The Organic Center is announced the election of new members to join its Board of Directors.

Joining The Organic Center in its mission to advance peer-reviewed scientific research and information behind the health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming—and to communicate those benefits to the public—are organic, healthy living and environmental TV host Sara Snow of Discovery Channel’s Get Fresh with Sara Snow; Environmental Working Group President Ken Cook; Timothy Escamilla, VP of Procurement and Supply Chain for Ready Pac; and Margaret Wittenberg, Global VP of Quality Standards and Public Affairs for Whole Foods Market.

Snow, Cook, Escamilla and Wittenberg will be working together with existing board members including Alan Greene, M.D., Clinical Professor of Stanford University Children’s Hospital; Kathleen Merrigan, Ph.D., Director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment Program, Tufts University; David Pimentel, Ph.D., Professor, Cornell University; George Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley; Mark Retzloff, President, Aurora Organic Dairy; Sheryl Lamb, organic advocate; James White, Senior VP, Consumer Brands, Safeway; Anthony Zolezzi, President, Zolezzi Consulting; David Gagnon, Interim Executive Director, Organic Trade Association; and Michelle Goolsby, former EVP of Development, Sustainability and Corporate Affairs, Dean Foods Inc.

Additionally, The Organic Center has formed a group of Advisory Directors as special counsel to the board and the organization. Appointed to this new group are former Organic Center board members Andrew Weil, M.D., author and founder of Weil Lifestyle; Walter Robb, Co-President and COO of Whole Foods Market; and Katherine DiMatteo, Partner of Wolf, DiMatteo and Associates and current President of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).

“We are so pleased with not only bringing in new distinguished members to our Board of Directors, but also in creating a new Advisory Director group,” says Alan Greene, M.D., Chair of The Organic Center. “The diverse skills, talents and energies these individuals bring to the table will be a welcome addition to the Center. As strong supporters of our work in the past, they have already made a significant contribution, and now, as they join the board, we are excited by what we can accomplish together in advancing and communicating the science behind the organic benefit—and in raising much-needed funding for the work of The Organic Center.”

About The Organic Center
The Organic Center, based in Boulder, CO, was founded in 2002 to generate and advance credible, peer-reviewed scientific research and information on the health and environmental benefits of organic food and farming – and to communicate those benefits to the public through education, resources and information. By doing so, it helps promote the conversion of more farmland to organic methods, improve public health, and work to restore our natural world through more sustainable and ecological practices. All of The Organic Center’s research reports and publications are available free download at www.organic-center.org.