Board of Directors

Ontario Organic’s board drives the Ontario Organic Strategic Plan, providing oversight and direction to Ontario Organic staff.  The board is made up of a mix of industry and at-large representatives.  Board members serve a two-year term and are voted in by Ontario Organic members within their industry category every two years.  At-large members are voted on by all member categories. Elections take place amongst members in good standing at the annual AGM. The Executive Committee (President, Vice-President, Secretary, and  Treasurer) is then elected from within the elected board.

Board seats are allocated in proportion to Ontario Organic’s membership and value chain make-up and will be re-evaluated every few years.  Members are encouraged to bring forward issues at any time and may participate in working group as issues arise.

*The board shall seek at least one uncertified, ecological producer to be on the Board at all times.

**No member shall be elected to serve as director on the Board representing in an official capacity any one certifying body.

  • Lauren Stallard

    Value Chain (Certified)

    Lauren is the Sales & Marketing manager at Pfenning's Organic Vegetables - a 700+ acre farm that has been growing organic vegetables in New Hamburg, ON since 1981. With almost 20 years experience in the organic industry in various sales, marketing, and customer service positions throughout the value chain, Lauren is able to lend perspective from a producer, distributor, retailer, food services, and consumer point-of-view.

  • Emmalea Davis

    Director-at-large

    Emmalea has a background in policy, and has worked in most sectors connected to agriculture. Interspersing her time between gigs in purchasing, importing, logistics, communications, as well as policy and systems-development for several fast-growing businesses in the agricultural sector - with farm work on diverse orchard, fruit, and vegetable farms across the country. She is passionate about the imperative of building a local sustainable food system, one in which consumers understand the true value of organic food, and farmers are fairly compensated for the fruits of their labour and have access to the latest tools and information to help them in their organic production systems.

  • Norm Hansen

    Director-At-Large

    Norm Hansen is a cum laude graduate of The Ohio State University, and a graduate of the University of Windsor. He has spent his years since graduation teaching, growing cut flowers, and most recently, growing organic greenhouse vegetables. He is the Director of Research and Development for Erieview Acres. Erieview Acres is the premier Leamington area grower of certified organic greenhouse vegetables. Currently they grow in 19 acres of greenhouses at 3 locations. Norm's top priorities for the organic sector include getting Organic Standards review funding in place; enacting Ontario Organic Legislation; and increasing membership, sector organization coordination, and organic grower participation.

  • Karine Bellefeuille

    Director-At-Large

    Karine is a Business Development professional with ACTI-SOL, where she works directly with agricultural retailers, growers, distributors, and industry partners across Eastern Ontario. Through her role, she has developed strong relationships with people working at every level of the agricultural sector, gaining a firsthand understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing Ontario’s farmers and rural communities. She is fluent in English, French, and Spanish, which allows her to connect and communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.


    Karine's work focuses on building strategic partnerships, identifying market opportunities, and helping growers and agricultural businesses adopt practical, sustainable, and natural soil fertility solutions. She particularly values the opportunity to work directly with growers, understand their individual needs, and connect them with solutions that support both productivity and long-term soil health.

    Prior to joining ACTI-SOL, Karine was actively involved in humanitarian work, experiences that strengthened her commitment to serving communities, listening to diverse perspectives, and working collaboratively to improve people’s quality of life. This work reinforced the importance of integrity, accountability, empathy, and inclusive leadership — values that she brings to her role as a Board member.

    As a Board member of Ontario Organic, she brings a combination of agricultural industry experience, business development expertise, and a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture. She is particularly interested in supporting initiatives that strengthen soil health, provide practical and science-based resources to growers, promote education and knowledge sharing, and build stronger connections between farmers, businesses, consumers, and the broader agricultural community.

    Karine believes Ontario’s organic sector has an important role to play in building a resilient and sustainable agricultural future. 

  • Ann-Marie Saunders

    Producer (Certified)

    Ann-Marie grew up in Beamsville Ontario, on the fruit and table-grape farm that her parents purchased in the mid-1960s. Currently the family operates the farmland as an organic winegrape vineyard which has been certified since 2013. With a focus on healthy soil in support of healthy plants, this eventually led her to further explore the Regenerative Agriculture branch of Organic farming and the simple, yet profound concept that it’s better to work with and not against Nature. Ann-Marie is keen to actively support Ontario Organic initiatives aimed at expanding the reach of the Organic value-chain within our local communities: building sector relationships, providing data and educational resources as well as advocating for trust and integrity on claims of Organic in Ontario.

  • Shenali Madhanaroopan

    Value Chain (Certified)

    Shenali Madhanaroopan is currently employed as a Corporate Impact Analyst at Riverside Natural Foods, home of the organic snack brand, MadeGood. Prior to joining Riverside, she earned her Master of Environmental Studies in Sustainability Management from the University of Waterloo. Her graduate experience provides 3+ years of expertise in conducting analytical research and robust life cycle modelling of organic production systems and the organic product value chain. She has spoken at the COTA Organic Summit in 2020, and presented research at LCAFoods in 2022 and the Guelph Organic Conference in 2023 where she moderated the Regenerative Organic Oats panel spearheaded by the Canadian Organic Growers. She is passionate about truly representing the benefits of organic agriculture from a research and data perspective to meaningfully engage and educate people on the value of organics to our environment, society, and collective future. She is keen to address the organic research and data gap in Canada, improve organic visibility and accessibility at the retail level, and educate people on what organic really means and what it stands for.

  • Dean Martin

    Treasurer – Producer (Certified)

    Dean Martin and his two sons operate Harrow Organic Farms, located in Harrow Ont. They farm 1500 acres of Certified Organic grains and oil seeds in Harrow and on Pelee Island. Dean has been a cash crop farmer in the Harrow area for 40 years and began transitioning to Organic in 2005. Dean is a University of Guelph graduate of 83A, a former director for The Seed Corn Growers of Ontario, a past speaker at the Southwest Ag Conference and the Guelph Organic Conference.

    • Guillermo Anderson

      Value Chain - Uncertified


      Guillermo was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, and began his career in marketing and advertising in Toronto. Over the past twelve years, he has worked across the artisanal food value chain—from hospitality and butchery to market gardening and the dairy industry—on both sides of the Atlantic. This immersive journey deepened his understanding of niche food systems and affirmed the universal need for connection and meaning, as championed by the Slow Food and Farm-to-Table movements. It also cemented his commitment to organic principles, holistic management, and regenerative agriculture as essential pathways to a thriving collective future.


      He is the founder of In Season Marketing, a consultancy dedicated to supporting eco-niche and purpose-driven food enterprises. He currently serves as fractional COO and marketing lead for St. Brigid’s Creamery, Canada’s first and only dairy to be certified organic, doubly regenerative, and animal welfare approved. From his home and flower farm in Holland Centre, Grey County, Guillermo is raising a family, pasturing poultry, and planning to one day steward a small herd of dual-purpose, small-framed cattle.

      He is passionate about contributing to a circular, transparent, and community-rooted food system—one in which local organics outsell conventional options, and where reconnection nourishes producers, processors, and communities alike.

      • Evan Hall

        Director-At-Large 


        With 15+ years in organic grocery, Evan is Senior Category Manager at Goodness Me and a former owner/operator of an organic-focused online store. He's passionate about improving access and equity in the organic food system.

      • Isaac Braun

        Producer (Certified)


        Isaac Braun is a greenhouse professional at Nature Fresh Farms, an organic agriculture professional dedicated to sustainable farming and soil health. He has experience in organic crop production and environmentally responsible growing practices, with a focus on natural soil fertility and pest management. He's passionate about producing healthy food while protecting the environment and supporting biodiversity. His goal is to continue developing his skills and contribute to the growth of organic agriculture in his community.

      • Hida Manns

        Director-at-large