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Food Alliance Staff
Ingrid Dankmeyer • Assistant Director
Karen Lewotsky • Certification Director
Heather Saam • Certification Manager
Roberta Anderson • Business Development Director
John Harrington • Communications & Marketing Manager
Bob Olson • Director, Food Alliance Midwest
Ingrid Dankmeyer
Assistant Director
Email: Ingrid at foodalliance.org
Phone: 503.493.1066, ext 22
Ingrid Dankmeyer joined Food Alliance in 2011, bringing over a decade of non-profit management and small farm experience. She helped launch Sustainable Northwest and served as Director of Operations for seven years. She is a freelance writer and wrote the book Renewing the Countryside: Washington that profiles salmon restoration and innovative farming efforts in the state.
Ingrid was a founding member of the Clark County Food System Council and also served on the Rural Lands Task Force and the Agriculture Preservation Advisory Council in Clark County while raising children, goats, ducks, chickens, and crops on a small farm there.
Ingrid holds Master's in Public Administration from the University of Washington and her undergraduate degree is from Williams College. She is also a student of homeopathy.
Karen Lewotsky
Certification Director
Email: Karen at foodalliance.org
Phone: 503.493.1066, ext 25
Karen oversees development and administration of Food Alliance's certification standards and policies. She is the lead contact for issues covered under Food Alliance certification.
Prior to joining Food Alliance in 2006, Karen spent eight years as a Program Director for the Oregon Environmental Council, where she managed agriculture and water programs. She holds a PhD in Geography and a JD with a Natural Resources emphasis, both from the University of Oregon.
Heather Saam
Certification Manager
Email: Heather at foodalliance.org
Phone: 503.493.1066, ext 23
Heather oversees administration of Food Alliance's certification program, the receipt and processing of certification applications, and the training of Food Alliance accredited inspectors. She is the lead contact for questions related to the certification process.
Prior to joining Food Alliance in August 2004, Heather worked for the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a study of nutrient management practices on Wisconsin dairy farms. Heather grew up on her family's century farm in Northwest Illinois. Heather holds an MS in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA in Philosophy and Chemistry from Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa.
Roberta Anderson
Business Development Director
Email: Roberta at foodalliance.org
Phone: 503.493.1066, ext 31
Roberta works in the Northwest and nationally on outreach to farmers, ranchers, food packers, processors and distributors regarding Food Alliance certification. She also works to recruit participation and support from commercial food buyer and to match supply and demand for certified products.
Roberta joined Food Alliance in September 2004 after earning her Masters in Business Administration at Portland State University. During her MBA program, Roberta focused on issues of social responsibility and environmental sustainability in business and completed a certificate program in Food Industry Management. She did an internship with the promotions department at New Seasons Market, a beloved Portland-area natural supermarket chain, and consulted for Coastwide Laboratories, a regional sanitary maintenance supply distributor and manufacturer of award-winning sustainable cleaning products. Roberta has served on the board of directors for Portland's Hollywood Farmers' Market since 2002.
John Harrington
Communications & Marketing Manager
Email: John at foodalliance.org
Phone: (503) 493.1066, ext 24
John joined Food Alliance after managing communications and events for six years at Sustainable Northwest. He grew up on the east coast and has over a decade of experience in project management, public relations, graphic arts, editing, and publishing. In 2005 he published the book, Renewing the Countryside: Washington.
John has a BA in English Literature from New York University. He has served on board and as an advisor to a variety of sustainability, conservation, and creative arts organizations in Oregon. His personal interests include urban landscapes, video and music production, photography, biking, hiking, cooking, regional food and drink, and advancing Portland's creative/green community.
Bob Olson
Director, Food Alliance Midwest
Email: Bob at foodalliance.org
Phone: (651)265-3682
Bob works in the Midwest to support outreach to farmers, ranchers, food packers, processors and distributors regarding Food Alliance certification. He also works to recruit participation and support from commercial food buyer and to match supply and demand for certified products.
Bob joined Food Alliance Midwest in January 2005. Bob has over 25 years of agricultural and business development experience, working with farmers as a staff member of the University of Minnesota Extension Service. Bob earned an undergraduate degree in plant and soil science and a masters degree in Agriculture and Applied Economics. He was raised on a Wisconsin dairy farm where he experienced first-hand the challenges and opportunities of food production.
Elizabeth Palles
Bookkeeper
Email: Liz at foodalliance.org
Phone: 503.493.1066, ext 21
Liz manages accounts payable and receivable, grant allocations, bookkeeping and financial reporting.
Prior to joining Food Alliance, Liz served as the administrator/office manager for two environmental organizations in rural New Hampshire, Friends of the John Hay National Wildlife Refuge, and Lake Sunapee Protective Association.
