Food Alliance Executive Director Matthew Buck Retires
Executive Director Matthew Buck is retiring from his role at Food Alliance after two decades with the organization. Matt first became involved with Food Alliance in 1997, right after it was founded, and moved through different roles before becoming Assistant Director in 2004 and Executive Director in 2013.
“Food Alliance has hugely benefited from Matt’s ability to honor history, champion sustainability, and synthesize complex information," says Food Alliance Board President Michelle McGrath. "I’ve always enjoyed working with Matt because of these characteristics, and Food Alliance is on solid footing today because of his unique and steady approach to organization perseverance. Food Alliance wouldn’t be here helping to promote holistic and ongoing sustainable agriculture without him."
During Matt’s time as Assistant Director, he worked closely with then Executive Director Scott Exo. “I remember him as a master at breaking big tasks into organized, smaller, more manageable ones, and plowing through them very systematically. Matt epitomizes the old adage ‘work smarter, not harder,’ though he also worked plenty hard,” explains Scott. Together, they introduced new certification standards for processors and distributors. Additionally, Food Alliance began working with the American Grassfed Association, the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association, the Pacific Shellfish Institute, Salmon-Safe, and the Oregon Association of Nurseries on projects that led to new certification offerings for grassfed ruminants, farmed shellfish, and nursery products.
Later, during Matt’s leadership tenure as Executive Director, Food Alliance continued to develop important partnerships with other like-minded organizations. Food Alliance collaborated with the Natural Resources Defense Council and Rainforest Alliance to develop the Grasslands Alliance standard for regenerative ranching in North America. Food Alliance joined with Salmon-Safe to offer joint certification for grain growers in the Columbia River Basin and became the auditor for the National Audubon Society’s “Bird-Friendly” Conservation Ranching Program.
Food Alliance also implemented a groundbreaking approach to evaluating pest management, developed in consultation with Dr. Paul Jepson at the Integrated Plant Protection Center, that is applicable for any crop in any region of North America.
"Matt was the thoughtful and steady anchor of the team back in my Food Alliance days. He cared for the organization with integrity and a personal commitment to its vision of a more sustainable food system,” explains Roberta Anderson, the Food Alliance Business Development Director from 2004 to 2013. Those skillsets came in handy as Matt overhauled the funding model for the nonprofit organization to transition from a grant-dependent funding model to a social entrepreneurship model setting the nonprofit up for success in the years to come.
As Matt prepares to step down as Executive Director, he is grateful for the support Food Alliance has received over the past decade and excited to see what the future brings. “While I am looking forward to more time with family, some travel, volunteering, and catching up on some house and garden projects, I will also be available to Food Alliance in an emeritus advisory capacity as long as they need me,” he says. “It’s an organization I care about, and an approach to sustainability that I think is critical to the future.”
As Matt departs in the new year, Shaila Cook will remain in place as the Certification Program Director. She will miss her time working with Matt: “I want to send a sincere thank you and share my deepest appreciation for the opportunity Matt and Food Alliance have given me. I admire his dedication and hard work, and appreciate the wisdom he has shared. Matt’s contributions have been invaluable, and the positive impact he’s had is immeasurable.”
Thank you, Matt, for all you’ve done for Food Alliance! Stay tuned as we introduce our new Executive Director, Joost Besijn, next month.