Renee Mann Announces Advancement to NOP

April 2, 2010

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I would like to announce that I have accepted a job at the National Organic Program in the Compliance and Enforcement branch. My last day of work at the Organic Materials Review Institute is April 2nd; I will begin work at the NOP later this month.

It is with both excitement and sadness that I make this announcement. The past six and a half years working at OMRI have been a wonderful experience for me as I have learned and grown in various positions. I began work as an Executive Assistant, advanced to a Product Review Coordinator, and spent the last two and a half years as OMRI’s Review Program Manager. While I am sad to leave behind the close connections that I enjoy with my co-workers, Review Panels, Board members and many clients, I am equally excited to join a new team of people at the NOP. I am also happy to have this opportunity to continue to work in the organic industry.

OMRI will continue to grow and provide its high quality service to certifiers, input suppliers, and the entire organic industry. Our staff is highly qualified and there are several staff members who have worked behind the scenes for years; they are now skilled and knowledgeable enough to carry on OMRI’s work. It has also been exciting to welcome several great new staff members to OMRI’s team in the last year. In addition to our staff, we have a strong base of support in our 15-person Board of Directors, 13-person Review Panel, and over 30 Advisory Council members. OMRI is a strong community of hard working employees and volunteers. We recently improved the speed of our reviews and I expect to continue to see improvements in OMRI’s services.

OMRI will be accepting applications for a new Review Program Manager shortly. In the absence of a Review Program Manager, the following people can help answer your questions:

• Paul Lipscomb, Interim Executive Director: ext. 102
• Lindsay Fernandez-Salvador, Technical Director: ext. 117
• Tina Jensen Augustine, Senior Reviewer: ext. 110
• Blyss Hansen, Administrative Specialist: ext. 100

I look forward to continuing to communicate and work with many of you once I begin my new position at the NOP. Thank you all for your support of OMRI.

Sincerely,

Renee Mann
Review Program Manager
Organic Materials Review Institute