Mr. Retzloff is a pioneer in the organic and natural foods industry with a 47-year career starting and managing successful companies. He is co-founder and chairman of Alfalfa’s Markets, Boulder-based natural foods stores. He also co-founded Aurora Organic Dairy in 2003, and currently acts as a senior advisor to the company.
Mr. Retzloff started his career in natural foods retail, as co-founder of Eden Foods, Rainbow Grocery, and the original Alfalfa’s Market, which merged with Wild Oats Markets in 1996. In 1990 Mr. Retzloff was chairman of the Organic Food Alliance which was instrumental in passing the 1990 Organic Food Production Act in D.C. Mr. Retzloff went on to become one of the co-founders of Horizon Organic Dairy. There he served as Chairman, CEO and President International. He then became Chairman of Rudi’s Organic Bakery where he helped execute a successful turn-around.
Mr. Retzloff received his B.S. degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Michigan and has received several awards, including the Organic Trade Association’s Lifetime Leadership award, the Boulder Chamber of Commerce's Lifetime Achievement Award and Entrepreneur of the Year award, Naturally Boulder’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame and New Hope Natural products Hall of Legends.
Jackie Bowen is the Executive Director of the Clean Label Project. Before coming to Clean Label Project, Jackie held numerous technical, standards development, and leadership roles within the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre, NSF International. Most recently, she served as the General Manager of Quality Assurance International, the largest domestic USDA organic certifier, the Director of NSF International’s Consumer Values Verified division focusing on bringing to market certification offerings including Non-GMO Project and Certified Gluten-free, and the Director of NSF Agriculture- North America focusing on farm food safety.
Jackie earned a BS in environmental biology from Michigan State University, a Master of Public Health in management and policy from the University of Michigan, a Master of Science in quality engineering from Eastern Michigan University, and a post-graduate certificate in innovation and business strategy from MIT.
Carlotta leads the New Hope Network Content Team, producing all content and conference programming for Natural Products Expos, NBJ Summit, Esca Bona, Nutrition Capital Network, Natural Foods Merchandiser, newhope.com, Nutrition Business Journal and the NEXT portfolio. In addition she is the chief author of the NEXT Natural Products Industry Forecast. With 20 years of experience, Carlotta has her finger on the pulse of new health, wellness and natural product trends and the forces shaping consumer attitudes and behaviors.
Mr. Radi has more than 25 years of experience in the food and consumer products industry, most recently as CEO of Good Karma Foods, Inc. since December 2014. Before joining Good Karma he was with Rudi’s for seven years in a variety of roles, including general manager, senior vice president of marketing and conventional channel sales, and vice president of marketing. Earlier, he was marketing director for Silk soy milk at WhiteWave Foods, brand manager at Horizon Organic, senior brand manager at Frito-Lay and associate brand manager at Bayer Consumer Care.
Liz Myslik is driven by her desire to help mission-driven brands and the people who create them. Leveraging her operating and leadership experience, she serves as a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs, helping them navigate the challenges of building great brands.
After starting her career in banking and management consulting, Liz pursued her passion for natural products starting in 2001 when she joined mind-body health company Gaiam and helped the company grow to over $140 million in four years. She then founded a brand management firm which served entrepreneurial brands like Rudi’s, Eco-Products and 34 Degrees and helped global giants such as Georgia Pacific and J&J to develop health and sustainably focused brands. She joined the ownership team of Fresca Foods and transformed it from small co-packer into a vertically integrated natural foods leader. In 2020, she joined us to double down on her passion for helping purpose-driven brands grow.
Liz has been named a Kingmaker in Consumer & Retail by Forbes, one of the Most Influential Woman in Food & Drink by Fortune and a Wonder Woman in the Natural Products Industry by New Hope Media.
Chief Innovation Officer, Upcycled Food Association
Ben Gray MS, RD, is the Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of the Upcycled Food Association. Ben came to this work with a deep affection for food and is driven daily by the bold vision of a food system that can sustain all peoples and our planet. He is excited to support innovative brands and the extraordinary people behind them and proud to help grow an organization that sees equitable participation and being evidence-based as central to the mission of reducing food waste.
Lori E. Seward is a senior instructor and teaching professor of Operations Management and faculty director of the MBA program in The Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering at Virginia Tech. After several years working as a reliability and quality engineer in the paper and automotive industries, she earned her Ph.D. from Virginia Tech and joined the faculty at the Leeds School in 1998.
She has been the coordinator of the undergraduate core business statistics course and currently teaches the core MBA statistics course. She is also responsible for coordinating the undergraduate program in Operations Management. She served as the chair of the INFORMS Teachers’ Workshop for the annual 2004 meeting.
Her teaching interests focus on developing pedagogy that uses technology to create a collaborative learning environment in both large undergraduate and MBA statistics courses. Seward is the author of a textbook titled Applied Statistics in Business and Economics, now in its fourth edition. She has published articles in journals ranging from The International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (2004) to the Journal of Statistics Education (2011).
For the last 20 years, Andy has devoted his uncanny acumen for what it takes to build successful brands, his unwavering focus on the fundamentals, and his unparalleled network to help dozens of entrepreneurs in rapidly building profitable companies. And, informally mentoring hundreds more.
His polite but direct, tell-it-like-it-is style delivers immeasurable value to entrepreneurs by demystifying investing, helping them see around corners, be better leaders and grow businesses that are built to last.
During his successful career with General Foods and Kraft Foods, Andy developed his strong marketing, sales, operations and finance backgrounds. During this time, he recognized that nurturing smaller businesses to achieve rapid growth was his passion and has been focused on investing in and helping to operate small consumer products companies ever since. Andy has been an active part of the emerging branded consumer products eco-system since founding our predecessor firm 2x Consumer Products Growth Partners in 2001.
What sets Andy apart is his passion for entrepreneurs and helping them succeed. He was named by Forbes Magazine of one of the “25 Most Influential Kingmakers in Consumer and Retailer Companies” and has participated in more educational webinars, workshops and panels than just about any person in the industry.
As a single dad by choice via surrogacy, Andy is passionate about making the world a better place for his (not so) little girl, and never tires of rooting for his Wisconsin Badgers or reliving the summer he spent traveling (for work!) with musical icon Jimmy Buffett.
As an avid healthy lifestyle expert, Bill works with emerging brands as well as mid-sized companies on everything from brand & sales channel strategy, finance, operational challenges and product innovation. His in-depth knowledge of the natural products industry gives him a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing todays food and beverage brands. He is a recognized expert in healthy lifestyles and go to market strategies in the natural and organic industry. Practicing what he preaches, Bill leads a vegan low-impact, conscious lifestyle and has done so in Boulder Colorado for 34 years.
Instructor in Marketing at the Leeds School of Business
A consumer marketing specialist, Heather has over 15 years of experience in brand strategy, product development and management, and marketing communications.
As a Brand Manager at Kraft Foods, Heather worked on strategy development, advertising, financial management, consumer research and new product commercialization for iconic brands such as DiGiorno Pizza, Taco Bell Home Originals and Kraft Salad Dressing.
At Whole Foods Market, Heather served as the Senior Director of National Marketing where she established and an “internal creative agency” that designed and executed all national campaigns. She also developed the annual marketing plan, managed the integration of in-store and digital programs, formed key strategic partnerships, collaborated with regional marketing teams, managed the gift card program and ensured the Whole Foods brand standards were clearly communicated and maintained.
During her tenure at Whole Foods Market, Heather also managed the Local Producer Loan Program, working directly with small entrepreneurs to help them grow their business within Whole Foods. She then served as Director of Whole Journeys, an experiential travel concept that enabled consumers to experience the culture of a country through its food.
Most recently, Heather was the lead Brand and Marketing strategist for the Fresh Ideas Group in Boulder, CO, which focuses on natural and organic food and products. She continues to build on her experience by consulting within the industry.
Heather’s interest in teaching began as an adjunct lecturer at the McCombs School of Business at University of Texas in Austin. She also taught at St. Edwards University and the University of Denver. As a Marketing Instructor at Leeds, Heather teaches a variety of undergraduate marketing courses.
Jennifer Forman leads Make.More.Good., a Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG consultancy. She has been developing social impact and equity initiatives for nearly two decades as a consultant and senior leader at global corporations and national nonprofit organizations.
Jennifer teaches the Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility offered by the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility at the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business. She holds professional certifications in Corporate Social Responsibility (University of Colorado) and GRI Standards for Sustainability Reporting (GRI Academy).
Jennifer is an avid proponent of corporate purpose, workplace diversity, equity & inclusion, and integrating environmental and social sustainability practices into all facets of business. Recently, Jennifer served as the Director of Corporate Citizenship at PopSockets where she developed an award-winning, global social impact initiative and managed a multi-million dollar philanthropy budget. Earlier in her career Jennifer was Vice President of Marketing & Development for two national nonprofit organizations.
Morley McBride is a consultant, strategist, and facilitator who incorporates human-centered design and systems thinking into her work. Her 15+ years of experience across industries has cultivated diverse content knowledge and a multidisciplinary skill set which enable her to create user experiences that cleverly compel and engage audiences of all kinds.
Morley moved to Boulder from New York City, where she worked as a Business Development Strategist for the design and innovation firm IDEO. While at IDEO she taught Design Thinking at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. Prior to joining IDEO, she helped launch NBC News’s Education Nation, producing the network’s debut touring public exhibitions on the state of education in the U.S; served as the Education and Public Programs Manager at the Aspen Art Museum; and was a Research and Consulting Fellow at Rocky Mountain Institute. Morley is currently an Advisor to Preserve, a B Corp and sustainable product company that makes toothbrushes, razors, and kitchenware out of recycled yogurt cups. She is also a featured storyteller and producer for the public radio storytelling program, The Moth.
Morley earned her M.B.A. from Yale School of Management and received her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Geography with a minor in Studio Arts from Middlebury College.
Instructor at CU Boulder Masters of the Environment
Taber is an attorney and Vice President at CDR Associates, a nonprofit facilitation firm that designs collaborative decision-making processes for projects in transportation, agriculture and water resources, and land management. Taber focuses on food systems and food access, stakeholder engagement, and community and economic development. Prior to working at CDR Associates, Taber founded a nonprofit educational goat dairy in downtown Boulder, CO, and also worked as a Food Policy Specialist at Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Sr. Vice President of People, Aurora Organic Dairy
Robin joined Aurora Organic Dairy in 2019 and leads the Company’s Human Resources, which includes employee programs and benefits, recruiting, training and culture.
Robin’s extensive HR leadership experience spans more than 25 years across various global organizations, including organic dairy, manufacturing, hospitality, consumer packaged goods, computer software & hardware, and public education. She has led large-impact organizational changes and has developed global leadership practices in Europe, Mexico, Canada and South America. Robin’s expertise includes benefits and compensation management, employee engagement, talent acquisition, leadership training and organizational change.
In addition to her role as Senior Vice President of People at Aurora Organic Dairy, Robin teaches human capital management in the Executive MBA program at the University of Denver, and holds various senior HR certifications. She earned her MBA from the University of Colorado – Denver, a Master of Science Degree in Education and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in French from the University of Pennsylvania.
Instructor in Accounting at the Leeds School of Business
Jeremiah joined the Leeds School of Business accounting faculty in 2017. He received his MBA from Grand Canyon University and his BS in Accounting from Colorado State University. He is an active CPA and earned his CGMA from AICPA in 2013. Jeremiah’s background had been in audit with KPMG, a corporate controller of a global professional services firm, and a consultant for business management and systems. His passion is bringing accounting and critical thinking to students as they grow into future business leaders. Jeremiah is a father of two and loves living in Colorado and exploring the outdoors with family.
