Keynote Speaker – Jim Thomas
Jim Thomas is Programme Director with ETC Group – an international civil society organization that tracks the impact of new technologies, especially in food and agriculture, as they affect marginalized peoples, human rights and the environment. ETC Group has been leading international analysis and action on genetic engineering technologies for over thirty years working with farmer and peasant movements as well as at the United Nations. Jim previously worked for Greenpeace International, engaging food companies and leading market and consumer campaigns promoting organic production and against GMO foods in UK, US, New Zealand, Australia and South East Asia. He is the author of several reports on the topics of Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology and Geoengineering. He is a convenor of the International Civil Society Working Group on Synthetic Biology and the Synbiowatch collaborative of organizations, a partner in the European Union's SYNENERGENE project on Responsible Research and Innovation in Synthetic Biology and currently sits on the United Nations ‘Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group' on Synthetic Biology under the UN Biodiversity Convention. He has served on organicstandards advisory committees on nanotechnology (in the UK) and new genetic engineering technologies (in the US). He lives with his family inthe snowy mountains of Quebec.
Endnote Speaker - Joe Smillie
Joe Smillie has been involved in the organic movement and industry since 1975 as a farmer, consultant, inspector,author and certification agent. Originally from Canada, he moved to Vermont. He became Senior Vice President at Quality Assurance International for 18 years (1995-2013). In that position, he managed the company's eastern U.S. and Canada sales, operations, government regulatory affairs, and international business development. Joe served on the National Organic Standards Board from 2005-2010 in the US. He was a founding member and Past President of the Organic Trade Association and was the recipient of the 2005 Organic Leadership award. He is currently retired and spends the summers at his home in Vermont and the winters in Florida.
He accepted IOIA’s invitation to speak on some of his early memories of IOIA as he served on the founding Board in 1992.
He was the co-author of The Soul of Soil (1986), with Grace Gershuny. He also co-authored Rodale's Chemical-Free Yard and Garden: The Ultimate Authority on Successful Organic Gardening (1991) and The Orchard Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to Healthy Fruit Trees (1995).
Tia Loftsgard
Tia Loftsgard is the Executive Director of the Canada Organic Trade Association. With extensive experience working in the organic food industry, Tia co-founded Camino (La Siembra Co-operative) in 1999, going on to become the organic and Fairtrade cocoa company’s Director of Sales until 2009, when she joined Fairtrade Canada. As its Business Development and Licensing Director, she led strategy, building the not-for-profit’s membership base and encouraging sustainable and ethical sourcing standards in North America. In 2013, she moved over to Fairtrade America, where as its Chief Operating Officer, she successfully developed advocacy initiatives and grew U.S. market opportunities for small farmers via the Fairtrade model. Tiajoined COTA as theExecutive Director in March 2016.