Steve Ela
(he/him)
NOSB Specialist
steve@elafamilyfarms.com
Steve Ela is a partner and manages Ela Family Farms and Silver Spruce Orchards - a one- hundred acre, organic, family fruit farm in Hotchkiss, Colorado. Steve holds a B.S. degree in biology and environmental geology and a M.S. in Soil Science and a minor in Water Resources. He has served on the National Organic Standards Board and was chair for two years. In addition, he has served as a board member and President of the Organic Farming Research Foundation, chair of the Orchard Pest and Disease Management Conference, board member and chair of the Western Colorado Horticultural Society, member of the Colorado Agricultural Commission and serves on several ditch and reservoir boards. In addition to cooperating with universities on many on-farm research projects, Steve was a lead organizer for the first and second National Organic Tree Fruit Research Symposiums and has spoken at a number of horticultural meetings.
Steve Etka
(he/him)
Policy Director
steveetka@gmail.com
Steve is the owner of Etka Consulting, a government relations consulting firm specializing in agriculture and food policy reform. He serves as the Washington D.C. Representative for several federal policy-related coalitions, including the National Organic Coalition. Prior to forming his consulting business, Steve spent 5½ years on the staff of U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) serving as Deputy Legislative Director, specializing in agriculture, environment, transportation and appropriations matters.
Steve graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont in 1987. He and husband Troy live in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C.
Alice Runde
(she/her)
Operations Director
alice@nationalorganiccoalition.org
Alice supports NOC’s operations, from bookkeeping to communications and event planning, and facilitates NOC’s racial equity work. manage the day-to-day operations of the National Organic Coalition in partnership with NOC’s team. Alice’s background is in nonprofit operations and project management. She holds a B.S in Agronomy and a M.S. in Agricultural Development.
Alice lives in Northeast Iowa with her husband, two toddlers, two dogs, cat, and horses.
Abby Youngblood
(she/her)
Executive Director
abby@nationalorganiccoalition.org
Since 2015, Abby Youngblood has served as the Executive Director at the National Organic Coalition. Abby has been a passionate participant in the organic farming and food justice movement for more than two decades. Prior to joining the National Organic Coalition, Abby worked for a food justice program in NYC, where she managed a farm-to-food pantry program that provided an important source of income to local farmers and fresh, organic vegetables to emergency food programs. She also worked previously as the co-owner and operator of a vegetable farm in upstate New York. Abby holds a master’s degree in public policy and non- profit management from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, and lives with her husband and two children in Arlington, MA.