Samantha Victores is originally from Weston, Florida and moved to Gainesville in 2018 to attend the University of Florida. She is a double gator and received her bachelor’s in plant science in 2021 and a master’s in agronomy in 2023. Her graduate thesis centered on the feasibility of organic peanut production in Florida, where there are no certified organic peanut farms. She also worked as the graduate assistant for the Field and Fork Farm, the campus farm which is managed organically and brings all produce to a free pantry for the UF community. She is eager to continue working around farms and farmers in both organic and GAP certifications. In her free time, she likes to go on nature walks, cook, attend trivia, and hangout with her two cats.
Maddie is from Palm Beach, FL and moved to Gainesville in 2016 to go to the University of Florida. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Family, Youth, and Community Services. In her free time, she like to read, do yoga, play pickleball, or visit family and friends!
Lisa works with the Processing & Handling Team - providing personal attention and service to our clients, while assisting the team with completing thorough and efficient reviews, with the goal of making informed certification decisions. Lisa enjoys being a part of the system built to ensure that organic remains a trusted and valued certification standard.
A combination of industry experience, producer appreciation, and Lisa’s personal commitment to the spirit of organic production fuels her enthusiasm for certification work. Prior to QCS, Lisa provided counsel to a wide variety of producers and handlers, implementing policies and procedures for compliance with federal and state regulatory requirements. Also, Lisa has extensive experience in on-site organic audits. Through conducting organic inspections across the US and abroad, Lisa had the privilege of meeting all sorts of producers and learned about the constant planning, innovation, and plain hard work that drive their products to market. What an industry!
Outside of work, Lisa enjoys hiking in the hills near her home, reading terrific books, cooking tasty and healthy treats, and nurturing her ever-expanding collection of plants.
Christine grew up in rural Missouri, surround by fields of GMO corn and soy as the only example of agriculture she was aware of. These lifeless fields led her to believe that agriculture was no path for her. However, this all changed after discovering a passion for cooking and clean eating. While completing her master’s in Linguistics in Long Beach, CA, she started volunteering with a local foodscaping organization, and her passion for food led her outdoors to the source of it all; the garden. She decided to change careers and shift to the organic farming world where she felt she could make a true difference in the realms of food justice and climate change. She has worked on large and small scale organic farms, in the U.S. and Latin America, and received her horticultural certificate in 2017. Today she lives in Portland, OR, where she avidly gardens, loves hiking, camping, and taking road trips to the coast.
Odalys (oh-dah-lees) is originally from the warm and bustling city of Miami, FL. Graduated from FIU with a B.S. Degree in Hospitality Management. She left the tropics for the countryside with her husband and 2 fur babies. She is fluent in English and Spanish because of her Cuban background. Her passions revolve around animal rights, the protection of the environment, and supporting the arts.
