MOSA Certified Organic Announces New Board Members
BY MOSA Certified Organic | Mar 29, 2018
Press Release Contact:
Joe Pedretti, Outreach Manager
MOSA Certified Organic
(608) 637-2526
MOSA Certified Organic Announces New Board Members
March 29, 2018
Viroqua, WI - MOSA Certified Organic announces the election of four new members to its Board of Directors. Joining current members Luke Zahm, Mary Benson, and Keith Ashley-Wright are Lizzie Hayward, Altfrid Krusenbaum, Beth Unger, and Carla Wright.
Lizzie Hayward is currently the CEO of People's Natural Food Coop (La Crosse, WI and Rochester, MN). “I believe the development and sustenance of a strong organic ecosystem takes the work of many stakeholders, including farmers, certifiers, processors, eaters, retail businesses, advocacy groups, governments and more,” noted Lizzie. Lizzie brings nearly 20 years of experience as a connector and storyteller for restaurants, food co-ops, and local food
distribution to this new director role.
Altfrid Krusenbaum works for the Wisconsin Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Program, currently in the role of On Farm Education Director. Altfrid also owns a grazing consulting business, Krusen Grass Consulting, and with his wife Sue developed and operated Krusen Grass Farms, LLC, a 450-acre certified organic Dairy and Beef operation from 1990 until 2015. “Today more than ever it has become evident how important it is to uphold the integrity of the organic farming and processing industry,” emphasized Altfrid.
Beth Unger is the Regulatory Engagement Manager for CROPP/Organic Valley. Beth has worked for Organic Valley since 2005, mainly as the manager of their Certification Department which manages the cooperative’s organic handling plan, and coordinates co-processor and farmer certification. Beth recently took on expanded responsibilities of regulatory engagement with the USDA and works with the organic community for the continuous improvement of the organic standards. “I have a deep respect for MOSA as a premier accredited certifier with depth of knowledge in all scopes of organic certification,” said Beth.
Carla Wright retired in 2010 after a 33 year career in Wisconsin State Government, as an Administrator overseeing administrative and operations divisions of the Public Service Commission and the WI Dept of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection. Following her retirement, Carla served as the founding Executive Director of the Organic Processing Institute (OPI) and is just concluding nine years of service on the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) board, including serving as Vice President, and currently as President. “I have long been a fan of MOSA and want to see it thrive as it navigates the NOP and confronts the challenges facing the organic certification sector,” said Carla.
“I'm happy to welcome the new board members to MOSA. With their combination of experience and knowledge of the organic industry, they bring a lot of strength and energy to our organization,” noted Cori Skolaski, Executive Director of MOSA Certified Organic.
MOSA Certified Organic is a non-profit, USDA accredited, organic certification agency located in Viroqua, WI. Founded in 1999, MOSA is the second largest agency of its kind, with over 2000 certified farm and food processor clients in 20 states.
For more information about MOSA, visit our website at: mosaorganic.org