Aug 30, 2022

EFI staff additions help expand offerings

Equitable Food Initiative’s (EFI) addition of staffers filling marketing and data positions should strengthen the organization’s work to improve farmworkers’ lives, according to a news release. Madelyn Edlin is marketing and sales manager and Toni Rosati is EFI’s data architect.

“EFI continues to see great forward momentum,” LeAnne Ruzzamenti, EFI’s director of marketing communications, said in the release. “Madelyn’s experience and passion will serve us well as she connects with our audiences, and Toni’s data proficiency will provide the light needed to guide EFI’s technical and data systems.”

Edlin, who joined EFI in May, works on marketing campaigns and sales lead generation. Rosati recently started and works as in certifications and market-responsive programs.

After beginning her career in the environmental nonprofit sector, Edlin transitioned to agriculture and fresh produce. When she’s not working, she teaches yoga or hikes mountain trails with her two dogs. “I was drawn to EFI because I could see firsthand how its unique approach to leadership training and continuous improvement makes a real difference in farming operations,” Edlin said in the release. “I am excited to join this team of dedicated individuals actively working to strengthen an industry so vital to our well-being.”

Before EFI, Rosati used her analytical skills to help companies design and build software and data systems that address customer challenges in intuitive ways. In startup, corporate and academic environments, Rosati worked on everything from software to search tools. In her free time, she is often studying fungi or tending to her garden. Rosati will have a variety of responsibilities in the organization from serving clients with easy-to-use solutions to helping document and share EFI’s impact, data and technical systems.

“Since starting with EFI, I have been continually inspired with the immense and diverse talent of the EFI team and our partners,” Rosati said in the release. “I’m already impressed as I begin to better understand and quantify the impact this small-but-mighty team is having on the agricultural industry.”

The additions help strengthen EFI’s work. “Wanting to make a difference is a popular attitude among today’s workforce, and our employees wholeheartedly believe in our organization’s mission and are key to making it happen,” Ruzzamenti said in the release. “The knowledge and experience Madelyn and Toni bring to the table will only help us reach our goals on a shorter timeline.”

EFI works with 29 grower-shipper companies on 80 farming operations. Through the EFI program, 4,000 farmworkers and managers have been trained in problem-solving, communication and conflict resolution practices that are improving labor, food safety and pest management standards for more than 59,000 workers.

Industry members interested in learning more about EFI, workforce development tools, training modules and educational resources can access information online at equitablefood.org/resources.