Staff List
OMRI Management
Oversight of the day-today operations is the responsibility of the Executive Director. The Executive Director works in cooperation with the OMRI Management Team, which is comprised of the Executive Director, the Technical Director/Quality Manager, the Review Program Manager, and the Information Technology Director. The Management Team is responsible for review and maintenance of the quality system.
Interim Executive Director
Paul Lipscomb (phone extension: 102) is a consultant, facilitator, and trainer in board development, organizational planning, and executive leader development. For the past 10 years Paul has focused his work on providing interim executive leadership and executive transition services. Paul is particularly interested in helping organizations work through the challenging issues of leadership transition and organizational change, bringing clarity to roles and structures while building cooperative relationships.
Review Program Manager
Renee Mann (phone extension: 104) holds a B.S. in Molecular Environmental Biology with an emphasis in Insect Biology from UC Berkeley, which included classes on pesticides, insects, ecology, organic gardening, organic chemistry, and others. She worked for two years (until 2003) in a greenhouse and insect lab where she grew plants without pesticides, raised insects, and performed tests on a bacterial disease in plants. Renee worked at a compost operation for a few months in 2000 and in a wetlands restoration project briefly in 2003. She has six years of on the job experience at OMRI including attending tradeshows and conferences.
Technical Director/Quality Manager
Lindsay Fernandez-Salvador (phone extension 117) holds a B.S. from Oregon State University in Natural Resource Management and an M.S. from University of Florida in Geography. She has over 8 years of work experience on both conventional and organic farms in Oregon. Her graduate research thesis examined market conditions that contribute to small organic farm success. Through this research she became familiar with organic standards and issues facing organic farmers. Prior to attending graduate school, she worked as a forest technician and GIS technician. She has lived and worked in Latin America, and is fluent in Spanish.
Information Technology Director
Brian Basor (phone extension: 108) holds a B.S. from Humboldt State University. He began working in the field of information technology in 1996, including server programming, GIS modeling, website design, and database programming. He helped bring internet and telephone services to the Hurricane Katrina disaster zone using radio transmission. Brian also has experience and education in plant ecology, botany, environmental biology, and organic agriculture.
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Amy Bradsher (phone extension: 106) graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. She has worked in several environmental and educational nonprofit organizations throughout Eugene and the San Francisco Bay Area, coordinating programs and outreach efforts. She studied organic agriculture while working with Ecology Action, a nonprofit focused on promoting low-input Biointensive farming.
Application Specialist
Amber Lippert (phone extension: 105) holds a B.S. in agriculture from Oregon State University and credit towards a Masters of Agriculture Education. Her professional experience includes work on organic and transitional farms in Oregon and Washington as a producer, administrator and manager for five years. As a student volunteer, Amber spent four months studying regenerative agriculture on two farms in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Prior to joining OMRI, she worked in environmental education developing curriculum for K-12 and coordinating habitat restoration projects.
Product Review Coordinators
Tina Jensen Augustine (phone extension: 110) holds an M.S. in soil science from the University of Washington with a thesis on the effects of nitrogen-fixing trees on soil quality and erosion control in small scale, mountainous agriculture. Her experience includes a 3-month internship for an agriculture/nutrition non-profit in Central America and 5 months of work trade on two different organic farms. In November 2006 Tina attended an IOIA basic farm training in Costa Rica, which provided training on understanding and applying the NOP Rule and a mock inspection of an organic farm.
Andrea (Gwen) Ayres (phone extension: 107) holds a B.S. in natural resources from Northland College. She worked for two years with subsistence farmers in Africa to initiate, coordinate, and fund projects related to resource conservation and community development including soil conservation and sustainable/organic farming practices. Gwen has two years experience in conservation field work including supervisory positions and has worked as a certified pesticide applicator in three states.
Jennifer M Schomp (phone extension: 113) holds an M.S. in Rangeland Ecology and Watershed Management in the College of Agriculture at the University of Wyoming and a B.S. in Restoration Ecology from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Prior to working with OMRI, she researched ecophysiology of invasive prairie plants using stable isotopes. She has overseen horticultural care for experimental and commercial greenhouses, worked in water quality monitoring laboratories and for many years worked as a Botanist.
Deder Siedler (phone extension: 111) holds a BS and MS in Biology from the University of Oregon. His thesis work involved the intersection of evolution, entomology, plant/host interactions, biological clocks, and climate change. He recently came from a position as a Laboratory Manager and Research Assistant to work at OMRI. Deder is also competent in written and spoken French.
Annie Amos (phone extension 116) received a B.S. in Natural Resources with a minor in Adult and Extension Education from Cornell University. She has over 4 years experience in the environmental education field where she created programs and materials for schools, volunteers, and non-profit organizations. Prior to starting with OMRI, she worked as a program manager for a recycling and compost nonprofit in Wisconsin.
Review Program Assistants
Jean Schauerman (phone extension: 109) holds a a B.S. in Community Services and Public Affairs from the University of Oregon. She has over 20 years of experience working with the public, both in person and over the phone, providing them with information on energy programs, loans, housing and other services in the community. Jean has had training in creating and maintaining databases, computers and computer software applications. In her previous positions, she provided administrative support to a variety of managers and supervisors.
Andria Schulze (phone extension: 112) holds a B.S. in Geology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where she researched the accumulation of PCBs in the Hudson River. She has professional experience in many areas including: quality assurance in the food industry, laboratory analysis, and geotechnical assessment. She is also an award winning short fiction writer.
Review Program Assistant / Project Assistant
Ashley Wright (phone extension:114) holds an MS in Library and Information Science, having also studied Spanish, French, and music. Prior to working with OMRI, she interned in public and academic libraries in Eugene and Portland, gaining experience in information management, research and public service. She grows a garden at home and co-directs a community percussion ensemble.
Renewals Coordinator/Document Control Officer
Cindy Coachman (phone extension: 101) has completed 2 years of college. She has had specialized on the job training in customer service, business procedures, money handling, security procedures, credit approvals, document management, and processing of many types of transactions. Cindy has over 20 years experience in business offices and 13 years experience as a small business owner.
Bookkeeper
Melody Carr (phone extension: 103) holds an M.A. and a B.A. in the Humanities from Western Oregon University and performed work toward a Ph.D in English at the University of Oregon. She has also completed accounting and computer programming classes at Lane Community College. Melody was the bookkeeper for Surata Soyfoods Cooperative from 1989-1995 where she programmed their manual accounting system onto a computer system using dBASE and Lotus 123. She worked as an independent bookkeeper and copy editor for several years for various publishers and for Peralandra Bookstore. She began work as OMRI bookkeeper in 1998.
Administrative Specialist/Bookkeeper Assistant
Blyss Hansen (phone extension: 100) holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Wyoming with emphasis on human and multi-media communications. She has over ten years experience working with the public and over three years experience in the nonprofit sector. Blyss has completed internships in the public relations and education fields and most recently served as the Director of Operations and Development for a science museum in Wyoming.