Steve Sunseri     CEO
His academic interest in deep ecology brought Steve to the organic foods movement in 1972. His management experience with Vons Grocery Company, Sunburst Organic Farms, Rainbow Natural Foods Distributing, Certified Organic Services, Safeway Stores, and Albert’s Organics have bestowed a unique skill set upon Steve. Additionally, his corporate positions during the past decade, along with several international consulting projects afford Steve a broad level of hands-on expertise within the Organic Agricultural sector. He is considered an industry expert, has been interviewed by many publications including Financial Times of London and Supermarket News, and is frequently quoted as an expert source for the Cleveland Research Reports. Recently, Steve was instrumental in initiating the establishment of the Mankush Organic Farmers Association in the regional state of Benishangul, Ethiopia.

Julian Roberts     COO / CFO
As the Chief Operations Officer / Chief Financial Officer of Vantage Organics, Julian is an experienced advisor in corporate finance and strategy. His professional career path has afforded such opportunities as consulting for large development organizations as well as governmental agencies. During his consultancy with The Netherlands, Julian designed and facilitated meetings for advancing strategies for sustainable development. His core skill sets are in finance, strategy, project management, and building forecasting models for business ventures. Julian holds a BA in philosophy from UC Berkeley and an MPH and MBA from Johns Hopkins University. His varied educational background gives him a multidisciplinary approach to solving problems and creating innovative solutions.

Ronda Schmal     Vice President / Sales
With 18 years experience in the health, food and beverage arenas Ronda provides Vantage Organics’ clients an unparalleled level of sales expertise in the natural/organic sector. Recently she served as Director of National Accounts for Contemporary Marketing, a consulting company with over $100 million in managed vendor business. Prior to CMI, Ms. Schmal held national positions with leading wellness companies including New Life Brands, Inc. and Taisho Corporation. Previously, she launched the Natural Foods and Specialty divisions for MET-Rx brands and as National Sales Manager, generated triple digit growth. Rhonda holds a bachelor’s degree in Arts & Business Management from University of Denver and an associate’s degree in nutrition.

Jordan Jennings     Integrated IT / Media Director
Our "resident geek”, Jordan brings over ten years of graphic/web design, tradeshow/environmental design and sales and  marketing expertise to Vantage Organics. Combined with his in depth background as an IT professional, network engineer, technical director, artist and customer service supervisor, Jordan provides Vantage’s clients access to a versatile and talented resource. His  unique childhood experiences on communes and in alternative lifestyles balances his technical side with solid values and a personal commitment to the organic foods industry and sustainable practices.

Scott Gwozdz     Marketing Director / Research Analyst
With nearly 20 years of experience in consumer marketing and branding with a Harvard degree in Sociology and an MBA in marketing, Scott brings together the powerful combination of customer insight and effective marketing action. In addition to his professional agency work with Sterling Rice Group and Radar Communications, Scott has provided various marketing services to such hallowed companies as White Wave Foods, New Sun Nutrition, Annie's Homegrown, Izze, and New Hope Natural Media, in addition to Fortune 500 companies as Intel, Toyota, Nike, Herman Miller, Nissan, and SABMiller.

Fenote Tekie     Agro / Environmental Analyst
Currently serving as President of ET Chem Lab Inc. Carson, CA, and CEO of Mankush Organic Sesame Farm in Ethiopia, Fenote has twenty-one years of business experience in formulation, management, manufacturing and marketing environmentally friendly products. Fenote holds the position of Chief Consultant on the Azmera Organic Farms Project and is a passionate advocate of environmental protection and sustainable agricultural development. He attended the Poly Technical institute in Bahardar, Ethiopia, University of Pennsylvania, and in 1985, he graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering.

Hussen Ahmed     Commercial Manager
Hussen graduated with a degree in mathematics from Addis Ababa University in 1998. After a successful career in the field of integrated IT sciences, Hussen shifted to Sustainable Agriculture by founding Farm Organic International, a global services organization focusing on the export of value added, organically produced food products from Ethiopia. His primary area of expertise is the design and implementation of project support systems.

Katie DeGroot     Operations / Retail Sales Support
Katie has the ideal combination of operations and customer service experience. Prior to joining Vantage Organics, she held positions in merchandizing and sales support. Katie enthusiastically supports the team and serves our customers with a wonderful, positive attitude. She is looking to expand her horizons with an innovative organization that appreciates or her integrity and commitment to sustainability. Katie is a Colorado native and a graduate of Community College of Denver (Science Major) and Metro State College of Denver (Biology Major).

Christina Tekie     Publicist / Research Assistant
A sophomore at Columbia University, Christina is majoring in Economics with a concentration in human rights. Before starting college on the east coast, she served on the Interact District Board for the Rotary District 5280, coordinating 34 different chapters in the Los Angeles area. Her experience also includes media/publicist internship at Animal Fair where she interviewed the likes of Martha Stewart, Dr. Ruth, and Maria Hinojosa. She has also done exceptional consultation work on the pesticide control issue and related environmental protection initiatives.