Richard Rogers is Managing Director of Rogers MacJohn a firm that helps companies move beyond traditional CSR to become primary agents for delivering societal and shareholder value. He has been recognized for brokering high-value, effective partnerships across public and private organizations that merge social impact into business strategy. Richard leverages insight and experience from over 20 years in industry, management consulting, and philanthropy at industry-leading organizations.

While Senior Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Richard developed and managed a $400m portfolio of grants and corporate co-investments. He previously worked at McKinsey, Kroll, and Kraft Foods. He has advised multinational corporations such as Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, and Mars in addition to government agencies such as USAID, BMZ, DFID, and the Nigerian, Ethiopian, and Tanzanian Ministries of Agriculture. He has also worked closely with social-sector organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, GIZ, TechnoServe, Sustainable Food Lab, and the Shared Value Initiative led by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer of Harvard Business School. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida.

Cate Batson Baril has spent her entire career helping to craft and grow iconic brands like Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, a co-brand project with Newman’s Own Organics, and Mary’s Gone Crackers. She cares deeply about the Fair Trade and organic movements and has alternated brand marketing with B2B business development roles. Cate helped launch Fair Trade USA’s ingredients program, working closely with Whole Foods Market, Ben & Jerry’s, Wholesome Sweeteners, and Honest Tea. She has harnessed the power of consumers to create more sustainable livelihoods for farmers and improved environments.

A gender domain expert, Guatemalan-born and based Blanco Castro is a long-time international coffee professional serving as the top executive at the non-profit International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA).

Han de Groot is the former CEO of Rainforest Alliance. He led the merger with UTZ Certified, where, as Executive Director for seven years, he built the standard into the world’s largest sustainability program for coffee and cocoa.

Prior to that, he spent a decade in the public sector principally in the European Commission (Maritime Affairs and Fisheries) and the Netherlands Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food, where he set up an inter-departmental program on Biodiversity. In his early career, he worked at Oxfam Novib on issues of social justice and poverty alleviation.

Han served on the Supervisory Board for Hivos Triodos Fund, a joint initiative of Triodos Bank and Hivos that funds innovative financial institutions active in the underdeveloped markets of developing countries. He was Board Chair for a Dutch Foundation serving underprivileged children in The Hague and has also served on the board of Global Coffee Platform.

Han holds a Master’s Degree in Development, Agricultural, and Macro Economics from Wageningen University. He lives in the Netherlands where he enjoys boating with friends and family.

With over 20 years of experience advising and counseling clients on risk management, trust and safety, regulatory compliance, and legal strategy, Jeremy has pioneered legal understanding of online marketplaces and intellectual property rights.

Barbara is an established business leader, former banker, and impact investor, passionate about the intersection between technology, personal empowerment, international development, and human rights. As a seasoned board leader, Barbara has served on the board of several organizations including Oxfam America. She served as the Board Chair and Deputy Chair of Oxfam and as the Board Chair of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations (FLO) International.

Ric Rhinehart served from 2007-19 as the Executive Director and CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association. During his tenure he led the organization to become the world’s largest global coffee association. Prior to taking on this position he held senior executive positions in several coffee & tea firms.

Mr. Rhinehart is a frequent analyst and presenter on coffee and tea industry issues and trends. He has served as a delegate to the International Coffee Organization and as Chair of the Private Sector Consultative Board, as a Director for the Coffee Quality Institute, World Coffee Research, and World Coffee Events. He was also a founding member of the American Premium Tea Institute, where he served on the Board of Directors and as President.

Carli Rosencranz is a Senior Director at Walmart Stores, Inc. She leads teams in global sourcing for packaged foods and consumable products. During her tenure, she has played key roles there in high-visibility strategic initiatives focused on innovative vendor and third-party services. Prior to Walmart, she held research and marketing roles in the food industry.

Carli’s sincere caring about sustainability issues initially blossomed ten years ago during her time as Walmart’s coffee buyer where trips to origin instilled in her a deep passion for the concerns of smallholder coffee farmers. She has since worked with local business owners and entrepreneurs in Rwanda to help create sustainable income opportunities for coffee communities through complementary business models. Carli lives in Bentonville, Arkansas with her family.

Monika Weber-Fahr is the Chief Knowledge Officer and Senior Manager of the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group. She has served as the Global Business Leader for Environmental and Social Sustainability Business Advisory Services in the International Finance Corporation (IFC) where she was responsible for IFC-wide strategy and quality assurance in the areas of climate change, labor & social capital, and biodiversity.

She holds a PhD in Business Economics.

Status: Emeritus

Mary Williams is the former Chairman of Starbucks Trading Company, co-owns a farm in Guatemala and has served on diverse Boards of Directors ranging from the Rainforest Alliance to her own health and education foundation.

Besides being one of the driving forces behind the success of Starbucks, she was one of the first women senior executives in a male dominated industry and is recognized as one of the world’s most astute coffee cuppers (tasters) who is credited with several terms that are now part of the standard lexicon of the industry.

Jessica Morris is Senior Vice President & Partner at FleismanHillard, one of the largest global PR networks. Her career has spanned positions in NGOs including the British Refugee Council, the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy and Shelter; government, where she was head of corporate social responsibility for the UK’s HM Revenue & Customs; and corporations, where she was Managing Director of Fishburn’s New York before joining FleishmanHillard. She was the founding Chair of the Sheila McKechnie Foundation and serves on the governing body of OmniWomen and the communications advisory board of Human Rights Watch.

She was an Adjunct Lecturer at Columbia University’s School of International Public Affairs.

Status: Emeritus

Jason Potts (1967-2018) was a founding Board member of COSA. In one of his many publications he expressed a vision for a new global economy founded on the principles of respect and responsibility for our common well-being. It spoke well of his view and his humanity.

“Building this new economy will require many things but … How can we speak of sustainable consumption if the livelihoods of those producing the goods are not protected? How can we speak of sustainable production if consumers have no idea what the effects of their decisions on the ground are? How can we speak of sustainable trade if commercial relationships are not, first and foremost, relationships of care and respect between human beings?”

While at the International Institute for Sustainable Development in Canada, Jason initiated the renowned “State of Sustainability Initiatives” and also co-founded international organizations and programs that include the Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade and the Sustainable Commodity Initiative (UNCTAD-IISD).

We honor him in memoriam as a devoted member of the COSA Board from its inception.