OMRI Board Welcomes Two New Members

(July 15, 2024) OMRI (the Organic Material Review Institute) is pleased to welcome Lauren Cox and Katie Peterman as members of the organization’s Board of Directors.

Lauren is the Director of Farmer Services at Georgia Organics, a position she’s held since 2022. She has been an active member of Georgia's farming community since 2011, first as a farmer/owner of Le Tre Lune Farm in Douglasville, GA, and then as the manager of Woodland Gardens, a certified organic farm in Athens, GA, through 2017. In 2018, she managed Concrete Jungle’s PEEL program, integrating farmers’ market-style food distribution into Atlanta food pantries and soup kitchens. Prior to assuming her current position, Lauren spent three years building Georgia Organics’ Farm to Restaurant program and Farmer Champion branding campaign. More than anything, she is passionate about having conversations that address long-term farm business sustainability and feels that this should always include emotional, physical and economic considerations. She received her master’s in food communications at the University of Gastronomic Sciences (Slow Food) in Parma, Italy, and is happy to call Atlanta her home.

Katie currently serves as the Program Manager for the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Organic Collaborative. While getting her master’s degree in Sustainable Development, Katie studied the links between sustainable agriculture, human rights and the environment. She quickly became passionate about organic agriculture and focused on getting involved on local, national and international levels. In addition to UW-Madison, Katie has worked for Michael Fields Agricultural Institute and Organic Valley. She is excited to use her background and skills to positively influence OMRI and the organic community as a whole. Outside of work, she enjoys mountain biking, skiing, yoga, swimming and gardening.

Lauren and Katie join a dedicated group of stakeholders from around the organic industry in this important role, leading OMRI’s strategic direction. The OMRI Board is comprised of members who represent various constituencies of the organic industry, including certifiers, farmers, suppliers, manufacturers, handlers, and organizations that serve consumer and environmental interests. We are always looking for qualified candidates who have an interest in helping meet the needs of our organic industry. If you would like to apply, please click here.

Founded in 1997 by organic certifiers and stakeholders, OMRI provides an independent review of input products to determine which inputs are allowed for organic use. Over the past two decades, the organization has grown to over 10,000 OMRI Listed^® products, reviewed to the U.S. National Organic Program standards and the Canada Organic Regime standards.

For more information, please contact:
Roger Plant, Marketing Manager
(541) 343-7600 ext. 132