OUR #RAS COMMUNITY
Unifying the food and textiles industries to accelerate regenerative agriculture practices through partnership and harmonization
The Regenerative Agriculture Summit North America brings together over 500 key players across the food and textiles value chains from grower, through to brand, and retailer to explore the challenges and opportunities in the transition to regenerative practices.
Across three days, our community will have ample opportunities to connect with the entire value chain, across interactive workshops, curated panel discussions, intimate roundtable discussions, farm visits, and pre-scheduled 1-2-1 meetings.
PREVIOUS ATTENDEES INCLUDE
SERIES ADVISORY BOARD
Our Advisory Board helps steer the direction of the Series and its content to ensure we stay close to our mission throughout.
Our members bring an objective and collaborative approach to their roles and aid in the creation of a platform that is industry-driven and provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to share, network, and leave committed, and ready to make real progress.
Lesley Mitchell
Director of Policy
Sustainable Food Trust
Øistein Thorsen
CEO
FAI Farms
Jess Newman
Senior Director of Agriculture and Sustainability
McCain Foods
Jess Newman is the Senior Director of Agriculture & Sustainability at McCain Foods, the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen potato products and appetizers. Her team of agronomists and field representatives are responsible for all the vegetable crops purchased directly from farmers. They also implement McCain’s 2025 sustainability goals related to agriculture: 100% of farmers implementing regenerative practices, 25% reduction in farming CO2 emissions intensity, 15% improvement in irrigation water use efficiency in water-stressed regions, and the launch of three Farms of the Future.
Jess works remotely from her home state of Michigan and travels frequently to support her team (when covid allows).
Jess is passionate about sustainability in agricultural supply chains. Her philosophy is to meet farmers where they are and help them move along the sustainability spectrum – while creating profitability too! Talking to farmers is what energizes her. Shas worked at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Ecologic Institute, New York City Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Booz & Company, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), and Anheuser-Busch. She holds a B.A. from Harvard, an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management (with Sustainability Certificate). She loves baking bread, sci-fi/fantasy, and cats.
Pascal Chapot
Corporate Head of Sustainable Agriculture Development
Nestlé
Megan Rock
Chief Sustainability Officer
CHS
Megan Rock is vice president of sustainability and innovation at CHS, the nation’s leading farmer-owned cooperative and an agronomy, global energy, grains and food company.
In 2022, Rock joined CHS as the company’s first VP of sustainability and innovation. Prior to CHS, she served as VP of corporate responsibility and sustainability and global lead of sustainability solutions at Bunge, Inc., and held sustainability and environmental management positions in government and banking.
In her new role, Rock will lead CHS efforts to develop and execute sustainability and innovation strategies across its $48 billion enterprise.
Rock holds a bachelor of science degree in soil, environmental and atmospheric science from the University of Missouri and a graduate certificate in advanced studies in environmental policy and management from the University of Denver.
Rock has served on the board of directors for Field to Market and Ag Future of America. In 2015, she received the Changemaker of Tomorrow award from Keep Akron (Ohio) Beautiful, and she is a member of the St. Louis Business Journal’s 40 under 40 class of 2020. She lives in St. Louis with her three children and two French bulldogs.
Felipe Villela
Business Development Manager
The LandBanking Group
Martina Henry
Director, Agriculture Sustainability
Kraft Heinz
Alex Godfrey
Investment Director
Octopus Investments
Jennifer Simpson
Sustainability Lead CSST
Cargill
Dionys Forster
Director General
SAI Platform
