Alberta Maame Afua Yamoah, alias Alby May, is an entrepreneur, Speaker, and Business Advisor.She is the founder of Afi vine organics and other businesses and non-profit organisations. She holds a bachelor degree in Banking and Finance and a Masters degree in international business. She also holds other professional certificates.As a farmer and agro processor, she is very passionate about promoting sustainable farming to alleviate poverty in Africa. Alby May is also an environmental advocate and a zero-waste enthusiast.
Gina Talt, Food Systems Project Specialist with Princeton University’s Office of Sustainability, manages operational and applied research projects to promote a more circular, equitable, and ecological-based food system. She currently oversees the Sustainable Composting Research at Princeton (S.C.R.A.P.) Lab, an investigation into food scraps recycling and soil revitalization through small-scale, in-vessel composting. Gina is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the composting system, collecting and analyzing performance data, leading communication and engagement efforts around the project, and supporting related coursework and research opportunities for staff, faculty, and students. Gina is also a research assistant for a Princeton faculty member on a project studying the intersection of farming practices and environmental factors on local food production. Gina has a BA in Economics from Princeton University, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Business of Science at Rutgers University with a concentration in Global Agriculture.
Alberta Maame Afua Yamoah, alias Alby May, is an entrepreneur, Speaker, and Business Advisor.She is the founder of Afi vine organics and other businesses and non-profit organisations. She holds a bachelor degree in Banking and Finance and a Masters degree in international business. She also holds other professional certificates.As a farmer and agro processor, she is very passionate about promoting sustainable farming to alleviate poverty in Africa. Alby May is also an environmental advocate and a zero-waste enthusiast.
Alex Melnitchouck is the Chief Technology Officer, Digital Agriculture at Olds College. He holds his Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences, and second master’s degree in Soils and Environmental Sciences, backed up by 25 years of work experience at the international level, including precision Ag projects in Canada, USA, Germany, Switzerland, Brazil, Australia, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. He is a member of Alberta Institute of Agrologists in Canada (P.Ag.) and an author of more than 50 publications in scientific journals and proceedings of conferences. In 2012, Alex founded IntelMax Corp. and created Zoner.Ag – a web platform for managing and analyzing geospatial data. In 2015, Zoner.Ag was acquired by Bayer CropScience to become a geospatial engine for the new Digital Farming Platform (currently known as Xarvio and owned by BASF). Alex leads Olds College’s Digital Ag strategy and the development of the Digital Ag Platform at the Olds College Smart Farm - a 3,500-acre, technology enabled applied research and learning environment.
David S. Bullock is a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois. He received his Ph.D. from the Department of Economics at the University of Chicago in 1989. The major focus of his current research is on the economics agricultural technology and information. He is the Principal Investigator of the eight-year USDA-sponsored “Data-Intensive Farm Management” project, which uses precision agriculture technology to conduct large-scale, on farm agronomic experiments, to generate data that improves farmers’ management of nitrogen fertilizer and other inputs. Bullock has published widely in prestigious economics, agricultural economics, and agronomy journals, including the Journal of Political Economy, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, and Agronomy Journal. He teaches PhD courses in microeconomic theory and has been cited numerous times for outstanding instruction of graduate courses. He has been publishing research on the economics of precision agriculture technology since 1998.
Dave is President and CEO of the Waldo Agencies group of Companies which has more than 30 employees and associates; is a Director and Board President for Lifeway’s, Inc., a regional mental health care provider with more than 250 employees; and served 27 years on the Board of Trustees of Mutual of Enumclaw Insurance Group, (serving on the compensation and audit committees) a 750 million dollar regional Insurance Company licensed to do business in several Western States.
Dave also has worked with Agriculture Businesses in developing Board Governance programs and currently serves as Board Coach or Board Chair for row-crop farms and produce distribution companies. Sustaining Family Ownership of Farms in America is a passion.
João Brites is an entrepreneur, regenerative practitioner and small-scale coffee agroforester based in Brazil. During the last 15 years João co-founded sustainability impact ventures in Portugal and Brazil and served as Global Director of Sustainable Development at AB InBev. Currently, João is Director of Growth & Innovation at HowGood, a New York research company with the world's largest food sustainability database
Jonathan Lehe is PxD’s Chief of Strategy, Partnerships, and Innovation. Jonathan holds a Masters in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) from the Harvard Kennedy School. He has more than 10 years of experience in the global agriculture, health, and education sectors, designing, implementing, and evaluating programs to scale up access to critical services in 35+ countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. He has previously worked at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and consulted for the World Bank, FCDO, Bridge International Academies, and MIT’s Jameel Poverty Action Lab.
Craig Ratajczyk has dedicated over two decades to the global agriculture industry and currently serves as CEO of Crop One, a technology-driven indoor vertical farming company on a mission to cultivate a sustainable future to meet a global demand for fresh, local, and safe food. Under Craig’s leadership, Crop One recently expanded its reach, as the company and its joint venture partner, Emirates Flight Catering, completed construction and began operation of the world’s largest hydroponic vertical farm located in Dubai. Prior to joining Crop One, Craig was the CEO of the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) where he was responsible for managing the $40 million organization and its 200 employees, representing 43,000 soybean farmer members. Additionally, Craig served as Director of Global Issues and Alliances for the U.S. Soybean Export Council Inc., as well as divisiondirector, Western Hemisphere, Europe, Africa, Middle East, CIS, for the American Soybean Association.
Trevor Laureys is the Director of the Division of Soil Conservation within the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. Trevor has been with the department since 2015 previously serving in the roles of Resource Specialist, and Data & GIS Program Manager. In his current role he manages a statewide staff of 30 plus individuals who work hard each day to ensure the Hoosier farmers needs are met and encourages the implementation of soil conservation practices and water quality initiatives. He is a 2015 graduate of Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs where he earned a Bachelor of Science. Trevor leans on his experience as a field technician and data scientist to bring a pragmatic approach to management and partnerships. In his free time Trevor likes to spend time outdoors, fishing and hiking. Trevor lives in downtown Indianapolis with his wife and their cat, Saturn.
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Marc co-founded AeroFarms, the world leader for indoor vertical farming. Recognized by Fast Company as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies and Brands That Matter, and by Time Magazine for Best Inventions in Food, AeroFarms is a mission-driven company and Certified B-Corporation focused on growing the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity. Dedicated to improving our food systems, Marc has been recognized by Produce News for their Vanguard Awards for the Top 35 Innovators Ever Who Have Shaped the Produce Industry and by Eating Well magazine as one of their American Food Heroes.
With his B.A. from Columbia College and M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, Marc is the Chair for the CEA Food Safety Coalition and Co-Chair for Chefs Collaborative and is a member of the FDA Romaine Advisory Task Force, International Fresh Produce Association Grower/Shipper Council, Food Systems Advisory Council for the Culinary Institute of America, and Columbia University Alumni Advisory Group.
I am an avid Biotechnology Engineer with a passion for plant breeding and plant molecular biology. I have graduated with an M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Lund University and my area of research is focused on improving oat varieties for improved traits such as enhancing the dietary fiber content of oats. I am also keen to understand the molecular mechanisms that are involved in the biosynthesis and regulation of arabinoxylan, which is a type of dietary fiber.
