Joe Dickson has spent over 20 years working to develop and deploy strong standards that build consumer trust in brands and products. An expert in organic and sustainable agriculture, he mentors and advises farmers, brands, retailers and non-profit organizations on mission, standards, certification programs and communications. Joe is the Co-Founder and Head of Standards at Merryfield, a consumer education and rewards app for natural and organic brands, and spent over 20 years at Whole Foods Market, ultimately as Global Director of Quality Standards, leading the company’s work on product standards and agricultural policy. Joe has served as a board member of The Non-GMO Project, the USDA National Organic Standards Board, the Texas Department of Agriculture Organic Industry Advisory Board, The Organic Center and Pennsylvania Certified Organic. A graduate of Vassar College, Joe spent many years raising goats and chickens on a small organic ranch in Texas before recently relocating to the Green Mountains of Southern Vermont.