Damewood has spent over a decade working towards a single goal: helping organic farmers thrive. After her own experience running a small farm, Damewood went to law school determined to help farmers who farm in a better way. In her previous role as CCOF’s policy director, Damewood spearheaded key initiatives such as passage of state legislation to improve an outdated regulatory program for organic farmers and creating a groundbreaking project to drive organic production and consumption in California. Damewood holds a Juris Doctor degree from Vermont Law School and a Master of Laws degree in agricultural and food law from the University of Arkansas School of Law.

As the chief certification officer (CCO) at CCOF, April Vasquez has a wealth of knowledge on the National Organic Program and environmental stewardship in agriculture. Vasquez began her career in the organic industry with CCOF over 15 years ago. In various roles over the years, she gained a comprehensive understanding of organic regulations and has supported the development of CCOF’s food safety program, Regenerative Organic Certification™ (ROC™) program, and the OCal program for organic cannabis in California. Vasquez graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology with an environmental studies focus. She also holds a variety of certificates from the National Organic Program, the Accredited Certifiers Association, Cornell, and the International Organic Inspectors Association.

With over fifteen years of project design and management experience, Jessy Beckett Parr is dedicated to bringing teams together to create positive change. With extensive knowledge of agriculture and food systems, Beckett Parr holds a Master of Science degree in community development from the University of California, Davis, a certificate in ecological horticulture from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College. Prior to joining CCOF, she spent five years producing a global documentary on soil and food systems, Symphony of the Soil.

Outside of the office, she enjoys sharing time and food with her husband and daughter and foraging on their peri-urban homestead.

Ms. Aray holds a BA in Sociology, Modern Languages, and Fine Arts from Fort Lewis College in beautiful Durango, Colorado and an MPA with a focus on global policy, non-profit management, and international development from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. She has spent the past two decades leading social change organizations and advocating for systemic change that addresses root causes. With nearly twenty years’ fundraising experience through individual donor campaigns corporations, foundations, and state and federal entities, she is passionate about ensuring that the communities we serve have access to the resources they need to thrive. Willow joined the CCOF Foundation in May 2020 and oversees philanthropic development. She spends her free time hiking with her dog, traveling, cooking and eating delicious foods, painting, seeing live music, and doing photography.

Jesse Cowan is a passionate proponent of organic agriculture. Before her career in finance, she worked on an organic vegetable farm in Pennsylvania, doing everything from harvesting and marketing to tractor work and chicken care. This experience instilled in her a passion for organic food and an appreciation for the hard work and expertise required to succeed as an organic farmer. After years with a local accounting firm helping small business owners with their finances and taxes, Cowan was thrilled to join the CCOF team where she could employ her professional skills to help further the organic movement. Cowan holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brown University, a master’s degree in accounting from San Jose State University, and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Renee Delaney grew up on a farm in central Illinois where her family raised cattle, hogs, corn, and soybeans, and was raised to admire those who cared for the land and could grow food. Delaney followed her passion for plants and earned a degree in plant biology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale while also working for plant nurseries, vineyards, landscaping operations, in greenhouses, and at the local co-op.

In 2005, she started her career with the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). While at WSDA, Delaney verified a number of different state and federal agricultural regulations by conducting surveys, inspecting nurseries/tree farms/bulb fields, verifying phytosanitary certificates, reviewing plant nursery regulations, and beginning in 2008, working with the WSDA Organic Food Program. Delaney joined CCOF in 2016 and now serves as CCOF’s director of farm programs. Beyond her personal interest in organic agriculture, Delaney finds complete satisfaction in explaining, implementing, and verifying compliance to the USDA National Organic Standards.

Adrian Fischer has dedicated over a decade to advancing organic agriculture and food systems. To Fischer, working directly on the land as a farmer was the clearest path to understanding our agriculture and the food system more deeply. Fischer’s farming path led him to manage CSA programs and direct-to-restaurant operations growing integrated organic mixed vegetables, fruits, and livestock. After farming and running farmer education programs in Connecticut, Costa Rica, and California, Fischer joined CCOF in 2016.

At CCOF Fischer first supported the chapter system and then the policy team before transitioning to running the CCOF Foundation’s programs, where he supports farmers to grow organic. Fischer has over 15 years of management experience and leads strategic internal offerings and partnerships supporting students and organic and transitioning producers with grants, education, and technical assistance. Fischer is Venezuelan American and is bilingual/biliterate in English and Spanish.

While not at work, Fischer enjoys producing music, surfing, mountain biking, skiing, gardening, and spending time with his wife and dog.

Chris Head has always been fascinated by engineering and electronics, tinkering with hobbyist kits and participating in electronic enthusiast groups until personal computers became available and changed his world. From that point, he was hooked, staying late after school to program the sole computer they owned, then, over time, moving from systems programming to SQL database work, then to networking, support services, systems administration, and management.

Although his background is strongly technological, Head believes firmly in a well-rounded education and widely varied interests: he has multiple tech certifications and a wealth of experience but holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree in English Literature. He’s performed Shakespeare, he loves roller coasters, and he enjoys wine and cooking. Most of all, he cherishes his long weekend walks with his dog, Winston.

Renee McKeon joined CCOF in 2009 as certification operations coordinator to give more administrative and operational support to CCOF’s USDA organic certification services. Since then, she has helped scale the certification operations department as CCOF has grown and expanded to provide additional certification offerings. McKeon and the operations team ensure certification functions align in areas of workflow processes, database development, quality systems, and administrative non-compliance management. She enjoys the complex challenges and cross-functional work with CCOF reviewers, inspectors, executives, and staff.

McKeon has lived and worked in the Monterey Bay area since the early 1990s. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and has long loved the intricacies of people and cultures. She lives and works in Santa Cruz, California, with her husband and two children. McKeon loves a good BBQ with family and friends and any reason to celebrate.

Michael Recco brings over a decade of experience in Marketing and Sales to CCOF in addition to hands-on experience in organic farming as an active farmer in Maine for over 8 years. Recco is passionate about marketing, the environment, and helping organic farmers succeed. He was raised in rural Massachusetts and has had a passion for gardening and exploring nature his entire life.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ithaca College, Recco began his professional career in sales and marketing working with some of the most reputable international brands, helping them develop successful global marketing strategies both on the agency-side and in-house. Recco made a career change in 2014 and moved to Maine to take over stewardship of his wife’s ninth generation family farm and dove headfirst into the medical cannabis and hemp industry.

While not at work Michael enjoys gardening, exploring nature, traveling, history, art, classic movies, attending live music concerts and festivals, and spending time with his family.

Sarah Reed has always loved the natural world and followed this passion to study ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. After graduating, she worked in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries for several years before moving to CCOF as a handler certification specialist in 2008. The position played to Reed’s strengths in organization, process development, and critical thinking.

Reed’s enthusiasm for organic food and her hard science background has continued to serve her well in her current role as handler certification director. She is an expert in organic processing materials and standards, especially winemaking and the growing area of retail and restaurant certification.

Reed is a lifelong environmentalist who bikes to work, always carries a reusable water bottle and to-go container, and strives to create zero waste. Reed has been a vegetarian since the age of 11 and enjoys hosting and attending dinner parties, kickboxing, local wine and beer tasting, walking everywhere, and playing with her cat.

Josaphine Stevenson has a strong background in leadership development and has dedicated her career to organizational development and promoting equitable food systems. As a certified leadership coach, she understands how important leadership development is for the growth of individuals and organizations. Prior to joining CCOF, Stevenson worked at the California Department of Public Health on healthy and sustainable food procurement policy and as a grant maker for the San Francisco Foundation. Stevenson has deep roots in Santa Cruz, where she was raised and where she returned to raise her son. Stevenson has a master’s degree in applied anthropology and is a former co-owner of the Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley California.

In her free time, Stevenson enjoys baking and gardening with her son, hiking, and finding a sunny spot to read a book.

Rebekah Weber has worked on the intersection of environmental and agricultural policy for nearly a decade. As the policy director at CCOF, she advocates for organic agriculture as part of the solution to protecting public health, restoring the environment, and growing the economy. Prior to joining CCOF, Weber served as an environmental advocate focused on cleaning up Lake Champlain, engaged in farmer outreach as a Fulbright Fellow in Nepal, and worked on agricultural policy for United States Senator Patrick Leahy. She holds a master’s degree in environmental law and policy from Vermont Law School.