Trainer Profiles

Approved trainers are individuals trained by IOIA to deliver consistent and comprehensive organic inspector training courses. Trainers work with cosponsoring organizations and qualified individuals to organize and instruct IOIA training courses. Trainers are evaluated by IOIA, co-sponsors and attendees following each course and are subject to an IOIA annual review.

There are currently 17 IOIA approved Trainers residing in Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, Mexico, Republic of South Korea, and the United States. IOIA Trainers have a wide range of local and often, international expertise, in food production and processing and have several years experience as inspectors for certification organizations. Each Trainer must engage in continuing education, both as offered by IOIA and acquired on their own, to stay informed of developments in the organic industry and to upgrade instructional skills.

IOIA trainers are uniquely qualified to provide leading edge information and perspectives on the skills needed to inspect organic crop, livestock and processing operations to all major global standards.

Who is an IOIA Presenter?

Harriet Behar

A former Chair of the National Organic Standards Board, Harriet is also an Outreach Specialist with the Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems Program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her previous employment included MOSES, (Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service), Organic Valley, Technical Service Provider for the NRCS, IOIA accredited organic inspector, contract work with Organic Farming Research Foundation, the Organic Seed Alliance and as a trainer for IOIA. She has extensive experience teaching organic systems all sectors from farmers to agricultural based businesses and consultants, as well as processors.

Located in Wisconsin, she has extensive teaching and organic inspection experience with all species of livestock. She has both taught and attended numerous workshops and field days focused on organic dairy, veterinary tools for organic livestock, grazing and pasture management. In her years as an outreach specialist, she has interacted with many groups and individual farmers, aiding them to solve their unique production issues using organic systems and approved materials. Harriet has visited over 2000 organic farms and processing facilities around the world, but mostly in the Upper Midwest.

She has been growing organic vegetables since 1973 and has operated a certified organic farm since 1989 of vegetables, herbs, bedding plants and small grains on her 216 acres in the hills of Southwestern Wisconsin. She and her husband have an on-farm, state licensed dehydration facility, a large solar greenhouse for commercial scale spring bedding plants and winter vegetable production. A small-scale poultry flock produces eggs for sale and 25 beehives serve her local community with honey and other bee products.

Luis Brenes

Luis is an organic inspector and trainer that also dedicates time being a post-grad professor and an organic compliance consultant. With 20 years of experience as an accredited organic, inspector, has audited farms and food processing facilities throughout NorthAmerica, LatinAmerica, the Caribbean, and Asia. Married and father of five, Luis is an agronomist with post-graduate studies in tropical Crop Protection that served as an organic extension and on-farm research agent. He also served as E.D. of the National Association for Organic Agriculture of Costa Rica, and as an IOIA´s BOD member and Chair.

Vision Statement

I will be an agronomist committed to the common good; not just my own well-being. I will be honest and responsible. I will work for everything that improves agriculture and farmers’ wellbeing and way of life. I will be a leader who seeks consensus and team building. I will be people-oriented rather than task-oriented (Oct 1992).

Jonda Crosby

Jonda is a contract trainer for IOIA, primarily focusing on NOP Crop and Livestock scopes.

Jonda also currently works as a contract organic inspector and final reviewer and has been an inspector since completing IOIA's Basic training in all scopes (2010-13).

Jonda previously served as IOIA's Training Services Director and worked collaboratively to create, review, and update training materials while developing new learning opportunities, platforms, and pathways for professional development for IOIA members and those wishing to further their understanding of organic certification and inspecting.

Jonda's experience also includes direct organic production, marketing and certification requirement knowledge and understanding. From 1999-2013 Jonda in partnership with others co-owned a certified organic farm in Montana (Big Sky Organics) and a handling operation (Big Sky Organic Feed).

Jonda grew up on a small dairy farm in western NY, earned an MS and BS in Agriculture (Education and General Ag) Murray State University (KY), and an AAS in Animal Science SUNY Alfred.

Jonda's commitment to organic agriculture is solidified by a broad career working with those whose interests were to define, develop and support sustainable and organic policy, educational and research program development with community members, non-profits, farmers, ranchers, policy makers, university researchers, and educators, and to improve environmental, economic and social equity in farm and food sustainability.

You can reach Jonda via telephone: 406-227-9161 or email.

Philippe Descamps

Based in Cahuita, Costa Rica, Philippe was born in Belgium and has lived in Central America since 1988. His native language is French; he also speaks fluent Spanish and basic English.

He earned his degree in agronomy in 1986. From 1988 to 2000 he worked in projects with a Belgian NGO and local partners in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, mostly promoting and teaching organic agriculture to small farmers. He started to work as an independent inspector in 1999 mostly with Eco-LOGICA and a few times for Ecocert, Soil Association, Aurora-Demeter, OneCert and OTCO. He has inspected in 12 countries of North, Central and South America, and worked as an trainer in eight countries. He is a multi-standards inspector: organic, biodynamic, bird friendly, GAP, and GPP. Philippe has served as IOIA lead trainer in basic farm inspection courses in Puerto Rico and Ecuador and an advanced course in Costa Rica in 2014. He has collaborated with IOIA trainer Luis Brenes as second-instructor in IOIA courses in Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. He has participated as an invited speaker in several IOIA – Eco-LOGICA courses in Costa Rica.

Philippe is the author of several hand books on certification, specifically for growers groups and small farmers. He is an organic farmer (bananas, cacao and livestock) and a member of a PGS certified (Participatory Guarantee System) growers group.

Philippe currently serves as IOIA BOD Liaison to the Scholarship, Training Advisory, and Latin American Committees.

Joyce Ford

Joyce E. Ford is retired from organic inspection, but remains active in the organic community. She serves on the International Organic Accreditation Service (IOAS) Accreditation Committee. In 2007, Joyce spent 5 weeks as an Agricultural Monitor for pipeline construction through 2 organic farms in MN and trains environmental inspectors for implementation of the Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement Organic Appendix requirements. She has co-authored organic inspector curriculum manuals, the Organic Trade Association Good Organic Retailing Practices manual, and the certification chapter in Organic Dairy Farming. She and her husband, Jim Riddle currently operate Blue Fruit Farm, a certified organic perennial edible fruit farm specializing in blue fruits high in antioxidants. Joyce has served on the Board of Directors of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES). They live at an intentional community in SE Minnesota, in an alternative energy powered home (solar and wind). They have 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren.

Janine Gibson

Janine Gibson has served as an inspector in Canada and the Midwest US since 1993, accredited in Crop, Livestock and Processing inspections by IOIA since 1995, when she first became an IOIA trainer. Founding member of the IOIA Canadian Committee, she served on the IOIA BOD from 1995 to 2002, representing IOIA on the Canadian General Standards Board Organic Technical committee, and ensuring IOIA was granted a voting membership. Janine chairs the Organic Food Council of Manitoba- a chapter of Canadian Organic Growers (COG) and now represents OFCM on the Organic Technical Committee, chairing the Livestock Health Care Inputs Working Group. She has represented Manitoba on the Organic Federation of Canada (OFC) and currently serves on its Standards Interpretation Committee convened by the Canada Organic Office and the OFC. Janine studied at the Universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba, has taught distance education courses in organic crop and livestock production and is often asked to present on organic issues and methods. A mother and grandmother, Janine lives on a small, off grid, mixed cooperative farm in SE Manitoba.

Humberto González

Humberto González, Ingeniero Agrónomo, graduado de la Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, actualmente Gerente General para la oficina Kiwa BCS Costa Rica y Mexico.

Ingeniero Agrónomo con especialidad en Desarrollo Rural Sostenible, productor orgánico y de hortalizas en invernadero. Es inspector orgánico desde 1996 en producción agrícola, ganadería, apicultura y procesos orgánicos, es instructor del IOIA desde el 2006 con el cual ha desarrollado más de 25 cursos internacionales básicos y avanzados, ha trabajado en evaluación de insumos orgánicos para varios organismos de certificación internacional y actualmente director de certificación orgánica para el programa orgánico de PrimusLabs, Estados Unidos. Adicionalmente es auditor en Buenas Prácticas Agricolas, Buenas Prácticas de Manufactura y HACCP en varios esquemas Europeos y de Estados Unidos, además es entrenador de auditores. Brinda consultorías internacionales en temas relacionados con inocuidad, control de calidad, certificación y evaluación de insumos orgánicos.

Garth Kahl

Garth Kahl began his career in organics by studying Ecological Horticulture at the University of California Santa Cruz Farm and Garden Program, where he earned a Certificate in Ecological Horticulture in 1989. He went on to obtain a BS in Agriculture from Cornell University in 1992. After graduation he managed a commercial medicinal herb farm for two years, before starting his own farm and becoming an organic inspector in 1996. Since 1996 Garth worked as an organic inspector half to full time, working on 3 continents, including inspections of crops, processing, wild harvest, livestock, apiculture, grower groups and textiles. He is accredited as an organic inspector in all scopes by IOIA. From 2007 to 2011 he was the Latin American Program Manager and interim Farm Program Manager for OTCO, before leaving to inspect and consult as an independent contractor. Garth and his wife Angela, who is also an organic inspector, grow certified organic blueberries, sheep, cattle and hogs in the coast range of Oregon. Garth's passions include pasture-based farm systems, apiculture, whitewater rafting and canal boating. When not in the field or on the road, he may be found halter training young calves or in the greenhouse tending to his beloved mini bell peppers and English cucumbers.

Garry Lean

Garry Lean has a background in soil science and farming (beef, dairy, poultry, field crops and vegetables) and over 20 years of organic inspection experience in crops, livestock and processing (both in Canada and the United States). Other inspection experience includes GAP (Global Animal Partnership welfare auditing) and Non-GMO Project inspection. He is a Lead Trainer for IOIA Inspector training courses in all three IOIA Basic Courses and has contributed to the development and implementation of the webinars for the Pasture Rule and Non-GMO Project. He was a college professor in Agroecology/ Ecosystem Management for 25 years at Fleming College in Ontario, Canada.

Yutaka Maruyama

Yutaka Maruyama started working as independent organic inspector in 1998. He is mainly conducting JAS farm and processing inspections in Japan and overseas. Yutaka serves as Chair of Independent Organic Inspectors Association (JOIA); is a member of JAS standard committee board, and chief of Organic JAS section (2011-2012). He lives in Tokyo, Japan.

Kelly Monaghan

Kelly works in Canada and the United States as an organic inspector, consultant and trainer. She is an Accredited Process Inspector of the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA). Kelly works with several certification bodies as an inspector and assists companies in navigating the process to obtain organic certification. As a curriculum designer and trainer, Kelly shares her knowledge of organic standards and regulations with organic inspectors, certifier staff and governmental agencies. Kelly is past Chair of the Canadian Organic Technical Committee and Standards Interpretation Committee and is a current member of the OMRI Canada Review Panel. She has an MBA from York University in Toronto and can be reached via www.ashstreetorganics.com

Lisa Pierce

Lisa Pierce of Down to Earth Agricultural Services grew up on a farm in central Alberta and has a degree in Environmental Science and diplomas in Integrated Pest Management and Adult Education. She has been an organic inspector since 1998 and an IOIA Trainer since 2007. In addition to ongoing work as an auditor and trainer, Lisa is currently working as a facilitator for the development of animal care assessment programs with the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) in Canada. Lisa has developed curriculum and delivered organic inspection training courses internationally for IOIA, and integrated pest management and other topics to colleges, non-profit groups and private companies since 1999. She worked to nurture regional trainer capacity in Korea and was the trainer at all of the early IOIA trainings in Korea, as well as trainings in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, and other countries.

Nate Powell-Palm

Nate first landed in the world of organics when he applied for and received certification from the Montana Dept of Agriculture in 2008. He currently farms organic grains, grazes organic cattle, and is working to find that perfect dryland crop rotation. Since 2012, Nate has worked as an organic farm and livestock inspector, adding the processing scope in 2013. He has worked as a full time inspector since 2014, conducting inspections year round since then. A livestock expert with significant experience inspecting dairy operations, Nate is excited to help improve the auditing tools available to inspectors working with livestock around the country. Nate holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Montana State University.

Kathe Purvis

Kathe Purvis is an Australian-based professional with extensive experience in training, facilitation, and auditing. Over the past thirty years, Kathe has specialized in Organic, Fairtrade, and Regenerative certification audits. She is an APSCA accredited auditor for Ethical & Sustainability programs.

Kathe serves as a consultant in the field of Environment Social Governance (ESG). She holds tertiary qualifications in Training Design, Development & Delivery, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Philosophy.

Previously a farmer, she now cultivates her own food using a sustainable urban farming system. Her lifetime of practice includes expertise in organic and sustainable farming as well as nature regeneration.

Kathe is an IOIA Board member and an active participant in the IOIA APC (Asia Pacific Committee).

Mutsumi Sakuyoshi

Mutsumi Sakuyoshi has been involved organic certification since 1992, as an independent inspector in Japan. She was IOIA trained in 1993 and has been an active trainer for both IOIA and JOIA since 1998. She was key in the establishment of Japan Organic Inspectors Association in 1997, which is the Sister organization of IOIA. Since then, almost once a year, JOIA/IOIA training has been held in Japan. Her inspection and training area has been expanded to other Asian countries, such as Hong Kong, Korea, India, China, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, etc. She is currently the representative director of JOIA and the director of Japan Organic Cotton Association, which is a stakeholder of GOTS(Global Organic Textile Standards). She has inspected for a many different certification agencies. Her training includes HACCP; Eurepgap; ISO9001 for Internal Auditor; and JAS Inspector Training. She currently chairs IOIA’s Asia-Pacific Committee. “I love to travel, meet various people and enjoy local foods where I visit. My favorite word is “diversity”. I am happy to share my knowledge and experience of organic inspections.”

Isidor Yu

Isidor ByeongDeok Yu works as a regular employee but part-time in program management and as reviewer for Control Union Certifications B.V., headquartered in The Netherlands. He has been involved in organic agriculture since 2001 at HSRI, Korea's first organic certification body. His inspection experience includes crops, livestock, and processing. In 2008, his work scope was expanded to organic textile products of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and OE, the general food safety and sustainability program for GLOBAL GAP (Good Agricultural Practices). He serves mostly in Korea and can train in English as well as Korean. He has been the primary organizer for IOIA in Korea since 2006, producing 2-3 trainings per year. He has trained producers and consumers as well as inspectors. He can also train for cosmetics, mushrooms, and aquaculture, and sustainability evaluation of textiles.

Tina Jensen Augustine

Tina Jensen Augustine (habla español) holds an M.S. in soil science from the University of Washington, where her thesis focused on the effects of nitrogen-fixing trees on soil quality and erosion control in small scale, mountainous agriculture. Tina started working with OMRI in the Review Program in 2006, and moved to the Technical Department in 2011. She provides trainings for certifiers and other entities, helps to author technical reports for the NOP and works on the maintenance of OMRI's standards and Generic Materials List. She has International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) basic farm and traceability trainings and performs a limited number of inspections for OMRI. She works remotely from Salt Lake City, UT, where she enjoys hiking, gardening and raising her two lovely children.

Jo Ann Baumgartner

Jo Ann Baumgartner, the executive director of Wild Farm Alliance (WFA), works in conservation-based agriculture. She is the lead author of Biodiversity Conservation: An Organic Farmer’s and Certifier’s Guide; How to Conserve Biodiversity on the Farm: Actions to Take on a Continuum from Simple to Complex; and Co-Managing Farm Stewardship with Food Safety GAPs and Conservation Practices. Before joining WFA in 2001, she worked for other sustainable agricultural nonprofits and was an organic farmer for over a decade. She has a keen interest in the conservation of native species for their own sake, and the connections between farms and the larger ecosystem.

Peter Bungum

Peter Bungum has worked at the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) since 2014. Initially he focused on reviewing input products for compliance to the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) and the Canada Organic Regime standards (COR). Within a year, he also began training new product reviewers. For the past several years, Peter has worked on organic policy and standards issues related to three different ruling bodies (NOP, COR, and LPO), and he performs certifier outreach, research, and education. He has co-authored six technical reports for the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), developed trainings for the NOP’s Organic Integrity Learning Center (OILC), and regularly writes and reviews articles for OMRI’s newsletter and website. He strives to obtain a deep, precise understanding of input materials and material review issues, and advocates for clear standards improvement and regulatory guidance.

In the late 1990s and early 2000’s, Peter worked as a United States Forest Service biological science technician, supporting research projects related to forest disease, tree genetics, and tree breeding. Later he taught students as an adjunct instructor of biology at three different colleges in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Additionally, he spent time as a faculty research assistant within Oregon State University’s Extension Service. In a strange twist, he worked as a metal fabricator for several years as well.

Peter lives in Eugene, Oregon, where he earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology from the University of Oregon.

Doug Currier

Doug Currier joined OMRI in March 2011. He holds a B.A. in Geography from the University of South Florida and a M.Sc. in Organic Farming from Scotland’s Rural College. His past research focused on public sector procurement and the organic sector, specifically identifying and overcoming barriers to the procurement and supply of organic produce in schools. At OMRI, Doug leads policy and standards development, educational outreach, and manages other projects including the creation of Technical Reports for the National Organic Program.

Bob Durst

Bob Durst is a food chemist, recently retired from the Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University and Director of their Food Composition Lab; Processing and Materials Director of Simple Organic Solutions - a consulting company that assists industry with meeting the USDA organic regulations; organic processing inspector; past IOIA Board Chair; and a frequent speaker on the topic of organic cosmetics. His educational background is in the field of analytical chemistry with extensive experience in the application of this knowledge to the problems of the fruit and juice industry. He has lectured on the application of organic processing principles at the Northwest Food Processors Association, All Things Organic Trade Show, Institute of Food Technologists, and UC Davis Juice Processing workshops. He was co-Chair of the NSF ANSI 305 organic personal care committee. He holds an MS degree in Biochemistry and held a research position at OSU for over 30 years.

Tony Fleming

Tony Fleming is a professional hydrogeologist and naturalist with a longstanding interest in the relationships between ecosystems and their physical and cultural environments. He worked as an organic farm and processing inspector from 1998 to 2010, and has since served as the technical editor of The Inspectors Report. Tony has presented on soil- and water-related topics at inspector trainings, and his handouts and articles on natural resources and biodiversity are used as a standard resource in the basic IOIA training curricula. Fleming holds a BS in Geology from Beloit College and graduate degrees in Geology and Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a longtime Master Naturalist instructor and a frequent presenter, consultant, and field trip leader for a variety of conservation-minded organizations.

Silke Fuchshofen

Silke Fuchshofen holds a BSc. in International Agriculture and has been an independent full time organic and non-GMO Project processing inspector since 2008. Silke served on the IOIA Board of Directors from 2011 to 2013. She co-developed the Fair Trade Sustainability Alliance program. Amongst other responsibilities, Silke has been in charge of System Plan, Inspection Report, Reviewer Forms and overall documentation procedures. She has served on the FairTSP Board of Directors since 2013. This training material is based on five years of observations and development of a methodology to address this issue in the framework of an organic inspection.

Yoko Mizuno

Yoko Mizuno has 18 years of organic inspection experience in crops, livestock, processing, and aquatic products. Other inspection experience includes traceability, GAP, Product Information JAS, etc. She is a Trainer for IOIA Inspector training courses for IOIA Basic Courses. She is the establishing member of JOIA (Japan Organic Inspectors Association) and now serves as a councilor for JOIA. Regular committee member for MAFF and is an instructor at Chiba University, Horticulture Department. She has published 4 books on organic agriculture.

Pam Sullivan

Pam Sullivan has been inspecting full time since 2005. She focuses on crop and processing inspection and completes, on average, 180 inspections a year across US and Canada. Wineries are a specialty. Pam has been a presenter for IOIA as an assistant trainer and served on the BOD as treasurer for a number of years. In the past Pam did part time work for CCOF as a file reviewer.

Gay Timmons

Gay Timmons owns and operates Oh, Oh Organic, Inc., an organic and specialty ingredient distribution and consulting company founded in 2000. Oh, Oh is committed to the development and delivery of sustainable agricultural ingredients for the cosmetic and personal care industries.

Over the past 18 years she has supported the development and growth of hundreds of organic and natural cosmetic brands. Her first career was as the first American woman to manage vessel operations, loading and unloading cargo on the Oakland and San Francisco waterfronts.

Since 1991, she has worked as a producer and marketer of organic ingredients and an advocate for regulatory clarity for organic and natural producers and consumers. Her introduction to the field began as a ten-year job co-managing an organic farm and production facility. She served as the Chair of the California Organic Products Advisory Committee, serving on that committee for eleven years. During this period she was instrumental in writing and advocating for the Calif. Organic Products Act of 2003 which regulates organic claims on cosmetics.

She also served as Secretary on the Calif. Certifiers of Organic Farms Board of Directors and Chair of their Processor Chapter for twelve years. Today she is a founding member and President of the Natural and Organic Health and Beauty Alliance, an international trade association.

Gay graduated from UC Davis, has an MS in Physiology and lives in Point Richmond with an organic recording engineer and entrepreneur. She has two organic daughters, one in college and one valiantly working!