ABOUT
OUR TEAM
Where Food Comes From Organic builds a company culture around integrity, customer service and happy employees. Each team member expresses their intelligence and creativity in the work that they do and in turn impresses each and every client that we work with.
John Saunders
CEO
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John Saunders
John Saunders founded Where Food Comes From, Inc. (formerly IMI Global, Inc.) in 1995 with an anticipation of the critical role information technology and verification would play in the future of the agriculture and food industries.
Leann Saunders
COO
Leann Saunders
Leann Saunders is the President and COO of Where Food Comes From, Inc., the leading agricultural and food verification and certification company in North America.
Vinodthan Nayagar
WFCF Organic Director
Vinodthan Nayagar
Vinodthan has an MBA in Sustainable Business and a B.S. in Sustainability. He has been working in the certification industry since 2012. After work you can find him running on trails and surfing.
Kristina Bierschwale
Kristina Bierschwale
Before joining WFCF, Kristina spent 20 years in quality assurance and food safety, marketing, export sales, grocery retail procurement and more.
Kristina was born and raised in the Texas Hill Country, and attended Texas A&M University where she completed her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Animal Science. She now resides with her husband and three young children in Mason, TX.
Sr. VP of Sales & Business Development, WFCF
Laura Fitzpatrick
Laura Fitzpatrick
Laura grew up in Massachusetts. She worked in vegetable farming and industrial construction before joining the organic industry. She currently runs a small tea farm in Florida. She loves kayaking, identifying plants and writing fiction. She is currently trying to breed the perfect Florida watermelon!
Certification Manager
Jamie Abbott
Jamie Abbott
Jamie grew up on a Nevada ranch raising cattle and sheep. She has a Bachelor's in Environmental Sciences and 10 years’ experience in Organic and various other agricultural regulations. When not working, you will find her on a trail with her dog or at the golf course. Fun Fact: Her middle name is Jo after San Fransico 49ers quarterback Joe Montana - she loves football!
Certification Manager
Katie Dewald
Katie Dewald
Katie lives in Medina, ND. She has 2 daughters who keep her on her toes, and a baby on the way. She loves to be outdoors with her farm animals and teaching her children about everyday living. When she has spare time, she loves to sit in her hammock with a book in hand listening to the chickens!
Certification Specialist,
Handler
Sherri Iszler
Sherri Iszler
Sherri spent 13 years in Garden City, KS as a radio announcer and operations manager to ten different radio stations before returning to her family in North Dakota. She worked at a produce shop and local grocery store before joining our compliance team. She loves spending time with her family at races and demolition derbies.
Senior Certification Specialist, Handler
Emily Thompson
Emily Thompson
Emily was born and raised in Florida, where she remains today. She went to the University of Florida where she studied Community Development and Organic Agriculture. She fell in love with agriculture after volunteering on a local farm. She is an avid supporter of sustainable farming. She enjoys kayaking and bead weaving in her free time.
Inspection Coordinator
Jessica Hoffman
Jessica Hofmann
Jessica lives in Medina, ND with her husband and two children. They love to be outdoors, which is where they spend most weekends during the summer. They love camping with family and friends. Jessica works with both the Organic and Non-GMO Project verification programs.
Certification Specialist, Handler/Non-GMO
Mike Fabrizio
Mike Fabrizio
Mike was born and raised in Colorado. Before joining WFCF Organic, he graduated from CU-Denver with a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education, and then quickly transitioned to joining Chipotle's Supply Chain team where he eventually took over their traceability processes.
Certification Specialist, Crops/Livestock
Rebecca Higgins
Rebecca Higgins
Rebecca is part of her families fifth generation farm. They raise dairy and cattle, which is what inspired her to receive a degree in Agribusiness. Now, alongside her husband and their three daughters, they raise their own sheep and cattle. She loves to visit with people about their lives, and loves watching football in her spare time!
Certification Specialist, Crops/Livestock
Tara Koenig
Tara Koenig
Tara graduated from Bismarck State College. She and her husband own and operate a cattle ranch by Woodworth, ND, where they raise their 3 children. Tara enjoys spending as much time as she can with her family, along with having her camera in hand capturing every milestone she can.
Enrollment Specialist
Amanda Guthmiller
Amanda Guthmiller
Amanda grew up in South Dakota and has a background in psychology and sociology. In addition to working for WFCF Organic, Amanda enjoys working at a local family farm that goes back three generations.
Certification Specialist,
Crops
Mariana Chapela
Mariana Chapela
Mariana is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she spent three years working in the organic certification industry.
Certification Specialist, Crops/Livestock/Handler
Tammy Schlect
Tammy Schlect
Tammy was raised on a farm where she was responsible for milking cows and making hay. She continues that lifestyle today. She lives on a farm with her family, where they also operate a feedlot. Tammy has one son and three daughters who have brought six incredible grandchildren to her life.
Tammy loves to play the organ for Sunday worship services.
Certification Specialist,
Crops
Sara Figueroa
Sara Figueroa
Sara has a Bachelors in Microbiology from Weber State University. She has been working in regulatory affairs for the last 3 years as an Environmental Health Scientist. Sara loves being active in nature and finding new places to explore. In fact, she has visited 26 of 62 U.S. National Parks and she plans to visit them all! Her favorite hiking accessory is here trusty brown adventure hat.
Certification Specialist,
Crops/Livestock/Handler
Brianna Sander
Brianna Sander
Brianna grew up in Nebraska and has been involved in numerous aspects of agriculture. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Animal Science. While she's not working, she loves hiking with her dogs, exploring new places, and riding horses.
Certification Specialist,
Crops/Livestock
Macie Whitsel
Macie Whitsel
Macie grew up on a farm in central Pennsylvania raising beef and sheep. She has a B.S. in Animal Science with minors in Poultry and Avian Science and Agribusiness Management from Penn State. She previously worked in the live production poultry industry where she managed organic compliance. In her spare time she enjoys raising and training service dogs for a non-profit organization.
Certification Specialist,
Livestock/Handler
Kelsey Fjellman
Kelsey Fjellman
Kelsey grew up on a small family farm outside of Colorado Springs, CO. He has a Bachelor's of Innovation Degree in Business with a minor in Globalization from the University of Colorado. Before joining the Where Food Comes From team, he worked in the hemp industry where he managed procurement and logistics for a certified organic operation. He still resides in Colorado with his wife and two cats where they enjoy playing golf, hiking, kayaking, and biking.
Certification Specialist,
Crops/Handler
Brenda Quinones
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Brenda Quinones
Brenda has more than 25 years of experience in regulatory affairs including municipal governments, commercial and residential homebuilding, and metro district management. Brenda lives on her ranch with her husband and their herd of 35 Suri alpacas. There they enjoy visits from their 3 adult children and their families.
Certification Specialist,
Handler
Shannon Martinez
Shannon Martinez
Shannon grew up in Nevada raising cattle, sheep and horses. She has an Associates in Agriculture and a Bachelor's in Animal Science. Before joining WFCF, she worked for 7 years at a veterinary hospital and animal supply company. In her spare time she enjoys all things outdoors, as well as competitive horse shows.
Certification Specialist,
Crops/Livestock
Tabitha Covey
Tabitha Covey
Tabitha earned n a B.S. in Soil and Crop Science with a concentration in Organic Agriculture from Colorado State University. She has worked with organic agriculture in some capacity since, whether measuring biodiversity on farms or assisting farmers with FSMA compliance. Tabitha's passion is in farmer advocacy and ensuring the future of agricultural land. She is a skilled gluten free baker and loves spending time in nature with her family every chance she gets.
Certification Specialist,
Crops/Handler
Gretchen Oat
Gretchen Oats
Gretchen lives in in the Great Lakes region of northwestern Pennsylvania. She has a background in biology and ecology. She has worked on farms throughout the northeast and spent several years working with farmers in South America. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, swimming, and gardening.
Certification Specialist,
Crops/Livestock
