WASHINGTON - We’re bringing you news of not one, but two exciting promotions! Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) has announced elevated roles for Kevin Boyle and Kenton Harmer.

“Stepping into this new role is an exciting opportunity to innovate, drive meaningful growth, and continue shaping the future of our industry for farmworkers and growers,” commented Boyle, who has taken on the role of Director of Organizational and Workforce Development. “Farmworkers are some of the most knowledgeable and skilled in all of agriculture and harnessing that value and developing their skills further is an opportunity that will benefit the entire food supply chain.”

Boyle will be responsible for working with growers, workers, and retailers to define and implement an industry-wide framework for skills development and management competencies.

Longtime EFI employee Kenton Harmer has also been named to a new role, taking over as Director of Market-Based Impact.

“I have greatly enjoyed working within EFI’s multi stakeholder network to deliver a compliance tool for fresh produce through EFI’s certification,” Harmer said. “I am excited now to build a continuous improvement program that scales throughout supply chains, brings agricultural operations the resources they need to assess and improve, and creates a market signal that encourages and rewards that engagement.”

With a focus on technology and consulting products, Harmer will engage new populations of workers and organizations in using interactive tools, assessments, worker surveys, and data collection; he will also spearhead the development of an assessment tool for the fresh produce industry that aims to increase supply chain engagement in ethical workforce management and strengthen management systems to better align with the Ethical Charter.

The two industry vets will support the nonprofit’s expanding workforce development strategies and its leadership in the implementation of the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices, a press release explained.

“Kevin and Kenton have been instrumental in developing and growing EFI and our certification into the gold standard for leading produce growers.” EFI Executive Director, Peter O’Driscoll, commented. “Our new program areas will help meet grower-shippers where they are and offer new resources beyond certification to a larger segment of the produce industry. I know Kevin and Kenton’s passion and vision for this work will help broaden EFI’s contribution to the continuous improvement of farm labor practices.”

Read more about these promotions here.

Cheers to both of these leaders on their most recent executive appointments!

Equitable Food Initiative