Carol Moseley Braun
Founder and President, Good Food Organics™
Carol Moseley Braun jokingly describes herself as a "recovering politician" who is on her fourth career. She has worked as an Assistant United State Attorney (Northern District of Illinois, 1973-1977), a member of the Illinois General Assembly (1978-1988), a county Executive (Recorder of Deeds, 1988-1992), a United States Senator (1992-1998) and as United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa (1998-2001) and in 2004 sought the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States.
Matthew Braun
Matthew Braun is an analyst for Capri Capital Partners Financial, a commercial real estate finance firm. An engineering graduate of Washington University (B.S., 1999), he received his advanced degree in computer engineering from the University of Chicago in 2005.
Brian (BG) Courtney
BG Courtney earned an MBA and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as a Masters of Science in electrical engineering from National Technological University. He has worked as an RF design engineer for Motorola, Inc., where he designed radio amplifiers used by police, fire and EMS organizations. After completing his MBA, Courtney pursued an entrepreneurial venture in the natural products industry with Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun. Together they formed Good Food Organics™, a company committed to delivering the highest quality organic products available. BG is currently a quality assurance manager with Forsythe Solutions Group
Patricia R. Cowhey
Patricia Cowhey started her career with a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Marquette University. She worked in market research and product testing development for various national corporations. Cowhey transitioned into the building materials industry where she ran a $3 million dollar ready-mix and concrete company for 19 years. She was responsible for transitioning that business from loss to profit. After her tenure in the building materials industry Cowhey served as a consultant in the professional services industry with Challenger Gray & Christmas. There she facilitated the transition of the VP of sales to CEO as well as oversaw the reconstruction and expansion of office space. Cowhey has also served the community in many functions including the finance committee of Holy Name Cathedral and acted as general contractor for a $450,000 restoration project. She sat on the founding committee and board of one of Chicago’s fastest growing parochial schools. She continues to serve her community on the finance committee of Holy Name Cathedral as well as trustee of Frances Xavier Warde School.
Ron Doetch
Executive director, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
Ron Doetch became the executive director of Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, a research and education institute for Biodynamic, sustainable, and organic agriculture, in April 2003. For the past eight years, he has worked with the food division of Itochu, a large Japanese trading company, designing origination programs to connect the Japanese consumer to the American farmer. This "expansion" plan involved both organic and commercial grain. Doetch has been directly involved in four sustainable agriculture projects since 1996 that focused on using a small grain crop to address grain quality, grower profitability and reduce negative impacts to the environment. These efforts have resulted in a significant increase of small grains production in the upper Midwest, mainly hard red winter wheat.
Lloyd E. Wright
Lloyd Wright is a retired U.S. Dept. of Agriculture employee who grew up on a family owned soybean, corn and wheat farm in southeast Virginia. During his 37 years of employment with USDA, he served as the Director of the Office of Civil Rights at National Headquarters in Washington, DC. Prior to this position, he was Director of the Conservation Operations Division in the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). He also served as Director of the Community Assistance Resource Development Division and the Watershed Protection Division in NRCS, among many other positions. He is the principal author of the USDA Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) System. He has also provided national leadership in NRCS on urban conservation programs to include the erosion control in urban areas, urban water quality, urban flood plain and wetland protection. In addition, he has worked with both China and South Africa providing assistance on land use planning, farmland protection, and land evaluation and site assessment. Wright is a member of the Soil Conservation Society of America and the American Planning Association. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from Virginia State University, and a Masters of Science in Human Resources Management from State University of New York at Binghamton. Wright has received the USDA Superior Service Award twice and has received numerous other awards from USDA and other organizations. Retired from USDA, he continues to farm.