Ray Archuleta is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist with the Soil Science Society of America and has over 30 years experience as a Soil Conservationist, Water Quality Specialist, and Conservation Agronomist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Ray is the co-founder of the Soil Health Academy and helped develop the term Biomimicry. Biomimicry is developing strategies and Agroecology principles for improving soil on a national scale. Ray teaches soil health concepts to interested producers world wide.

Martin Crompton brings more than two decades of leadership experience across the United States and Europe at the intersection of regenerative agriculture, food systems,and commercial strategy. As Head of Operations at Union Grove Farm in North Carolina, he led the transformation of the vineyard into the first Regenified-certified table grapeoperation in the United States and one of only a handful of farms to reach Tier 5, Regenified’s highest standard for regenerative outcomes. Under his guidance, UnionGrove Farm has become a nationally recognized model for nutrient-dense, regenerativeviticulture. Martin is deeply engaged in the U.S. regenerative movement and maintains activeworking relationships with many of its leading practitioners across farming, food, health,investment, and AgTech. He has collaborated with regenerative innovators andeducators to advance practical, economically viable transitions on farms of differentscales. Before focusing full-time on regenerative agriculture, Martin held senior roles inmarketing, business development, and strategy for large global food companies, wherehe led innovative and market-disruptive initiatives across more than a dozen industryplatforms. He now combines that commercial background with his regenerativeexpertise to help bridge farmers, brands, retailers, and technology providers, with aparticular focus on building demand and market access for regenerative production.His on-the-ground work at Union Grove includes early adoption and multi-year field useof FireHawk within a regenerative IPM system, giving him a unique operator’sperspective on how bioherbicides can support soil health and vineyard performance.

Kathleen Hallal has been guiding community efforts to eliminate toxic pesticide exposures in public spaces for over a decade. She spearheaded the adoption of Irvine, CA’s Organic City Policy with the support of scientists and medical professionals. She served as Head of Climate and the Environment on the Mayor’s Advisory Council, and she was a recipient of the CA State EPA Department of Pesticide Regulation IPM award for Irvine’s successful program. Ms. Hallal is an Accredited Organic Land Care Professional (AOLCP) by the Northeast Organic Farming Association, and her focus is on methods that support soil health. She is an original co-founder of Non Toxic Communities. Kathleen earned her M.A. from the University of Southern California.

Dr Huber’s agricultural research over the past 55 years has focused on the epidemiology and control of soil borne plant pathogens with emphasis on microbial ecology, cultural and biological controls, nutrient-disease interactions, pesticide-disease interactions, physiology of host-parasite relationships and techniques for rapid microbial identification. Dr. Huber is a past Chairman of the USDA-APS National Plant Disease Recovery System; a member of several governmental Advisory Boards. He is author or co-author of over 300 journal articles; six books, and 84 special invited publications; and an active scientific reviewer; speaker; consultant to academia, industry, and government; and international research co-operator.

Dave Schwartz is the Executive Vice-President of Sales at Verdesian Life Science. He is also the co-owner of Independent Inputs a Distribution Partner of Pioneer Seed Distributing Soybean Seed Treatments and seed treating equipment to 1250 Pioneer Seed Dealers in the US since 2006. He advises Contact BioSolutions on business development, sales and distribution channels in the US agricultural input markets.

Dr. Smeda is a weed physiologist and has a research/teaching appointment in weed science. His research focuses on: Development of alternative weed management systems for corn, soybean and vegetables. Identification of resistance mechanisms in herbicide-resistant weeds. Biology and control of invasive weeds in roadside and other non-crop areas. He teaches Principles of Weed Science and co-instructs a graduate course on Weed Science Research Principles and Techniques. He also serves as the Director for Undergraduate Programs in the Division of Plant Sciences.