Staff
Whether out in the fields or in the office, our expert staff are dedicated to growing the organic movement and assisting farmers through rigorous research, education, and outreach.
Jeff Tkach
Chief Executive Officer
Renée Baran
Dean of Education
Becca Kahle
Vice President of People and Culture
Elaine Macbeth
Executive Vice President, Chief Finance and Administration Officer
Jessica Student
Chief Impact Officer
David Willey
Chief Operating Officer
Luke Howard
Chief Program Officer
Jeff Tkach
Chief Executive Officer
Jeff Tkach, Rodale Institute’s Chief Executive Officer, is on a mission to reconnect humans with the earth. He is responsible for leading the organization’s growth, impact, and strategic planning, and is committed to advancing the Institute’s world-renowned research and education on regenerative organic agriculture.
In this role, Tkach leads a global workforce dedicated to advancing innovations in regenerative organic agriculture. His management portfolio includes strategic planning, overseeing the Institute’s twelve campus operations in the U.S. and Europe, directing research investments, and supervising the organization’s education programs.
Before assuming the Institute’s most senior leadership position, Tkach served as Rodale Institute’s Chief Impact Officer. From 2017 to the spring of 2023, he was responsible for expanding the nonprofit’s global influence and developing core strategies and partnerships to drive the nonprofit’s philanthropic and programmatic initiatives. He is the Co-Chair of the Regenerative Organic Alliance and currently serving on Google’s Food is Medicine Institute Advisory Board.
Prior to finding his calling at Rodale Institute, Jeff served as Managing Director and Vice President for Rodale’s Organic Life and Prevention, where he oversaw business objectives and strategic operations for both brands. Earlier career stops were similar expressions of his passion to improve human and planetary health. He served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Life Time Fitness and as Group Publisher at Active Interest Media (AIM), overseeing Yoga Journal and Vegetarian Times.
A Pennsylvania native, Tkach earned a degree in business marketing from Kutztown University and a postgraduate Authentic Leadership Certificate from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. When he’s not advancing the mission of Rodale Institute, Tkach can be found living out that mission through a healthy and regenerative lifestyle.
Renée Baran
Dean of Education
Renée Baran serves as Rodale Institute’s Dean of Education, advancing the Institute’s efforts to educate the next generation of regenerative organic farmers and agricultural professionals to meet the increasing demand in the organic market.
Baran has spent her career building and managing educational programs. She couples this experience with a strategic mindset, deep commitment to student learning and love of the environment. Through on-site farmer training programs, university partnerships, consumer education workshops, online courses and webinars, as well as regenerative healthcare education, she leads the effort to teach regenerative organic practices across the US and abroad.
Becca Kahle
Vice President of People and Culture
Becca Kahle has over 30 years of human resource experience in the healthcare, insurance, telecommunications, and software industries. Becca manages all the people-related functions of Rodale Institute and enjoys working with each team member to make a difference in their professional life as they work to make regenerative organic agriculture the norm.
Elaine Macbeth
Executive Vice President, Chief Finance and Administration Officer
Elaine manages the Institute’s budget, all aspects of the organization’s finances, internal controls and human resources for the organization. She has more than 17 years of experience in finance and significant expertise in nonprofit accounting.
Andrew Smith, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Andrew Smith oversees the research and farm operations at Rodale Institute and is passionate about growing the organic movement by providing science-based solutions to farmers and facilitating opportunities to expand the number of organic farmers and farmland across the globe. He has over twenty years of experience working in the organic industry as an agronomist, researcher, and farmer. While trained as an entomologist, his motive for entering the organic industry was to reduce the use of chemicals for food production that end up in our environment, food, and bodies. He now has the opportunity to support an amazing group of dedicated people working diligently on many projects to transform the food system and the way we farm to improve the lives and health of all people and the planet. He also continues to live and work on his own organic family farm.
Jessica Student
Chief Impact Officer
Jessica Student serves as Rodale Institute’s Chief Impact Officer, leading the Institute’s Development, Marketing, and Communications divisions. She also oversees the Institute’s capital campaign.
Student is an accomplished non-profit marketing and strategy executive. In her previous roles at both nonprofit and for-profit organizations, she was recognized for intersecting strategic thinking and effective execution. Her expertise in developing innovative brand strategies and robust marketing campaigns advances Rodale Institute’s efforts to broaden the successful adoption of regenerative organic agriculture in the United States and abroad.
David Willey
Chief Operating Officer
David oversees the Institute’s global operations, working across the organization and its campuses to enhance communication, collaboration, and transparency. He also oversees the Institute’s physical infrastructure and manages the execution of the main-campus Master Plan, which envisions the adaptive re-use of two buildings and the new construction of two others. David is certified as a LEED Green Associate and a TRUE Advisor, and he’s been trained in corporate greenhouse-gas emissions reduction. Prior to shifting into sustainability work, David spent two decades in media and publishing, including 14 years at Rodale Inc., where he served in many operational and leadership roles and was the Editor-in-Chief of Runner’s World.
Research
Romans Caetani
Research Associate
Carolyn Garrity
Laboratory Coordinator
Michael Graham, Ph.D.
Climate Scientist
Casey Lapham
Field Coordinator
Corey Lunden
Research Technician
Sara Major
Livestock Coordinator
Rachel Olson
Research Technician
Logan Tweardy
Climate Smart Farm Coordinator
Farm Innovations
Rick Carr
Senior Farm Director
Jesse Barrett
Farm Operations and Sales Specialist
Will Christie
Assistant Farm Manager
Sam Geesaman
Farm Operations Technician
Daniel Lehner
Farm Mechanic
John Long
Greenhouse and Landscape Specialist
Brandon Wehr
Farm Manager
Zach Zimmel
Farm Operations Technician
Scott Ausborn
Midwest Regional Manager
Cate Batson Baril
Markets Coordinator
Dave Campbell
Organic Advisor
Daniel Chavez
California Organic Consultant
Idelfi Crespo
Senior Administrative Assistant, Consulting and Accounting
Sage Dennis
Pennsylvania Organic Consultant
Sidney Fellows
Organic Community Food Systems Consultant
Bridget Gilmore
Market Development Manager
Will Glazik
Organic Advisor
Nathanael Gonzales-Siemens
Pacific Regional Manager
Kegan Hilaire
Small Farms and Diversified Vegetable Consultant
Vivian Le
Markets Coordinator
Ben Lehman
Midwest Organic Consultant
Emily Miller
Operations Manager
Catherine Peebles
Pennsylvania Organic Consultant
Nicholas Podoll
Northern Plains Regional Manager
De’Anthony Price
Southeast Organic Consultant
Jen Rose Silverman
New Mexico Program Coordinator
Sharon Sterling
Project Operations Coordinator
Education
Jason Slipp
Director of Education
Justin Barclay
Global Education Operations Manager
Maura Beuttel
Climate Smart Outreach Coordinator
Nadine Clopton
Regenerative Education Program Manager
Dan Kemper
Master Trainer
Krista Hirschmann
Farm Interpreter
Marketing and Communications
Shawn Brown
Senior Visitor Experience Manager
Tammy Hobar
Brand Manager
Madison King
Social Media Specialist
Sarah Longenecker
Content Marketing Manager
Ramon Madrid
Visual Content Creator
Chloe Nouvelle
Senior Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
Development
Annie Brown
Vice President of Development
Warren Greene
Senior Development Manager
Josh Lilly
Development Strategist
Administration
Louise DeVall
Programs Support Assistant and Travel Coordinator
Roberta Panyko
Human Resource Specialist
Kim Schroeder
Executive Assistant
John Stiavelli
Senior Technology Analyst
Nicole Taylor
Senior Operations Manager
Finance
Gigi Copeland
Staff Accountant
Stacy Glackin
Grants Manager
Stephanie Johnson
Grant Support Specialist
Ben Sidor
Grant Accountant
Facilities
Nate Hawk
Facilities Director
Bruce Schroeder
Courier
Dave Statler
Facilities Technician
Join the Team
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