RIPE ROADMAP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Vice President of the Board of Directors
- Leader With 20 Years of Congressional
Alana is an experienced political leader with 20 years of Congressional experience. She served as RIPE's Interim Executive Director in early 2023, and is Principal at Petersen Group/Canary Consulting. Alana's political career includes services as Deputy Chief of Staff and State Advisor to Senator Tina Smith, Campaign Manager of the Tina Smith for Minnesota Campaign, Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Al Franken, Director of Field Operations for Representative Jim Oberstar, and as a Scheduler for Representative David Minge. Previously, she served as Managing Director of Federal Government Relations for the law firm Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P. Alana also worked for the national political consulting firm Grassroots Solutions, and has served in leadership roles for numerous campaigns. Her nonprofit experience includes having served as the Executive Director of Target Market, an organization which promoted anti-tobacco messages to Minnesota high school students. Alana, her husband Thom, and their two sons reside in Pine City, Minnesota, where they raise and show both miniature and large horses at county fairs across the state and in the Minnesota State Fair. Alana is active in her local Farmers Union and serves as the County Treasurer.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
Brandon raises corn, soybeans, seed corn, popcorn and sorghum on his family farm in Giltner, Nebraska. Brandon is a graduate of NCGA's Leadership At Its Best and Advanced Leadership Program.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Steering Committee
- Partner and Chief Agronomy Operations Officer With Jorgensen Land & Cattle
Bryan and his family have operated over 12,000 acres of no-till, non-irrigated crop ground in Ideal, South Dakota, for over 35 years. They also practice cover crops, diverse crop rotations and livestock integration. Bryan is active in groups such as the South Dakota Crop Improvement Association and Nutrient Research and Education Council, as well as the USDA NRCS Voices for Soil Health and Soil Health Mentoring. He was one of the founding members of the South Dakota Soil Health Coalition.
Christine Stearn joins the RIPE board with a background in organizational management and development. She previously worked on business models and regulatory opportunities for clean energy firms for the Smart Electric Power Alliance. Christine has a variety of experience ranging from launching startups to working at a global sustainability think tank to building an analytic program for a $3-billion operating organization. She earned an MBA from Columbia University and Certification in Risk Management Assurance by the Institute of Internal Auditors. She brings years of experience as a member of the Board of Directors for a youth scholarship nonprofit. Christine lives in Michigan but grew up in Pennsylvania's farm country amid an extended family of farmers. She is enthusiastic about RIPE's mission to cultivate financial incentives for agricultural and environmental outcomes.
Curt previously served as President of Iowa Corn Growers Association and is an active member of Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Farm Bureau, National Corn Growers Association, U.S. Grains Council, and American Green Gas. Curt is a third-generation family farmer, and grows corn and soybeans on 1,400 acres with his wife, Anita. They use no-till, cover crops and other practices that invest in soil health and water quality. Curt is enthusiastic about RIPE's mission to help growers develop new economic opportunities while investing in their farms' conservation practices to benefit the farm, neighbors and future generations. Curt also volunteers with 4-H programs and Sunday school education, investing in the next generation.
Job Titles:
- Board Development and Fundraising Strategy Advisor
- Environmental Leader
Darian is an accomplished environmental leader, fundraiser, and social entrepreneur. He began his life's work "helping people help" during his five-year tenure as Executive Director of Craigslist Foundation. Building on this impact and his lifelong commitment to building the capacity of the nonprofit sector writ large, he authored the best-selling Nonprofit Fundraising 101 and edited the best- selling Nonprofit Management 101.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Engagement Advisor
Doyle brings more than 30 years of professional experience in the agriculture and food industry to RIPE. Doyle grew up on a small, diversified farm in Illinois and began his career as a farm journalist in the Midwest. Prior to creating his own business, Doyle led global consumer insights and food system engagement for a multi-national agriculture powerhouse.
Job Titles:
- Chief Operating Officer
- Member of the RIPE Team
Emily has more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit management. As a COO and CFO, she's helped grow multiple nonprofits to achieve massive growth in employees and revenue, managing operations, human resources, finances, and client services. Emily resides in beautiful Minnesota with her spouse and two kids.
Job Titles:
- Member of the RIPE Team
- Policy Research Analyst
Erin is finishing her final year at Brown University where she is double concentrating in Conservation Science and Policy and International and Public Affairs. She has a strong interest in agricultural policy, evaluating science-based solutions and implementing tangible conservation practices to advance a more just and sustainable future.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President of Fillmore County Farmers Union
Eunie serves as President of Fillmore County Farmers Union in Minnesota. She is a frequent participant in National Farmers Union (NFU) legislative fly-ins, and has served several times on the NFU Policy Committee. Eunie was born into an active Farmers Union family, and her mother attended one of the first ladies' fly-ins in the 1960s. Eunie's family farm, Biel Dairy, consists of 220 cows and young stock, and 1,400 acres of corn, soybeans and hay. Four generations of her family work on the farm.
Job Titles:
- Senior Executive and Board Member With over 25 Years' Experience With Fortune 500
Sam is an accomplished senior executive and board member with over 25 years' experience with Fortune 500 companies in health care, consumer and industrial services. He chairs the Daerter Group, a venture firm in North Carolina and New York providing seed investment for promising startups in health care and smart technology. He recently retired as the Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary and Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs for LabCorp, where he held enterprise-wide responsibility for the myriad global functions such as legal, compliance, public policy/government relations, communications, and community affairs/philanthropy. Sam serves on the Board of Trustees for Endicott College and the Alamance Community College Foundation. He is also on the advisory boards for the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, D.C., and the World Policy Institute in New York, non-partisan think tanks for global policy analysis. Additionally, he serves on the Corporate Governance Forum at Harvard Law School. Previously, Sam served on the Health Care Policy Leadership Council at Harvard University's Kennedy School. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with his wife, Angela.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Steering Committee
- Co - Chair, Solutions from the Land past President, National Corn Growers Association
Fred is a fourth-generation grower who has farmed for over forty years. He raises corn, soybeans, and wheat. As an advocate, Fred promotes agriculture as a solution to many sustainability challenges. He feels it is imperative to produce more in a sustainable way, while also providing ecosystem services.
Georgia Organics is a member-supported, nonprofit organization with the mission of investing in organic farmers for the health of its communities and the land.
John is a seasoned nonprofit executive and fund development specialist. He has an MS in Agricultural Development from UC Davis and worked in the development world as a rice extension agent and later with farmers in Southeast Asia. Dr. Anner will be focused on development planning, strategic planning, and strategic management.
Job Titles:
- Secretary of the Board of Directors
- Vice President of Government Affairs at Liberty Tire Recycling
Stratton is the Vice President of Government Affairs at Liberty Tire Recycling, the largest tire recycling company in North America. Previously, he was a partner at Penta Group (formerly Hamilton Place Strategies), where he advised clients on strategy and public policy with a focus on agriculture, energy, environmental, and trade. He also worked for U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre, a senior member of the House Agriculture Committee, and for U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, a senior member of the Senate Commerce Committee. He is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. He helps to manage his family's ranch and tree farms in North Florida, and he and his wife own a small hay farm in Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Producer Engagement Advisor
Martin is former USDA Risk Management Agency administrator, past president of the National Corn Growers Association Corn Board, and a member of the Illinois Corn Growers Association.
Job Titles:
- Communications Manager
- Member of the RIPE Team
Melissa is an experienced storyteller with a passion for sustainability. She completed her M.Sc of Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University in 2023, and her BA of Communication Studies from Rider University in 2018. Beyond her work with RIPE, Melissa is a freelance photographer and an environmental educator.
PJ is the fifth-generation owner and operator of Haynie Farms LLC, a grain farming business producing corn, wheat, soybeans and canola throughout all four counties of the Northern Neck of Virginia. PJ and his family also own and operate a food-grade liquid bulk and dry bulk transportation company, a timber harvesting company, and a landscaping and excavating company. In Arkansas, he owns several rice farms and the first black-owned rice mill in the state. PJ serves as Chairman of the National Black Growers Council, a membership organization working to improve the efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of Black row crop farmers. PJ's service as a farmer-leader started when he was Vice President of his Future Farmers of America chapter while working on his family farm. While attending Virginia Tech, where he pursued a degree in Agriculture and Applied Economics, PJ served as President of the Virginia Tech chapter of Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences. He also served on USDA's Plant Variety Protection Act Board and on the Agricultural Advisory Council for Virginia's first congressional district. He and his wife, Lisa, reside in Reedville, Virginia, with their three children.
Job Titles:
- Government Affairs and Policy Advisor
Reece is focused on bipartisan government relations, public policy and industry relations focused on agriculture and food policy. He was formerly vice president of Washington Operations at National Cotton Council and vice president of government affairs at USA Rice Federation.
Job Titles:
- Member of the RIPE Team
- Project Manager & Fundraising Strategy Advisor
Robin's fundraising expertise is a factor of more than 20 years of international fundraising, community organizing, technology leadership, project management, and teaching experience. He is a Fulbright Scholar and a popular graduate-level instructor on fundraising and the arts in the Arts Management program at Claremont Graduate University.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
- Founder and CEO of ImpacTT Collective LLC
Tracy is founder and CEO of ImpacTT Collective LLC, where she provides strategic advice on organizational transformation, operational excellence, organizational culture and professional performance. She spent over 18 years in marketing with the Credit Union National Association, a national association that provides legislative advocacy, training and events for America's credit unions. Tracy is also the co-founder and managing member of S&T Ag LLC, a production farming operation offering agronomy services to farming operations. With her husband and parents, Tracy owns a family farm in Wisconsin that grows corn, soy and wheat. She previously volunteered with the Wisconsin Farm Bureau's young adult group. Tracy is a member of the board of directors of the Cambridge, Wisconsin, school district, where she's served for more than 17 years and has been president since 2016. In this role, she leads a seven-person board to serve 900+ students and manage a $12 million budget. During her tenure, she has led the transformation of an 80-acre farm to a K-12 curriculum facility, including a charter school. Tracy lives in Cambridge, Wisconsin, with her family.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Member of the RIPE Team
Trey is a product of multi-generational farm families with 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles for regional and national conservation non-profits. With a bachelor's degree in environmental science and a master's in biology, Trey leverages his trust in science with his experience in the agriculture sector to advance meaningful conservation outcomes for the benefit of the environment, people, and our economy.
Job Titles:
- Owner
- President of the Board of Directors
Bill Beam is the Owner and Operator of Beam Farms Inc., a fourth-generation row crop (corn, soy, wheat), specialty crop and hay operation based in Elverson, Pennsylvania, and of a sawdust trucking business that serves customers and producers of sawdust within a 150 mile radius of the farm. Bill also served as the Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs of the FSA/ USDA from 2018-2021. In that role, he oversaw and implemented policies and procedures that regulate the delivery of FSA farm programs. He, along with his staff, oversaw major portions of the Farm Bill, including programs that help farmers, ranchers and forest stewards manage market risks, recover from disasters, and conserve and protect natural resources through the Farm Service Agency's network of over 2,100 state and county offices. Previously, he served on the United Soybean Board for nine years, on the United States Soybean Export Council for two years, and in leadership positions with the Pennsylvania Soybean Board.