passion for organic agriculture began when she first had the opportunity to work on a farm: “I graduated from college a bit early, at the height of the 2009 recession, and I was looking for what I wanted to do next when that opportunity came up.” She joined an organic vegetable farm outside of Portland, Oregon, and soon she was helping to manage the operation.
“It was life-changing,” Kelly says. “As someone who grew up in the suburbs, it was the first time I felt connected to the land. It was my first time really understanding that food has such an environmental impact on our soil, water, air, natural resources, and biodiversity.”
“I developed a profound respect for farmers,” she continues. “Farmers have to be good at thinking scientifically, doing the physical labor and the mental labor of planning out a year’s seeds, planting correctly, managing certifications, contracting and leasing land, and on top of everything also doing the marketing. I became in awe of farmers—and organic farmers in particular.”
Pursuing the idea of helping small farmers, Kelly went to law school in Vermont and studied environmental law. “I didn’t know exactly what shape my career would take, but I told a friend it would be nice if I could someday work for an organic food certifier,” she recalls.
Kelly went on to earn a Master of Law at the University of Arkansas. There, she learned more about conventional agriculture laws in the areas of land use, bankruptcy, and food safety regulations.
“Environmental law is about regulating farmers and stopping bad actors, but my passion is helping farmers,” Kelly explains. “I’m not trying to put people out of business and create insurmountable regulations. I am passionate about breaking down barriers and helping people who are doing the right thing and growing food I want to eat.”
Five years after she first mentioned wanting to work for an organic food certifier someday, Kelly was thrilled to be hired as policy director for CCOF. “There aren’t many certifiers that have positions like that, so it was super special,” she says.
She moved to Santa Cruz and learned more about the specifics of agriculture in California, which is unique because of its many growing regions, climates, crops, and rich history of organic farming. Kelly says, “I got to be a sponge absorbing all the information from a lot of the farmers who founded CCOF and the modern organic movement.”
In 2019, Kelly took on the role of CCOF’s CEO—and immediately went through a crash course in crisis management as wildfires and a pandemic swept through the country. “It was my privilege to help guide the organization through a time of immense change and challenge,” she says, “and now I’m excited about building out our consumer education and market development portfolio, helping farmers access global and regional markets, supporting a diversity of farmers, and increasing access to organic foods.”
“One of my favorite parts of working in organic agriculture is the level of resilience and determination you encounter. We are used to being told that organic is too niche or not possible in this market or this climate or this culture. But if you want to motivate an organic farmer, then tell them something can’t be done. That’s the kind of energy I love working alongside—persistence and integrity no matter the challenge.”