Experts

Dr. Shilpa Tiwari is an executive with fifteen years of experience building, growing and managing sustainability, corporate citizenship, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives in complex organizations and in multisectoral contexts. Having worked in financial services, mining, oil and gas, forestry and energy, she is an industry agnostic, versatile and entrepreneurial. She has a strong business acumen combined with a great sense of curiosity and empathy. Shilpa has worked and lived in Africa, Asia, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. She has a bachelor’s in biology, master’s in environmental policy and a doctorate in social anthropology.Her client work includes an inclusive marketing workshop for Fasken’s global marketing team, ESG 101 for CREA, DEI workshop for Vancity, Social Purpose Strategy and Communications for Coast Capital Credit Union. Prior to this Shilpa was the EVP of Social Impact & EDII & Sustainability at Communications Agency where she developed the agency-wide EDI Strategy, EDI Communications and EDI Workshops internally for teams and externally for clients such as P&G and Molson. She also held executive roles at OMERS as VP of Sustainable Investing spearheading their work on climate change and EDI and Manulife Financial where she was responsible for Sustainability and Corporate Citizenship portfolio.Shilpa is passionate about exploring natural landscapes and cultures. She has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal, and hiked Torres del Paine in Patagonia. She continues to be amazed by all that nature and travel to far off places offers to us irrespective of age, gender, race or ethnicity. Shilpa speaks English, Hindi, Spanish and some French.She recently launched a direct trade and organic spice company called No Women, No Spice. No Women, No Spice support the development sustainable farm communities through agroforestry and regenerative agriculture projects, empowers women farmers by amplifying their work in agriculture, and provide enriching culinary experiences.

Robert (Robby) Sansom is Co-Founder & CEO at Force of Nature, a regeneratively sourced meat company based in Austin, TX. Robby’s roots run deep in the natural food community. Previously, as CFO/COO at EPIC, Robby spent much of the last decade studying regenerative agriculture at ranches all over the world.Through this education, Force of Nature was co-founded with the intention to accelerate the creation of a global regenerative supply network. Force of Nature works in partnership with land stewards, ranchers and farmers committed to creating a positive return on the planet. With Force of Nature, consumers now have the ability to invest in environmental regeneration by consuming meat that is good for the planet.Born and raised in Austin, TX, he received both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Texas. When he’s not building businesses aimed at saving the planet, Robby can be found on a trail, ocean, mountain or field, always making time to appreciate nature and explore his surroundings.Robby is also a land steward at ROAM Ranch where he owns regeneratively managed bison.

Putt Wetherbee spent his childhood alongside his father atop one of Georgia's only two mechanized harvesters. Shelling gadgets and gizmos were eye-candy and Putt relished the camaraderie that came with harvest time and in the everyday inner workings of the Schermer Pecan shelling plant. Today, Putt is still inspired by pecans - from watching the buds break in April to harnessing the latest in technology and managing the increased world demand. Pecans are in Putt’s blood. His father, a pecan grower since 1959, purchased Schermer Pecans in 1977 and with it became the owner of one of the largest pecan companies in Georgia. Putt’s namesake, planter and philanthropist Francis Flagg Putney, was part of the largest commercial pecan planting that took place around the turn of the century and some of the orchards still remain in the family. In 2017, Putt was paralyzed in a home invasion challenging his ability to tend to his orchards and he has spent the last few years overcoming countless obstacles from health to hurricanes. As soon as he could, Putt went to work developing ingenious ways to get back to work in the orchards - creating a track system and a Polaris off-road vehicle with a makeshift seat attached to the bumper. There is no doubting Putt’s passion for pecans. For more on Putt Wetherbee, please see this short video produced by Georgia Pecans.

Mike Kapos is a 3rd generation owner-operator of Downeast Coffee Roasters and serves as the company's Vice President for Sales & Marketing. After starting his career in finance and the tech startup world, Mike’s tenure at Downeast began in 2010, when he felt a calling to help keep his family’s traditions alive while also jumping on the opportunity to innovate and grow the then-60 year old business in new and exciting areas.Since joining the company, Mike has led a full rebrand and expanded its offerings most notably by launching the Reserve line, which has seen explosive growth, exploring new qualities of coffee and roasting capabilities. He also initiated the kegged cold brew program with great success, as well as Downeast’s direct-to-consumer website business.Mike resides in his hometown of Pawtucket, RI with his wife and two young sons. When he's not in the office or the roasting plant, you can find him enjoying life on the water in the Ocean State!

Laura Barrett joined Clif Family Winery as Winemaker in November of 2014, bringing her passion for wine and her life-long love of science to the Clif Family Winery portfolio. Laura received her undergraduate degree from The University of Vermont where she received a BS in Chemistry. Looking to put her degree to use for more than just lab work, she decided to pursue a career in winemaking. Her first step along this path was a job with Stony Ridge Vineyards, a small wine producer located on Waikeke Island in New Zealand. After deciding that winemaking was the career she wanted to follow, Laura returned to the United States and pursued a Masters in Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis where she was quickly recognized as an up and coming winemaker. While studying at UC Davis she received the prestigious La Reve Foundation scholarship, awarded to female Viticulture and Enology students with outstanding academic standing. After graduating from UC Davis, Laura became Assistant Winemaker at Fisher Vineyards where she worked for five years under the direction of celebrated consulting winemaker Mia Klein. In this role she learned to appreciate and understand the nuances of Napa Valley Cabernet. Aspiring to move into a head winemaker position, Laura took a position with Casey Flat Ranch and spent the next seven years developing the wine program for this Capay Valley producer. As Winemaker, Laura brings her keen scientific knowledge, attention to detail and creative inspiration to the Clif Family Winery portfolio. Laura developed the final blends for Clif Family Winery’s 2014 vintage wines and with the 2015 vintage assumes responsibility for the entire winemaking process.Laura lives in St. Helena and in her free time enjoys hiking around the Napa Valley and spending time with her children.  

Since 2001, Ken Roseboro has been editor and publisher of The Organic & Non-GMO Report, the leading publication focusing on the fast-growing markets for organic and non-GMO foods. He has been called “the nation’s reporter on all issues surrounding genetically modified foods” by Acres USA magazine. Ken is also editor and publisher of The Organic & Non-GMO Sourcebook, the world’s only “farm to fork” annual directory of suppliers of organic and non-GMO seed, grains, feed, ingredients, and food products. His articles have also appeared in many food and agriculture publications and websites, including Civil Eats, Harvest Public Media, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Prepared Foods, Food Processing, Mother Earth News, and others Two of Ken’s articles were cited in a 2021 New Yorker magazine article for being the first to uncover the mastermind of the largest organic fraud scheme in U.S. history.   Ken is author of Genetically Altered Foods and Your Health (2004 Basic Health Publications) and The Organic Food Handbook (2007 Basic Health Publications). A recognized expert in organic and non-GMO food production, Ken has been asked to speak at many conferences in the US and abroad. These include All Things Organic, Natural Products Expo West, National Heirloom Seed Expo, GMO-Free Europe Conference, and the Canadian Organic Conference. Ken is a member of the design team of the national Soil Climate Alliance and is a board member of Soil Technologies Corporation. He was a founding member of the board of directors of the Iowa Organic Association and a member of the certification committee of Global Organic Certification Services, a USDA-accredited organic certification firm. In 2006, Ken received an Award of Merit from Seed Savers Exchange for his efforts to preserve genetic diversity through his publications. Ken also appears in the award-winning documentary film, GMO OMG.   

Hannah Stefenoni champions the sustainability efforts for Clover Sonoma’s network of 30 small family-owned dairy partners. As a key liaison with the company’s family of farmers, Stefenoni focuses on minimizing Clover Sonoma's environmental footprint by continuously improving the health of the soil, the quality of the milk, the health and welfare of the animals, and greenhouse gas reduction initiatives while maximizing a positive impact for farmers by cultivating on-farm longevity, resiliency, and profitability enhancements. With over ten years of experience in environmental stewardship and studying the relationship between livestock agriculture and greenhouse gas reduction, Hannah is an expert in methane emissions reduction, on-farm sustainability, and regenerative agriculture practices on a dairy farm. In 2022, under Hannah’s leadership, Clover Sonoma began testing Blue Ocean Barns’ Brominata™, a dehydrated form of a red seaweed that is proven to cut cows' methane emissions from burps without changing the taste of milk. During the trial phase, the Clover Sonoma dairy cows fed Brominata achieved over a fifty percent reduction in methane while still producing delicious dairy. Raised on a dairy farm in Northern California, she pursued her undergraduate studies at Oklahoma State University, where she received her degree in Animal Science and began her research into methane emissions from cows. Hannah earned a Master of Science degree in Animal Sciences from Washington State University, where she was involved in feed additive research with cows and sustainability research around how feeding cows byproducts can improve human-edible protein conversion efficiency. Later, as a Ph.D. candidate at Pennsylvania State University, Hannah was one of the first to feed Asparagopsis taxiformis (aka red seaweed) to cows while assessing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture. Several of the research projects that Hannah co-authored have been published by the American Dairy Science Association and Journal of Dairy Science. Hannah sits on the Marin Carbon Project steering committee, working to enhance carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions reduction in agricultural ecosystems through applied research, demonstration, and implementation. Additionally, Hannah works with the Clover Sonoma community of family of dairies to ensure they are compliant with the Dairy Standards Agency, the USDA's National Organic Program, American Humane Certified welfare standards, and milk quality standards. Hannah is a member of Food Tank's CSO Group, which brings together sustainability leaders from over 80 major businesses to converse, mentor, and present case studies to inspire meaningful change in the private sector.

Hannah Stefenoni champions the sustainability efforts for Clover Sonoma’s network of 30 small family-owned dairy partners. As a key liaison with the company’s family of farmers, Stefenoni focuses on minimizing Clover Sonoma's environmental footprint by continuously improving the health of the soil, the quality of the milk, the health and welfare of the animals, and greenhouse gas reduction initiatives while maximizing a positive impact for farmers by cultivating on-farm longevity, resiliency, and profitability enhancements. With over ten years of experience in environmental stewardship and studying the relationship between livestock agriculture and greenhouse gas reduction, Hannah is an expert in methane emissions reduction, on-farm sustainability, and regenerative agriculture practices on a dairy farm. In 2022, under Hannah’s leadership, Clover Sonoma began testing Blue Ocean Barns’ Brominata™, a dehydrated form of a red seaweed that is proven to cut cows' methane emissions from burps without changing the taste of milk. During the trial phase, the Clover Sonoma dairy cows fed Brominata achieved over a fifty percent reduction in methane while still producing delicious dairy. Raised on a dairy farm in Northern California, she pursued her undergraduate studies at Oklahoma State University, where she received her degree in Animal Science and began her research into methane emissions from cows. Hannah earned a Master of Science degree in Animal Sciences from Washington State University, where she was involved in feed additive research with cows and sustainability research around how feeding cows byproducts can improve human-edible protein conversion efficiency. Later, as a Ph.D. candidate at Pennsylvania State University, Hannah was one of the first to feed Asparagopsis taxiformis (aka red seaweed) to cows while assessing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture. Several of the research projects that Hannah co-authored have been published by the American Dairy Science Association and Journal of Dairy Science. Hannah sits on the Marin Carbon Project steering committee, working to enhance carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions reduction in agricultural ecosystems through applied research, demonstration, and implementation. Additionally, Hannah works with the Clover Sonoma community of family of dairies to ensure they are compliant with the Dairy Standards Agency, the USDA's National Organic Program, American Humane Certified welfare standards, and milk quality standards. Hannah is a member of Food Tank's CSO Group, which brings together sustainability leaders from over 80 major businesses to converse, mentor, and present case studies to inspire meaningful change in the private sector.

Brett Christoffel is the visionary founder and CEO of All Y’alls Foods, a mission-driven company specializing in plant-based proteins that are as delicious as they are impactful. With a passion for compassionate living, Brett’s leadership has seen All Y’alls Foods grow from a bold idea into a thriving brand, offering innovative products with a deep commitment to sustainability, animal welfare, and a better food system for all fuels Brett’s drive to make plant-based eating accessible and enjoyable. Through All Y’alls Foods, Brett supports Rowdy Girl Sanctuary by donating a portion of every sale to help rescue animals and promote compassionate farming alternatives.Under Brett’s leadership, All Y’alls Foods has introduced exciting, certified non-GMO, gluten-free, and vegan flavors such as Prickly Pear Teriyaki and Cinnamon Churro, all while creating healthier, more sustainable snack options. Brett’s relentless pursuit of quality, innovation, and ethical business practices has positioned All Y’alls Foods as a leader in the plant-based protein space.Brett is also known for connecting with customers, promoting kindness and sustainability, and creating a sense of community through product storytelling. This approach is exemplified by the introduction of Luna the Longhorn, a mascot who embodies All Y’alls Foods' core values of compassion and sustainability. Brett’s work is not just about creating great food—it’s about fostering a kinder, more sustainable world.