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Research Team
Dr. Amber Sciligo is the Senior Director of The Organic Center, where she works closely with researchers, industry, farmers, and policymakers to identify organic research needs, leads project implementation, and communicates scientific results to stakeholders across the global organic sector. She currently serves on the World Board for IFOAM Organics International.
Amber received her Ph.D. In Ecology & Evolution with a focus on how pollinator communities influence the development of plant breeding systems, and gained several years of training as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, where she focused on how diversifying farms at local and landscape scales impacts biodiversity and multifunctionality in organic farming systems. She has worked in organic food systems for nearly 20 years, managing large-scale projects and developing, coordinating, and nurturing relationships between demographically diverse stakeholders to accomplish highly collaborative research and outreach.
Project Role: As the lead Project Director (PD) Amber is responsible for directing all components of this project, including the development of future phases of this work, in close collaboration with the core team members and key contractors. Calling upon her academic training and extensive experience with collecting primary, on-farm data for measuring a range of ecosystem services, she will contribute subject matter expertise, particularly related to systems-thinking, data integration, and feasibility of expanding access to data collection, accessibility and fit for models that measure the complexity of agroecosystems.
Charlotte Vallaeys is a consultant focused on addressing systemic barriers and developing practical solutions for sustainable food systems and organic agriculture. Before launching her consulting practice, she led the sustainability strategy for the organic business unit at General Mills. She previously held policy and research roles at The Cornucopia Institute and Consumer Reports, where she worked in the Food Safety and Sustainability Center. She has a Master of Science in Agriculture, Food and Environment from Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University.
Project Role: For The Organic Center’s LCA Initiative, Charlotte draws on her background in systems thinking, applied science, and corporate sustainability to help integrate scientific, corporate, and policy perspectives, contributing to research, outreach, and standards workstreams that strengthen how LCAs represent organic and regenerative farming systems.
charlotte@vallaeysconsulting.com
Dr. Lilly Hancock is the Senior Research & Agriculture Scientist at General Mills where she leads regenerative agriculture and climate initiatives across key sourcing regions focusing on measurement and reporting frameworks that link field-level data with corporate impact reporting. Her work bridges scientific research, supply chain strategy, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to accelerate climate and water resilience across U.S. grain landscapes. With a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Brown University, she brings deep expertise in agricultural systems modeling, natural resource management, and landscape-scale partnership development.
Project Role: Lilly serves as a technical and strategic advisor to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Project, contributing to the design of improved LCA methodologies and integration of on-farm data into these methodologies and subsequent corporate reporting systems. She helps ensure the project’s outcomes are relevant to food companies seeking more accurate, holistic impact measurement for organic and regenerative supply chains and production systems.
Alexis Bramley is the Director of Strategic Projects for the Organic Trade Association (OTA) where she leads the organization's international trade policy initiatives, global sustainability policy engagement, and OTA's organic market development grant, helping to educate consumers on the science backed benefits of choosing organic. She is a multidisciplinary professional with experience in policy analysis, advocacy, and research spanning international affairs, agriculture, climate, and sustainability. Alexis earned her MA in International Affairs from George Washington University with a concentration in Energy and Environmental Policy, and her BA in International Relations from American University.
Project Role: Alexis serves as the project coordinator for the Organic Center’s LCA initiative. In this role Alexis facilitates core team alignment on project goals and timelines as well as manages reporting requirements associated with project funding. Alexis brings an understanding of multilateral sustainability policy frameworks as well as significant project and budget management experience to the project team.
Adam Kotin is Managing Director at the non-profit Soil & Climate Initiative (SCI), where he leads regenerative agriculture transition programs, working with farmers and food brands across the US to advance soil health and climate-smart practices. As a former Senior Sustainability Consultant at Quantis and a sustainable agriculture advocate with the California Climate & Agriculture Network (CalCAN) and Food Solutions New England (FSNE), he brings deep experience in organic and agroecological systems, agricultural policy, and environmental impact assessment methodologies. Adam holds an MA from Brown University and is pursuing an MS in Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Florida.
Project Role: Adam serves as a subject matter expert and planning team member, providing technical guidance on LCA methodologies and leveraging his network to engage practitioners and researchers contributing to the gap analysis and development of improved assessment approaches for organic and regenerative systems.
