Sustainable Food Trade names new executive director

Alyssa Harding, who the Boulder Chamber of Commerce honored in the spring as a Rising Star for her work in the natural products industry, will be the next executive director of the Sustainable Food Trade Association.

The New Castle, Virginia-based nonprofit, founded in 2008, is dedicated to increasing the capacity of the organic food supply system and helping the industry transition to sustainable business models.

“With the increasing public concern about everything from climate change to disposable packaging, companies involved with the food system are uniquely positioned— both as impacted parties and positive change agents—to address these challenges head on,” says Renaud des Rosiers, vice president of the Association’s board of directors. “We have a unique opportunity, given the current cultural and scientific context, to magnify the positive impact of SFTA in guiding food companies down a more sustainable operating path and are excited to work with Alyssa in doing so.”

Harding graduated from the University of Florida in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science, according to SFTA and her LinkedIn page. She also earned a certificate in corporate social responsibility from the

Employed at Justin’s since December 2016, Harding is the manager of corporate social responsibility. Among her responsibilities is the improvement of packaging and ingredient sourcing; integrating sustainability initiatives into long-term practices; and leading sustainability projects to obtain certification.

Additionally, she is a member of Naturally Boulder’s board of directors and serves on the development committee of Harvest of Hope Pantry, a nonprofit, ecumenical food pantry that is supported by numerous churches, organizations and businesses in Boulder.

“I am very excited to the join the SFTA team. My personal mission has always been to drive institutional change through sustainability, and this position offers me a unique opportunity to aggregate the good of the natural products industry and scale sustainable collective impact programs through businesses of all sizes,” Harding said in a statement that SFTA released. She starts at STFA on Aug. 19.

“I hope to build on the momentum that the SFTA has already created, and to leverage new resource tools and strategic partnerships to broaden the impact of the organization. I’d like to see the SFTA grow holistic efforts around policy, material sourcing, reporting and consumer education in order to build a more regenerative future for the food industry.”

Katherine DiMatteo, who announced in February that she would be leaving the organization and returning to her consultancy business, has been the SFTA’s executive director for five years. She will stay at SFTA until the end of August to smooth the transition for Harding, she wrote in an email to New Hope Network.

She also has served on the management board of Climate Collaborative, a joint project of the SFTA and OSC2 that is sponsored by the Sustainable Food Lab.

Previously, she was the executive director of the Organic Trade Association.

Source: Sustainable Food Trade Association