Jessy Beckett Parr is a longtime advocate for organic farmers, currently serving as Chief Program Officer at California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). She leads a team that delivers education, policy support, and direct assistance to help farmers thrive in organic agriculture. Jessy has helped secure over $25 million in grants to support small and underserved producers. She’s a regular speaker at farmer-focused events, and she’s known for making complex topics—like regenerative agriculture and labor risk—accessible and actionable. Fluent in Spanish, Jessy is committed to reaching diverse farming communities. Jessy’s background includes producing the soil-focused documentary Symphony of the Soil and a Master’s in Community Development from UC Davis. She currently serves on advisory committees for the UC Organic Agriculture Institute and Cal Poly’s Grimm Organic Center, ensuring farmer voices guide organic research and policy.

Adrian Fischer has dedicated over a decade to advancing organic agriculture and food systems. To Fischer, working directly on the land as a farmer was the clearest path to understanding our agriculture and the food system more deeply. Fischer’s farming path led him to manage CSA programs and direct-to-restaurant operations growing integrated organic mixed vegetables, fruits, and livestock. After farming and running farmer education programs in Connecticut, Costa Rica, and California, Fischer joined CCOF in 2016.

At CCOF Fischer first supported the chapter system and then the policy team before transitioning to running the CCOF Foundation’s programs, where he supports farmers to grow organic. Fischer has over 15 years of management experience and leads strategic internal offerings and partnerships supporting students and organic and transitioning producers with grants, education, and technical assistance. Fischer is Venezuelan American and is bilingual/biliterate in English and Spanish.

While not at work, Fischer enjoys producing music, surfing, mountain biking, skiing, gardening, and spending time with his wife and dog.

Ms. Aray holds a BA in Sociology, Modern Languages, and Fine Arts from Fort Lewis College in beautiful Durango, Colorado and an MPA with a focus on global policy, non-profit management, and international development from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California. She has spent the past two decades leading social change organizations and advocating for systemic change that addresses root causes. With nearly twenty years’ fundraising experience through individual donor campaigns corporations, foundations, and state and federal entities, she is passionate about ensuring that the communities we serve have access to the resources they need to thrive. Willow joined the CCOF Foundation in May 2020 and oversees philanthropic development. She spends her free time hiking with her dog, traveling, cooking and eating delicious foods, painting, seeing live music, and doing photography.

Molly Nakahara joined the CCOF Foundation as the Education Manager in 2023 and currently oversees organic technical assistance and mentorship for producers transitioning to organic.  A certified organic farmer herself, and great-granddaughter of Japanese immigrant farmers in the Salinas Valley, she holds a BS in Agriculture Education from UC Berkeley and a Certificate in Ecological Horticulture from UC Santa Cruz.  She served on the Board of Directors for EcoFarm and has supported farmers with roles at UC Cooperative Extension and Sierra Harvest.  Molly ran her own certified organic farm, Dinner Bell Farm, from 2010 to 2023, where she built soil, pasture-raised pigs, and arranged flowers.  In her free time, you can find her growing her garden, playing music, going on adventures with her family, or reading a book with a cat on her lap.

Jennifer Nunez’s love for organic agriculture traces back to her childhood, inspired by one grandfather who farmed and another who fished—two men who taught her to care for land, food, and community. She later earned her degree in Regenerative Organic Agriculture from Maharishi International University, where working on the university’s small-scale farm turned her interest in sustainability into a lasting passion for organic farming.

Before joining the CCOF Foundation, Jennifer supported small-scale producers through technical assistance, market access support, and organic transition planning. Now, as an Organic Technical Specialist, she helps farmers navigate the path to certification by developing Organic System Plans (OSPs), breaking down certification requirements, and providing tailored support through the Organic Transition Pilot Program (OTPP). She also creates educational resources and builds strong partnerships to help expand organic production.

At the center of her work is a simple belief shaped by her family: everyone who works with the land deserves the knowledge and support to thrive in organic agriculture.