Tatyana Pavlovets

Tracey's Bio

Tracey combines academic expertise with entrepreneurial experience in agriculture. After two years of graduate research in honey bee biology at the University of Alberta, she founded Beanstalk Honey, running it for over a decade while building strong connections in the farming community. With a background in conservation biology, sustainable agriculture, and industry leadership, Tracey brings a vision for innovation and community engagement to her role at Organic Alberta.

Organic Alberta

Stacy's Bio

Stacy Murray is a passionate advocate for lifelong learning and the agriculture industry. Currently the extension coordinator with Gateway Research Organization (GRO), a non-profit producer-led applied agriculture research association, she has spent her career sharing her knowledge and passion with youth and producers around the province. GRO does research and demonstration projects relating to crop production, soil, water, livestock and grazing. Stacy supports this work hands-on in the field, by organizing field days and workshops, sharing with school groups, and through various print and electronic means. 

Stacy grew up on a mixed farming operation and her family’s involvement in various agriculture organizations provided opportunities to travel much of Western Canada and learn about wide range of operations in the agriculture industry. She was raised with a belief in sustainable and regenerative concepts before they became terms applied to the agriculture industry. Stacy has a BSc in Agriculture and believes that cooperation between all involved in the agri-food value chain - producers, industry, processors and consumers - can lead to solutions that will benefit everyone economically, environmentally, and for health.

Gateway Research Organization

Jason's Bio

Jason Hale has experience in the oil and gas sector, has been a cattle rancher in southern Alberta for over 30 years, was a professional bull fighter, and was an elected Member for the Eastern Irrigation District and Alberta Beef Producers.

As a former Member of Legislative Assembly (April 2012 – May 2015), Jason served on 3 legislative committees and was the opposition critic for Energy; where he provided critical assessment of government policy and programs. He sat on multiple community boards such as the Advisory Committee for the Medicine Hat College and Crawling Valley Recreations Society.

Jason has a Chemical Technology diploma from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).

Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation

Jamie's Bio

Jamie Gervais Rietveld is a passionate advocate for food literacy and positive societal impact. With a degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Alberta, Jamie focused in nutraceuticals, complimenting earlier studies in dietetics at Southeast Missouri State University.

In response to a corporate takeover, Jamie founded FoodImpact, an initiative that delivered nutrition and food education to Alberta’s elementary schools for 11 years until the 2020 pandemic disrupted operations. During this period, Jamie pursued further education in Marketing at the University of Calgary, gaining experience in product development and social media marketing. This sparked an interest in psychology, leading to studies at Athabasca University in decision-making, behavioral science, and learning psychology.

Currently, Jamie is a graduate student in Transdisciplinary Research and a graduate research assistant at the University of Calgary, where her research bridges marketing, public health, and education to explore decision-making around food choices for youth. To address reduced funding for food education in low socioeconomic status communities, Jamie established the Food Discovery Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing food literacy education to children and disabled individuals in need.

Jamie’s enthusiasm for learning, exploration, and creating meaningful change continues to shape her impactful journey.

FOOD IMPACT