Staff
Whether out in the fields or in the office, our expert staff are dedicated to growing the organic movement and assisting farmers through rigorous research, education, and outreach.
Jeff Tkach
Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Moyer
CEO Emeritus
Renée Baran
Dean of Education
Becca Kahle
Vice President of People and Culture
Elaine Macbeth
Executive Vice President, Chief Finance and Administration Officer
Jessica Student
Chief Impact Officer
Jeff Tkach
Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Tkach, Rodale Institute’s Chief Executive Officer, is on a mission to reconnect humans with the earth.
Tkach is responsible for leading the organization’s growth, impact, and strategic planning, and is committed to advancing the Institute’s world-renowned research and education on regenerative organic agriculture. In this role as CEO, Tkach leads a global workforce dedicated to advancing innovations in regenerative organic agriculture. His management portfolio includes strategic planning, overseeing the Institute’s twelve campus operations in the U.S. and Europe, directing research investments, and supervising the organization’s education programs.
Before assuming the Institute’s most senior leadership position, Tkach served as Rodale Institute’s Chief Impact Officer. He also served on the Institute’s Board of Directors in 2016, where he was instrumental in fostering relationships between the organization and business leaders in the organic food industry.
Jeff Moyer
CEO Emeritus
Jeff Moyer is a world-renowned authority in organic agriculture. His expertise includes organic crop production systems with a focus on weed management, cover crops, crop rotations, equipment modification and use, and facilities design. Jeff is perhaps most well-known for conceptualizing and popularizing the No Till Roller Crimper for use in organic agriculture. His vast experience and knowledge regarding organic farming has provided the media with a reliable source and perspective for information on current agricultural issues.
Jeff has been on staff at Rodale Institute for over 44 years. He spent over 30 years as Farm Manager/Director, was appointed as Executive Director of the Institute in September 2015, and became CEO in September of 2019. Jeff was project leader on the highly acclaimed Organic No-Till project and is the author of two books on this subject: “Organic No-Till Farming – Advancing No-Till Agriculture Crops, Soil, Equipment” and “Roller/Crimper No-Till – Advancing No-Till Agriculture.” He is a past chair of the National Organic Standards Board and currently sits on the boards of Regenerative Organic Alliance, the Soil Health Institute and advisory board of The Real Organic Project. Jeff is a founding board member of Pennsylvania Certified Organic and past Founder and Board Chair of The Seed Farm, a new farmer incubator project.
Renée Baran
Dean of Education
Renée Baran serves as Rodale Institute’s Dean of Education, advancing the Institute’s efforts to educate the next generation of regenerative organic farmers and agricultural professionals to meet the increasing demand in the organic market.
Baran has spent her career building and managing educational programs. She couples this experience with a strategic mindset, deep commitment to student learning and love of the environment. Through on-site farmer training programs, university partnerships, consumer education workshops, online courses and webinars, as well as regenerative healthcare education, she leads the effort to teach regenerative organic practices across the US and abroad.
Becca Kahle
Vice President of People and Culture
Becca Kahle has over 30 years of human resource experience in the healthcare, insurance, telecommunications, and software industries. Becca manages all the people-related functions of Rodale Institute and enjoys working with each team member to make a difference in their professional life as they work to make regenerative organic agriculture the norm.
Elaine Macbeth
Executive Vice President, Chief Finance and Administration Officer
Elaine manages the Institute’s budget, all aspects of the organization’s finances, internal controls and human resources for the organization. She has more than 17 years of experience in finance and significant expertise in nonprofit accounting.
Andrew Smith, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Andrew Smith oversees the research and farm operations at Rodale Institute and is passionate about growing the organic movement by providing science-based solutions to farmers and facilitating opportunities to expand the number of organic farmers and farmland across the globe. He has over twenty years of experience working in the organic industry as an agronomist, researcher, and farmer. While trained as an entomologist, his motive for entering the organic industry was to reduce the use of chemicals for food production that end up in our environment, food, and bodies. He now has the opportunity to support an amazing group of dedicated people working diligently on many projects to transform the food system and the way we farm to improve the lives and health of all people and the planet. He also continues to live and work on his own organic family farm.
Jessica Student
Chief Impact Officer
Jessica Student serves as Rodale Institute’s Chief Impact Officer, leading the Institute’s Development, Marketing, and Communications divisions. She also oversees the Institute’s capital campaign.
Student is an accomplished non-profit marketing and strategy executive. In her previous roles at both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, she was recognized for intersecting strategic thinking and effective execution. Her expertise in developing innovative brand strategies and robust marketing campaigns advances Rodale Institute’s efforts to broaden the successful adoption of regenerative organic agriculture in the United States and abroad.
Research
Arash Ghale, Ph.D.
Research Director
Bharat Sharma Acharya, Ph.D.
Research Director, Southeast Organic Center
Leigh Archer, Ph.D.
Perennial Systems Scientist
Arianna Bozzolo, Ph.D.
Research Director, California Organic Center
Romans Caetani
Research Associate
Cole Connolly
Research Associate
Carolyn Garrity
Research Technician
Michael Graham, Ph.D.
Climate Scientist
Said Hamido, Ph.D.
Soil Scientist
Audrey Jenkins
Research Technician
Casey Lapham
Research Technician
Sara Major
Research Technician
Rachel Olson
Research Technician
Dinesh Panday, Ph.D.
Soil Scientist
Jacob Pecenka, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, California Organic Center
Sean Stokes, Ph.D.
Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Midwest Organic Center
Kristie Wendelberger, Ph.D.
Climate-Smart Project Director
Gladis Zinati, Ph.D.
Director, Vegetable Systems Trial
Farm Operations
Rick Carr
Senior Farm Director
Jesse Barrett
Farm Operations and Sales Specialist
Will Christie
Farm Operations Technician
Tim Colton
Farm Manager, Pacific Northwest Organic Center
Drew Erickson
Farm Manager, Midwest Organic Center
Katelynn Erm
Fruit Technician, St. Luke’s-Rodale Institute Organic Farm
Ian Frederick
Farm Manager, Cornwall Manor-Rodale Institute Trailside Organic Farm
Sam Geesaman
Farm Operations Technician
Andrew Joyce
Farm Operations Technician
Katie Landis
Assistant Manager, Cornwall Manor-Rodale Institute Trailside Organic Farm
Daniel Lehner
Farm Mechanic
John Long
Greenhouse and Landscape Specialist
Katie Marcks
Farm Technician, Founders Campus
Nathan Mark
Farm Operations Technician, Pacific Northwest Organic Center
Lily Means
Assistant Farm Manager
Blake Morris
Farm Manager, Southeast Organic Center
Reyna Ortega-Aviles
Farm Operations Technician, California Organic Center
Aslynn Parzanese
Farm Manager, St. Luke’s-Rodale Institute Organic Farm
Michael Schmaeling
Facilities Coordinator/Beekeeper, Founders Campus
Molly Schmaeling
Site Manager, Founders Campus
Elyse Suter
Farm Technician, St. Luke’s-Rodale Institute Organic Farm
Brandon Wehr
Assistant Farm Manager
Ross Williams
Farm Technician, St. Luke’s-Rodale Institute Organic Farm
Sam Malriat
Director, Organic Consulting
Dave Campbell
Organic Advisor
Everett Codd
Organic Advisor
Sage Dennis
Pennsylvania Organic Consultant
Dean Dickel
Organic Advisor
Bridget Gilmore
Market Development Manager
Nathanael Gonzales-Siemens
Pacific Regional Manager
Kegan Hilaire
Small Farms and Diversified Vegetable Consultant
Samantha Hilborn-Naluai
New Mexico Organic Consultant
Vivian Le
Markets Coordinator
Ben Lehman
Midwest Organic Consultant
Emily Miller
Operations Manager
Catherine Peebles
Pennsylvania Organic Consultant
Nicholas Podoll
Northern Plains Regional Manager
Jen Rose Silverman
New Mexico Program Coordinator
Léa Vereecke
Midwest Regional Manager
Education
Justin Barclay
Global Education Operations Manager
Maura Beuttel
Climate Smart Outreach Coordinator
Nadine Clopton
Regenerative Education Program Manager
Dan Kemper
Master Trainer
Marketing and Communications
David Pryor
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
Shawn Brown
Senior Visitor Experience Manager
Heather Gurk
Manager, Visitor Center
Tammy Hobar
Brand Manager
Madison King
Social Media Specialist
Sarah Longenecker
Content Marketing Manager
Ramon Madrid
Visual Content Creator
Chloe Nouvelle
Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
Development
Annie Brown
Vice President of Development
Warren Greene
Development Manager
Josh Lilly
Development Strategist
Ashley Minnerath
Community Relations Manager, Pacific Northwest Organic Center
Administration
Idelfi Crespo
Senior Administrative Assistant, Consulting and Accounting
Louise DeVall
Programs Support Assistant and Travel Coordinator
Roberta Panyko
Human Resource Coordinator
Kim Schroeder
Executive Assistant
John Stiavelli
Senior Technology Analyst
Finance
Stacy Glackin
Grants Manager
Linda Carlson-Lockwood
Accountant
Ben Sidor
Grant Accountant
Facilities
Nate Hawk
Facilities Manager
Bruce Schroeder
Courier
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