Advisory Council

Sandra Brown of Vancouver retired in 2017 after 37 years as WSU Extension faculty. Her teaching and research centered around nutrition, food safety, and food preservation. She directed the EFNEP and SNAP-ed programs supervising 15 employees providing instruction to low-income families and school-age youth. She also directed a pre-diabetes education program and several research programs around nutrition education and food safety. Sandy was active as a member and former board member of the national Association of Extension Home Economists. Sandy currently chairs the Clark County Public Health Advisory Committee, serves on the Clark County Heritage Farm Advisory board and the Friends of the Heritage Farm foundation. Her community focus continues to be around assuring local food access to the community. In her spare time, she still enjoys teaching others about safe food preservation and is a 4-H Food Preservation leader. When not volunteering in the community she can be found camping in her small RV or on international cruises.

Ray Crabbs has had a distinguished career in both the public and private sectors. He has held leadership positions for over 50 years, reporting to more than a dozen board chairs of Fortune 100 companies. He has served as CEO or COO in every organization for which he has been employed.

He is President & CEO of IBC Renewables, LLC – an alternate energy development company that aggregates both waste streams and technologies to create useful energy and consumer products in an environmentally sensitive context. This includes 20 perfected patents surrounding renewable energy and the processes included in IBC Renewable’s pipeline of complexes.

For more than 25 years he has also headed VISION Associates – a multidisciplinary consultancy focused on alternate energy solutions and planning their implementation. Included in his duties is leadership for technology work and its interface with new manufacturers and the communities in which they are located.

He has devoted twenty years to the development of alternate energy technologies, including the conversion technology now known as INEOS Bio. During this time he founded and served in a series of roles for New Planet Energy (NPE Holdings, LLC), which has joint ventured with INEOS Bio to construct the world’s first commercial plant for the conversion of carbon-based wastes into ethanol and electricity.

Crabbs has served in a series of non-profit leadership roles during which he has raised more than $1 billion in charitable contributions. He is a sought-after motivational speaker/lecturer on alternate energy, strategic planning and leadership/management. He is a former Fellow of the Kellogg National Fellowship Program.

He holds a B.S. in Agricultural Economics and a M.A. in Public Administration from Washington State University.

Deb received her Bachelor of Science in Food Science from Cornell University, and her Ph.D. in Food Science & Technology from the University of California at Davis. She has 28 years of experience working in the food industry. She started her career at The Coca Cola Company. In 2007, she joined Lamb Weston. She is currently Vice President, Strategic Growth Innovation at Lamb Weston, focusing on building new business opportunities outside of our core through innovation.

Alexis (Oprea) Gradwohl: Attended Washington State University 1997-2001, Graduated with a BA Human Development/Family and Consumer Science.  I taught at Skyline High School, Issaquah School District 2001-2008 and then left the teaching world to stay at home full time with my daughter, Hayden.  I served as a member of the PTSA for years at my daughter’s schools.  We travel to Eastern Washington during the summer and spilt our time between Washington and Arizona.  I love to garden, spend time on the Columbia River with my family and snuggle with our beagles. 

Tim Hiatt is a second generation beekeeper. He is the legislative chair of the Washington State Beekeepers Association, is a director of the North Dakota Beekeepers Association, and serves on WSDA’s Apiary Advisory Committee and Pollinator Health Task Force. His family’s hives pollinate almonds, apples, cherries and pears in the Western US and produce honey in the Upper Midwest. He believes that applied science is our best hope for preserving healthy pollinators to serve the needs of pollinated agriculture.

Kelsey Highet is a seed production specialist with Vikima USA in Burlington, WA. Originally from the Skagit Valley, Kelsey was raised in the food industry. Her mom’s family owned and operated a bakery and deli for most of her childhood, and her parents now own a pub style restaurant. Growing up working in restaurants and on local farms cemented her interest in food and agriculture, which eventually led her to WSU. Kelsey graduated with her B.S in Integrated Plant Science in 2013, and her M.S. in Crop Science in 2016, with a focus on genetics and crop improvement. Her first job out of college was as an assistant plant breeder with Forage Genetics, an alfalfa breeding company near Walla Walla, WA. She accepted her current position working in the vegetable seed industry in 2018, and currently serves as president of the Western Washington Small Seed Advisory Committee.

Lori Marten is a seasoned retail executive with 29 years of experience at Nordstrom. Lori began her career on the sales floor and has spent over 25 years in merchandising, serving as a buyer and divisional merchandise manager across various categories within Accessories and Men’s and Women’s Apparel.

Recently promoted to Executive Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of Nordstrom Rack, Lori now leads the teams responsible for procuring all products for Nordstrom Rack. 

Originally from the East Coast, Lori graduated with a fashion merchandising and marketing degree from Kutztown University. Her career with Nordstrom has included several relocations, ultimately bringing her and her family to the Pacific Northwest. Lori currently resides on Bainbridge Island with her husband and two sons. Her eldest son is a construction management major at Washington State University.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Lori is dedicated to her community. She serves as the Board President of the Bainbridge Island Special Needs Foundation, demonstrating her commitment to supporting local initiatives and special needs programs.

Jason can trace his Washington state agricultural roots back to 1867 when his family crossed the Oregon Trail (without getting dysentery) to settle in the Yakima Valley. Later, in 1908, is when the family began the cultivation of tree fruits which they still do to this day along with the packaging and shipping of tree fruits.

Jason graduated from WSU in 2001 with a degree in agribusiness. Later, he participated and completed the Washington State Ag-Forestry Leadership program where the oversees program took place in Ukraine.

Always interested in science and technology, Jason has been a long term member of both the the Washington State Research Commission Technology Subcommittee as well as the Pear Research Subcommittee. In 2011 and 2012 when the tree fruit growers made the historic gift, Jason was asked to serve on Tree Fruit Endowment Committee to direct and oversee the gift.

In addition to science and technology Jason has a fondness for classical music where he serves on the Yakima Symphony Board of Directors. And of course, a love for WSU Cougar Football where he has been a season ticket holder since graduation.

Jason currently resides in Yakima with his wife and son.

Mike is a fourth generation farmer from the eastern Washington area. Mike and his wife, Marci, have owned and  managed their family farms consisting of wheat, cattle, potatoes, alfalfa and other commodities. They have three grown children who are active in the family businesses.

Mike and Marci own Washington Genetics, an ag business and consulting firm based out of Ritzville Wa. Clients are varied throughout the country including Universities, municipalities, commodity groups,  government agencies and the food security network. He currently serves as a representative on the APLU Board as its CARET member and sits as the Western Chair and on the Executive board as its BAC liaison.

Mike has served on many local , state, national and international boards and committees over the past 40 years and is a strong advocate for the whole agricultural food , feed, and fiber industry.

Madi Roy is an agricultural economist with the Washington State Department of Agriculture where her work centers on supporting the viability of agriculture and food businesses in Washington State through economic analysis and stakeholder collaboration. She holds degrees in applied economics from both Washington State University and the University of Idaho. Her previous work experience includes the role of research economist focused on energy, water and natural resources at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and she has held various positions in production agriculture. She comes from a fifth-generation wheat farm in Eastern Washington.

Derek I. Sandison was appointed Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) director in June 2015, where he continues to strengthen both Washington’s food and agriculture systems nationally and internationally. In the agriculture industry and beyond, he applies a solution-oriented approach to issues.

Along with serving as director of WSDA, Derek currently serves on the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Executive Board as Secretary Treasurer. Additionally, he is also the Executive Board President for the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA).

A lifelong Washington resident, Sandison has worked in the private and public sectors for over 49 years. Before his appointment with the WSDA, he served as director of the state’s Office of Columbia River (OCR) within the Department of Ecology between 2008 and 2015. During that time, he developed and laid the groundwork for the future development of new large-scale water projects for cities, farms, and fish. Prior to his service with OCR, he was the Central Regional Director for the Department of Ecology.

Sandison has a Master of Science in natural resource management and a bachelor’s degree in biological science, both from Central Washington University.

Anne Schwartz graduated with a degree in Animal Science from WSU in 1978. She has been farming since then and currently owns/operates Blue Heron Farm in Skagit County, producing certified organic berries. Anne helped craft organic certification standards at the state and national level for over 25 years, advocated for the creation of the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources (CSANR) at WSU, and has served on their Advisory Council since 1989. She has served on Advisory councils for 4 previous Deans of CAHNRS. Anne served on the Boards of Tilth Producers and Tilth Alliance for 38 years, the NW Ag Research Foundation for over 20 years, and has been active in advocating for organic research and public policy.

Anne’s long time passion is to integrate “True Cost Accounting” into the research and teaching structure of the WSU College of Agriculture. Anne serves on the Governance Council for the Coalition for Organic and Regenerative Agriculture (CORA), and held a part time position with WSU Extension doing outreach to address farmer stress and wellness. Anne served as a Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) in her community for 40 years. In her spare time, she trains and competes with her Border Collies working livestock.

Linn was born and raised in Seattle. His father ran a bookstore and his mother was an associate at an art gallery that represented many of the Northwest’s best-known artists. Linn has always been interested in science but he studied Political Science, focusing on the politics of the Middle East. While at the University of Washington he started working in the tasting room at Columbia Winery and in the cellar at another small winery in the university district in Seattle. He was hooked. After graduating he worked in several small wineries in Washington and Oregon. He then returned to college for chemistry and biology classes and was accepted to the Vinifera Euromaster program. He spent two years studying Viticulture and Enology at Montpellier SupAgro in France and at the Research Institute at Geisenheim in Germany. Linn graduated with a Master of Science in V&E following writing his thesis focusing on Riesling growing and vinification practices employed in Washington state. 

Linn has been the head winemaker at Sparkman Cellars for more than a decade. Simultaneously, he taught viticulture and enology courses for several years at the South Seattle College’s Northwest Wine Academy. He has served as a volunteer at the International Pinot Noir Celebration for 20 years. Since 2016, Linn has worked on the Washington State Wine Research Advisory Committee which works to direct state and industry funds going toward wine and grape research. He also served on the Wine Science Center’s advisory board and served on the search committee for the Founding Chair of the Department of Viticulture and Enology at WSU.

Scott grew up on a diversified farm near Spokane (Mead), Washington. He was awarded the BSAE (Bachelor of Science Agricultural Engineering) degree with Honors from Washington State University (1958) and the Ph. D. from Cornell University (1962). Scott conducted bioengineering research and teaching for more 20 years at Cornell, (Assistant-, Associate-, and Professor, from 1962 to present as Professor Emeritus) prior to spending 20 years as a Cornell administrator, Department Chair, 1978-1984; Director of Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, 1984 – 1989; and Vice President for Cornell University Research and Advanced Studies, 1989 -1998.

Returning to the faculty in 1998, he focused on research and teaching in sustainable development and sustainable communities with emphasis on biologically derived fuels and renewable energy. He is member of the National Academy of Engineering (1990), past president of Institute of Biological Engineering (2001), past president, American Society of Agricultural & Biological Engineers (1993-94) and served as chair of the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources of the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) from 2009-2015, is Professor Emeritus at Cornell University and an Honorary Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang A&F University. He received the Magnolia Silver Award from the Shanghai Peoples Government in 2019 as well as numerous engineering and university awards. He is a Fellow of 3 professional engineering societies, is author/coauthor of more than 100 refereed publications and holder/co-holder of 3 U.S. patents.

Steve Seppi serves as CEO of Dairy West, representing producers in Idaho and Utah to grow trust and demand for dairy both domestically and internationally. With more than 15 years of experience in dairy leadership, consumer marketing, and strategy, he brings deep expertise in aligning producer priorities with consumer insight and market opportunity. Steve has led major initiatives to strengthen brand partnerships, expand export potential, and accelerate innovation across the dairy value chain. His work includes strategic collaborations with processors and national brands to launch new products, grow dairy usage in foodservice channels, and position dairy for long-term relevance and growth. Prior to joining Dairy West, he was Executive Director of Dairy Farmers of Washington and has held leadership roles across national checkoff strategy and industry coalitions.