OUR GOVERNANCE
The Trust is Overseen by a Trust Protector Committee.
The committee acts as a "steward” to ensure the companies in the Trust stay aligned with the purpose and principles of the Trust.
Trust Protector Committee Members:
David Lively
David has been involved in the organic agricultural movement and trade since 1976 as a gardener, farmer, and founder and employee of Organically Grown Company. At OGC he held various roles, including working with growers to plan and execute production, warehousers, sales and buying while in the position of Marketing Director and Vice President of Sales and Marketing. In addition to participating in the creation of OGC, David contributed to the founding of the Sustainable Food Trade Association and initiated the creation of the Organic Produce Wholesalers Coalition and the biennial Organicology conference. David has served the organic trade on the board of the Center for Applied Agricultural Research by appointment of Oregon Governor Roberts, as well as the boards of Oregon Tilth, Sustainable Food Trade Association, and Organic Seed Alliance. He currently sits on the Oregon Organic Coalition leadership council and Organic Trade Association board.
Natalie Reitman-White
Natalie started working at OGC in 2005 and in 2016 was promoted to Vice President, where she was responsible for sustainability, trade advocacy, human resources and organizational development. She is currently the Founder and Principal of Purpose Owned. Natalie served on the OGC Board from 2008-2019. Fast Company magazine named her, “A leading executive and change-maker in the efforts to make food supply greener, healthier, and equitable.” She founded and served as the Executive Director of the Sustainable Food Trade Association (2008-12). Natalie earned an MS in Environmental Sociology from the University of Oregon where she was on the faculty of the Institute for Sustainable Environment. She serves on numerous advisory boards throughout the organic food sector.
Joe Rogoff
Joe spent his career as a natural and organic grocer, working in and leading co-ops, small independents, local chains, and ultimately Whole Foods Market. Since retiring as President of the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada Region for Whole Foods in 2016, Joe devotes his time to working with non-profits and social enterprises that further the causes of food access, food as medicine, social justice, organics and sustainability. Having had a front-row seat to the acquisition of so many purpose-founded natural foods companies by large corporations, he’s particularly excited to be part of an alternative steward-ownership movement.
George Siemon
George is a national pioneer in the organic food movement. He started farming organically in 1977 and was a trailblazer in organic livestock production. He was a founder and CEO of CROPP Cooperative/Organic Valley for 30 years. With a degree in Animal Science from Colorado State University, George was active as a leading expert in developing organic livestock production standards for the USDA Organic Foods Rule and has been an active participant in establishing humane livestock standards worldwide. As a retired CEO, he is now active in advising and coaching next-generation business leaders. He is also serving on boards of mission-oriented institutions and businesses. He has been very active in the evolution of Trust ownership for business structures. Siemon believes that “the sustainability movement must also address the negative sides of ownership.”
The Trust Enforcers:
Andy Westlund
Andy is an accomplished leader. He has held executive roles in companies such as Organically Grown Company, Harmony Seafood, Ground Up Soil Co., Hannaford Bros Co., Dehart Security, and Amazon. In addition to his role on the TE, he is the COO at Ways Security LLC. Since 2004, Andy has owned a family-run certified organic farm called Harmony J.A.C.K. Farms in Scio, Oregon. Andy is also a management and leadership consulting expert with over 1,000 hours of classroom and interactive experience on topics such as quality circles, “Six Sigma” improvement processes, and Lean and Total Quality Management (TQM), among others. He attended Oregon State University in Pharmacy and Science from 1970-74 and currently resides in Scio, Oregon.
Mike Neubeck
Mike is the Director of Purchasing at Organically Grown Company. His interest in organic agriculture started in his early 20s while living in rural Honduras. Immersed in a community of subsistence-scale corn, bean, coffee, and vegetable producers he became acutely aware of the damage that agricultural chemical use can inflict on people and the land. After returning to the Northwest he interned for a season with an organic market grower in the Oregon coast range. Life with OGC began that fall with a part-time night shift receiving trucks and stocking coolers. The mission of organics, connections with growers, and OGC company culture have kept him in the trade for over 20 years, and he’s excited to keep on learning.
KATE Danaher
Kate is the Managing Director of S2G Ventures Ocean and Seafood. Prior to joining S2G Ventures, Kate was the Chief Lending Officer at RSF Social Finance. While at RSF, Kate was OGC’s credit partner – she arranged capital for our initial transaction to catalyze the transition to a Purpose Trust. She was also a very important connecter, providing warm introductions to mission-aligned investors through RSF’s network.
Kate believes that business can catalyze the positive social and environmental shifts we need in this world but that the right capital partners and ecosystem are critical to their success. She is a food and agriculture finance expert who has specialized in the US food system, fair trade supply chains, and consumer-facing brands. Kate received her MBA through the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise program at Colorado State University.