Dedicated Leadership

Alisha Burrell serves as the Farm Director for Paul Quinn College and brings to the Oregon Tilth Board of Directors a wealth of experience in education, school garden leadership, and curriculum development. Her skills and expertise align seamlessly with Oregon Tilth's mission, fostering a symbiotic relationship of mutual support and growth. Alisha is passionate about contributing her knowledge in educational initiatives to further the organization's shared values and objectives. Her commitment to the board is centered on enhancing community engagement in sustainable practices, thereby strengthening the impact and reach of Oregon Tilth.

Tina Cosentino brings 25 years of experience in environmental policy, procurement, and supply chain strategy. She grew up packing apricots to sell at her family’s retail market, “Cosentino’s” which was a successful family business in San Jose, California for over 55 years. She trained and assisted with the development of farmer field schools in Mexico and the northern sierras of Ecuador, where more than 2,000 farmers have transitioned their land to organic agriculture. At California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) she managed an organic marketing education program serving 2,400 certified organic farmers, ranchers, processors/handlers and retailers. Tina founded the Farmer Education Network (FEN), a network of CA farmer education organizations serving to build business and production skills among CA sustainable farmers. As Purchasing Manager at Veritable Vegetable – the oldest all organic produce wholesaler, she managed six full time buyers and developed numerous crop plans with growers to secure a competitive organic produce supply. Currently as the VP Supply Chain she manages the strategic sourcing and external co-manufacturing partners for Urban Remedy who promotes “food is healing” to people and the planet.

Poppy Davis is a full time business and policy adviser, providing agricultural producers assistance on business formation, land tenure, credit, taxation, liability, regulatory compliance and value-added inventory. Poppy also works with nonprofits and local governments to develop financial and managerial capacity and programs to improve the environment for farming, ranching and healthy food access. Poppy has a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from U.C. Davis, a Masters in Journalism from Georgetown University, and a J.D. with a certificate in agricultural law from Drake University Law School. She is also a past fellow fo the California Agricultural Leadership Program. Additionally, Poppy teaches a class in Agricultural Tax Law a the University of Arkansas School of Law and has ongoing affiliations with beginning farmer and rancher training programs nationwide. After working as a California CPA emphasizing on family-scale farms, Poppy began working for the USDA in 2004 initially with the crop insurance program and later as the National Program Leader for Small Farms and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. During her time at the USDA, Poppy served as a member of the management team for Secretary Vilsack’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative. Poppy served for a year as the Executive Director of the Ecological Farming Association. Her past board service includes the Farmer-Veteran Coalition, The Carrot Project, Red Tomato, The Center for Land-Based Learning, and The Community Alliance with Family Farmers.

I was raised in Oregon, with a deep sense of place, and a love of Douglas fir trees, rain on rooftops and tie-dye. Like many native Oregonians, I too have a ferocious affection for all things "Made in Oregon," and when Oregon Tilth first started showing up on products and farms, I couldn't have been more excited to be connected—if only by place—to a brand that wasn't just doing certification, but was hosting real conversations about our relationship to place, food, community and more. I was raised in a mixed family—a Hawaiian father and a Montanan mother. With the blondest Hawaiian hair anyone has ever seen, I had a tough time finding my Hawaiian side for many years and found solace in Big Sky country and my grandparents' garden in Missoula, MT. It was there that I really discovered a love for dirt under my nails, one that was fed when I married the son of a former CSA farmer. Together, we fueled a love of gardens and growing our own food, and despite taking up residence in Washington, D.C. for almost 10 years, we continue to nurture one in our backyard. Life in the nation's capital, while emotionally challenging has provided remarkable professional opportunity for me in conservation and environmental policy. I've worked on Capitol Hill with lawmakers on public 'lands' policy to ensure the safekeeping of our natural and cultural resources, and offer a breadth of knowledge of today's political climate and strategic policy opportunities and challenges. While I have not served on other boards, I have over 15 years of experience working with conservation non-profits, started my own NGO focused on environmental education, service and recreation as a young adult, and have experience in these roles with fundraising, including grant management and donor cultivation. It would be my honor to serve on the Oregon Tilth board.

Channing Nesbitt, a Senior Analyst in Portfolio Development at Impact Fund for Salesforce Ventures, joins the Oregon Tilth Board of Directors with a rich background in technology and a profound commitment to sustainability. His expertise in data-driven decision-making and environmental stewardship aligns perfectly with Oregon Tilth's mission. Channing brings valuable leadership and collaboration skills, honed through diverse professional and community engagements, including fundraising initiatives. Eager to leverage his unique perspective, Channing is dedicated to supporting Oregon Tilth's transformative goals, contributing significantly to a healthier and more sustainable future.

I am currently the founder, CEO and President of Re-Nuble and a board member of the NYC agriculture collective. As a founder of an agriculture technology company and agriculture input manufacturer we serve controlled environment growers throughout the U.S. and increasingly globally. As the founding board member of the NYC Agriculture collective, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of some of the largest indoor farms' growth, surrounding New York city, driven by the marketing, community building, and education the board helped create. It is an honor to have the opportunity to potentially serve in this position to help further the goals of Oregon Tilth and its members. working with the board and Oregon Tilth's members will help me understand the challenges often related to growth, supply chain logistics, and distribution that our industry so commonly absorbs as a burden. In turn, I hope that my professional background in information technology and financial services can serve as an asset to the board in accelerating its efficiency and ability to reach out to the greater community, strengthen its online presence and infrastructure, and expose the board to regulatory trends related to food production and cultivation given my company's global exposure to increased restrictions and mandates related to organic and sustainability grown produce. It is my goal to both learn from and contribute to the membership in ways that enhance the board web presence and information dissemination for all members. Thank you for the support shown during this process.

Dr. Erin Silva is an Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist in Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems in the Department of Plant Pathology as well as the Director for the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at UW-Madison. She was selected as the first recipient of the Clif Bar Endowed Chair in Organic Agriculture and Outreach. The new chair was created to support the advancement of organic agriculture through dedicated research and outreach programs. After completion of a PhD in Horticulture at Washington State University, Dr. Silva obtained a faculty position at New Mexico State University. During her tenure at NMSU, Dr. Silva taught courses on organic vegetable production, an experiential learning course integrating the working student organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm on campus. Dr. Silva initiated several organic research projects at NMSU, including work on cover crop-based reduced tillage for organic vegetable crops and breeding vegetables for organic production systems. These research themes continued as Dr. Silva moved into the first organic-focused research position at the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in 2006. Through her work at UW-Madison, she has developed an internationally recognized program that improves the management of organic production systems and increases the profitability and sustainability for organic producers and rural communities. Her research program provides regional, national, and international leadership on the biological aspects of organic agricultural management, employing an agroecological approach that considers socio-economic factors impacting production decisions. She applies the knowledge generated through her research towards the development of innovative organic production strategies that benefit the farmer, the environment, and the consumer. Her research influences the strong organic sector that contributes to Wisconsin’s agricultural economy, with Wisconsin second only to California as the state with the greatest number of organic farms. In continued support of these farms and the organic sector within the state, nation, and globally, her research and scholarly contributions continue to be directed in the broad area of the biology and agroecology of organic crop management, with emphases on cover crops, soil health, and genotype/ environment interactions.