April Vasquez is the Chief Certification and Operations Officer at CCOF, bringing over 18 years of experience in organic certification and organizational leadership. She leads with a deep commitment to organic integrity, operational excellence, and inclusive leadership. April holds an MBA from CSU Monterey Bay’s Responsible Business Management program and has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of organic and cannabis certification.

At CCOF, April has spearheaded the launch of three add-on certification programs and led the integration of the Strengthening Organic Enforcement rule—the most significant regulatory update to organic standards in two decades.

April served on the board of the Accredited Certifiers Association for three years, as Treasurer, contributing to consistency and integrity in certification. A fourth-generation Californian who grew up in farming, she brings a lifelong connection to agriculture and a passion for supporting the communities that sustain it. Her leadership is grounded in cultivating strong company culture, advancing equity, and navigating complex regulatory landscapes.

Renee McKeon joined CCOF in 2009 as certification operations coordinator to give more administrative and operational support to CCOF’s USDA organic certification services. Since then, she has helped scale the certification operations department as CCOF has grown and expanded to provide additional certification offerings. McKeon and the operations team ensure certification functions align in areas of workflow processes, database development, quality systems, and administrative non-compliance management. She enjoys the complex challenges and cross-functional work with CCOF reviewers, inspectors, executives, and staff.

McKeon has lived and worked in the Monterey Bay area since the early 1990s. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and has long loved the intricacies of people and cultures. She lives and works in Santa Cruz, California, with her husband and two children. McKeon loves a good BBQ with family and friends and any reason to celebrate.

Renee Delaney grew up on a farm in central Illinois where her family raised cattle, hogs, corn, and soybeans, and was raised to admire those who cared for the land and could grow food. Delaney followed her passion for plants and earned a degree in plant biology from Southern Illinois University Carbondale while also working for plant nurseries, vineyards, landscaping operations, in greenhouses, and at the local co-op.

In 2005, she started her career with the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). While at WSDA, Delaney verified a number of different state and federal agricultural regulations by conducting surveys, inspecting nurseries/tree farms/bulb fields, verifying phytosanitary certificates, reviewing plant nursery regulations, and beginning in 2008, working with the WSDA Organic Food Program. Delaney joined CCOF in 2016 and now serves as CCOF’s director of farm programs. Beyond her personal interest in organic agriculture, Delaney finds complete satisfaction in explaining, implementing, and verifying compliance to the USDA National Organic Standards.

Sarah Reed has always loved the natural world and followed this passion to study ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. After graduating, she worked in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries for several years before moving to CCOF as a handler certification specialist in 2008. The position played to Reed’s strengths in organization, process development, and critical thinking.

Reed’s enthusiasm for organic food and her hard science background has continued to serve her well in her current role as handler certification director. She is an expert in organic processing materials and standards, especially winemaking and the growing area of retail and restaurant certification.

Reed is a lifelong environmentalist who bikes to work, always carries a reusable water bottle and to-go container, and strives to create zero waste. Reed has been a vegetarian since the age of 11 and enjoys hosting and attending dinner parties, kickboxing, local wine and beer tasting, walking everywhere, and playing with her cat.

Jamie began working for CCOF in 2007 and has held various positions in the Inspection Operations department, including inspector, supervisor, manager, and director. Jamie has a B.S. in Plant Science from California State University, Fresno and has always had a passion for organic agriculture. Prior to working for CCOF, she co-owned an organic vegetable farm in the California foothills. In her free time, Jamie enjoys baking, gardening, and hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains with her family and dogs.