Organic Seed Alliance Names New Executive Director
September 11, 2016 
Cara Loriz
Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) has named Cara Loriz as its new executive director beginning this month. Loriz joins OSA with a background in nonprofit development; small business management and public advocacy; and environmental education, consulting, and writing. OSA’s previous director, Micaela Colley, will remain on staff in a new role as she pursues a Ph.D.
“Cara Loriz is a strong addition to our team,” says Board President Sebastian Aguilar. “Loriz brings a wealth of experience that makes her more than qualified to lead OSA through its next phase of growth.”
Loriz most recently worked as the director of Sylvestor Manor, a nonprofit educational farm located on Shelter Island, NY, where she managed the day-to-day farm and program operations. She holds degrees in geology and technical writing, and taught environmental science and geology in California, Utah, and Ohio. She also served as editor of the local newspaper on Shelter Island before joining the nonprofit farm world. She and her husband Mike moved to Port Townsend in 2015.
“Joining the OSA team is a compelling opportunity to continue my commitment to sustainable agriculture and the environment,” Loriz says. “I’m eager to work with OSA’s expert researchers, educators, and policy advocates as we grow our capacity to meet the critical needs of organic farmers and the food systems they serve.”
Micaela Colley has served as OSA’s executive director since 2010 and will remain with the organization as project director. She is simultaneously pursuing a Ph.D. in organic plant breeding under the instruction of Edith T. Lammerts van Bueren at the University Wageningen in the Netherlands.
Colley has been with OSA since its inception. She has been a key part of the research and education team both before and throughout her tenure as executive director, helping to lead dozens of collaborative organic plant breeding projects with farmers, universities, and seed and food businesses, and teaching more than a hundred organic seed workshops.
“We’re excited to have new leadership at a time when OSA – and the broader organic seed movement – is growing quickly,” says Colley.
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