New U.S. Organic Board Members

WASHINGTON - Dec 6/06 - SNS -- The USDA appointed four new members to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) to serve terms beginning Jan. 24, 2007, and ending Jan. 24, 2012.

The new appointees -- Tracy Miedema, Consumer/Public Interest member; Tina Ellor, Environmentalist member; Steve DeMuri, Handler member; and Katrina Heinze, Scientist member -- bring to the NOSB a broad spectrum of scientific, environmental, and food quality control expertise from the U.S. organic handling and consuming sectors.

Miedema is national sales and marketing manager of Stahlbush Farms in Oregon, has served as an adjunct professor in consumer behavior at Western Washington University, and created an organic learning center for retailers and stakeholders within Small Planet Foods.

Ellor is the technical director of Phillips Mushroom Farms and has been active in small farm and rural development in Pennsylvania.

DeMuri, senior manager for commercialization and improvement for Campbell Soup Company in California, is the technical expert and manager of their organic production.

Heinze has a doctorate degree in chemistry and is the manager of global regulatory affairs for General Mills, responsible for food safety and regulatory matters.

The NOSB has 15 members representing all sectors and interests of organic producing, handling, and consuming (4 producers, 2 handlers, 1 retailer, 3 environmentalists, 3 consumers, 1 scientist, and 1 certifying agent).