Board of Directors

Managing Board Members

Kristy Borrelli

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), State College, PA

Kristy grew up on a small family beef and poultry farm in Western New York State and pursued formal education in sustainable agriculture on the east and west coast. Kristy is the Associate Director of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. SARE is a competitive grant program established by the USDA whose mission is to advance the whole of American agriculture by supporting innovations that improve profitability, stewardship, and quality of life on farms. SARE upholds this mission by investing in groundbreaking research and education that is led by farmers and their closest associates. As the Associate Director, Kristy leads SARE's National Reporting, Communications, and Coordination Office. Kristy is committed to supporting farmers and allied organizations, like PCO, in having long-term sustainable production systems and high qualities of life in an ever-changing agricultural landscape.

Denele Hughson

Grow Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA

Denele is the Executive Director at Grow Pittsburgh. Grow Pittsburgh is an urban agriculture non-profit committed to teaching people how to grow food and to promote the benefits that gardens bring to our neighborhoods. Prior to her position as the Executive Director, Denele was the Director of Production and Farm Education and was integral to expanding food access initiatives across Allegheny County. She has a Master of Science degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and History from the University of Pittsburgh.

Lisa de Lima

MOMs Organic Market – Gaithersburg, MD

Lisa has worked at MOM’s for the past 20 years and has been a driving force behind the growth of this independent chain of organic grocery stores. Her expertise includes organizational strategy, major initiative implementation and change management, employee engagement & development, category management, and merchandising & pricing strategies. Lisa has also had the unique opportunity to spearhead and implement various environmental initiatives, helping MOM’s drive its mission. Lisa earned her BS from the University of Vermont in Environmental Studies & Political Science, and her MBA from Johns Hopkins University. Outside of work Lisa enjoys teaching Tai Chi and traveling.

Advisory Board Members

Samuel Malriat

Rodale Institute – Kutztown, PA

Sam is the Lead Organic Crop Consultant with the Rodale Institute, an agricultural research and education center based in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. He is part of a new, collaborative effort to help farmers transition their agricultural operations from conventional to certified organic systems by providing direct consultations to farmers that need support throughout the transition period. This service is currently free to farmers in Pennsylvania. Sam has approximately 12 years of farming experience in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York.

Andrew Smyre

Lazy Dog Farms/Tuscarora Grain Co. LLC, PCO Certified, Mohrsville, PA

Andrew grew up working on his family farm in Central Pennsylvania. He attended Delaware Valley University and after working in the family business, he lived in Alaska for 3 years. Upon returning, Andrew took a position as an organic agronomist working to transition land in Pennsylvania. He then moved into marketing organic grain and began an agronomic consulting business. Andrew is a Certified Crop Advisor. Andrew is farming 50 organic acres and lives in Berks County with his wife, Kim and young son, Lukas.

Interested in becoming a board member?

Visit our board nomination page to fill out an application. If you have any questions, contact Stacey Budd: 814-422-0251 or sbudd@paorganic.org