KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Kathleen Merrigan (invited) is the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She has managed the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food effort to highlight the critical connection between farmers and consumers and supports local and regional food systems that increase economic opportunity in rural America.

An advocate of both local farmer’s markets and conventional farmers, Merrigan wrote the 1990 Organic Foods Production Act. She made history as the first woman to chair the Ministerial Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Merrigan holds a Ph.D. degree in environmental planning and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Texas, and a B.A. degree from Williams College. Recognizing the history and scope of her work, Time magazine named Dr. Merrigan among the "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2010. Dan Barber, chef-owner of Blue Hill, a New York restaurant devoted to sustainable food says, “If you've ever wondered who in government shoulders the complexities of moving an agenda forward in a fractured time and pushes on without getting soaked, here is your answer.” Her presentation will highlight ways of creating new economic opportunities for farmers by improving the connection with consumers. She will also share ways producers can benefit from other rural development programs and projects supported by the USDA.

Timothy LaSalle, Ph. D. is Founder/Director of NewEra Agriculture, graduate and former CEO of the California Agriculture Leadership Foundation and an internationally sought-after speaker on sustainable farming. His keynote presentation, grounded in an international worldview, will highlight opportunities for the agricultural sector to mitigate issues of changing climate, limited fossil fuels, global trade, diet-related health issues, and other economic challenges that continue to squeeze profits from farmers livelihoods by focusing on soil health, biological intelligence, engineering innovation and economic redesign.

As Rodale Institute’s first CEO, Tim LaSalle championed his science-based hope for a regenerative food system that will mitigate climate change and prevent famine. LaSalle was raised on a dairy farm and was a fellow, the president, the CEO, and eventually the Director of Education of the California Agricultural Leadership Program.

LaSalle previously served as Executive Director of the Northwest Earth Institute an international organization dedicated to grassroots movements which offers discussion courses on sustainability, deep ecology, living in place, and the practice of simplicity for groups and individuals in the across the United States. He was Interim Executive Director of the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo County and was the Executive Director of the Allan Savory Center for Holistic Management, an international non-profit who mission is to restore and regenerate deteriorating landscapes for the people dependent on that land. He has served on many nonprofit boards, committees and leadership groups, including roles with the Kellogg Leadership Alliance and Chaired an International Call to Action on Sustainability at EARTH University in Costa Rica.

Ms. Stephanie A. Whalen has been the president and director of the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, formerly the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association since 1994. The organization is a non-profit, privately owned research institution formed in 1882 to maintain, advance, improve and protect the sugar industry in Hawaii and to support the development of agriculture in general, including the support of an experiment station. With the downsizing of the sugar industry in Hawaii the organization is shifting its emphasis to the development of new agricultural business and services.

The islands offer specific and unique environmental conditions that provide competitive advantages to certain agricultural activities. Stephanie's efforts have been directed to maintaining the professional expertise and research capabilities of the organization during this transition. She is also responsible for the property and asset management. The company has approximately 70 employees located at 6 sites on 4 islands It includes bargaining and non bargaining labor units.

Throughout the past century the institution was not only involved in crop yield and quality improvement, but also by-product research and development in paper, building materials, energy and fine chemicals from agricultural waste fibers. Sugarcane is one of the highest biomass producing crops and Hawaii provides excellent year round growing conditions for biomass production.

For 31 years Stephanie has worked within the sugarcane industry. She started as a pesticide residue chemist. When she became the head of the Environmental Science Department her responsibilities included planning and directing research on environmental chemistry, pesticide metabolism, and chemical drift and air, water, and soil quality monitoring. Chemical safety, waste disposal, and wastewater treatment were also under the purview of the department, as well as the monitoring and study of crop-protection chemicals used by the sugar industry; and planning and directing research in support of registration of new crop-protection chemicals. Because of concerns with air quality due to cane burning considerable research involved alternate uses for cane fiber trash in the field.

During the last 20 years, Ms. Whalen has represented agricultural interests at the state legislature and as an active member of many of the Hawaii state task forces and other advisory groups and committees established to address various environmental regulatory issues.