Regenerative Organic Alliance Names Christopher Gergen as New CEO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2025

Regenerative Organic Alliance Names Christopher Gergen as New CEO

The Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) welcomes Christopher Gergen as the organization’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective March 1, 2025. This appointment marks a significant step forward for the ROA, a leader in setting the highest standard for regenerative organic agriculture. Gergen is poised to drive the continued momentum of ROA and expand its impact globally, leveraging his extensive experience in systems change and purpose-driven initiatives.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Christopher Gergen as the ROA’s Chief Executive Officer. We have so much work to do in the transition to regenerative organic agricultural systems for the sake of the planet. We will be well served by Christopher’s track record of executive leadership, his coalition building experience, and his deep and passionate commitment to the planet and to ROC farms and brands.” – Paul Lightfoot, ROA Board Chair

Gergen brings a wealth of experience in systems innovation and scaling high impact ventures. His previous role as Chief Growth Officer for 4P Foods saw him implement strategies that enhanced market access for local farmers, particularly within BIPOC communities, and play a pivotal role in launching 4P’s Food-Is-Medicine initiative. This background aligns seamlessly with ROA’s mission to promote regenerative organic agriculture, furthering social fairness and ecological health.

“The work of ROA and the regenerative organic movement could not be more important. Together we have the opportunity to accelerate the shift from extractive conventional agriculture to strategies that heal our planet and nourish our bodies. I am deeply honored to join the ROA community, build on the strong foundation in place, and exponentially expand our collective impact.” – Christopher Gergen, CEO

The ROA developed the Regenerative Organic Certified® (ROC™) label, which sets the gold standard for regenerative farming practices. Since its inception, ROC™ has experienced dramatic growth, now spanning over 18 million acres across 44 countries, covering 500 types of crops, and certifying more than 2,100 products. With Gergen’s leadership, a strong board and team in place, as well as a growing community of committed farmers, brands, and stakeholders, ROA is now primed to meaningfully scale the global adoption of regenerative organic practices across food, personal care, and textile industries.

“At ROA, we sought a bold, visionary leader with a proven track record of attracting impact investment – someone who can drive our mission forward with the resources needed to amplify our impact. Since launching the Regenerative Organic Certified® program in 2021, our momentum has been unstoppable. Christopher’s leadership clearly aligns with ROA’s mission and values. La Rhea Pepper and I will be working closely with Christopher in ongoing advisory roles which will ensure a seamless transition and a high-functioning, unified organization as we work towards a more regenerative system.” – Elizabeth Whitlow, ROA Founding Executive Director and Board Member

As the Regenerative Organic Alliance continues to grow, Christopher Gergen’s expertise and vision will be instrumental in steering the organization toward its ambitious goals. His leadership is expected to foster deep connections among farmers, industry leaders, and consumers, strengthening the movement for healthier soil, improved animal welfare, and fairer conditions for workers.

Christopher will attend the ROA’s “Together We ROC” event on March 3, as well as the Natural Products Expo West event that week. He looks forward to meeting and engaging with ROC™ brands, farmers, and stakeholders. To schedule meet-up times, please contact Donna Worley at the email included below.

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Media contact: Donna Worley, PR and Engagement, Senior Manager
Email: donna@regenorganic.org

About the Regenerative Organic Alliance
The Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA) is a nonprofit organization made up of experts in farming, ranching, soil health, animal welfare, and worker fairness that oversees the Regenerative Organic Certified® label. The ROA promotes farming practices that restore and build soil, ensure animal welfare, and end unfair conditions for farmers and farmworkers. The organization’s intent is to create long-term solutions to the climate crisis, factory farming, and fractured rural economies.
Regenerative Organic Certified® is a certification for food, textiles, and personal care ingredients. Regenerative Organic Certified® farms and products meet the highest standards in the world for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness. For more information, visit https://regenorganic.org.

About Christopher Gergen

The Regenerative Organic Alliance’s CEO, Christopher Gergen, has over 25 years experience building, scaling, and supporting systems-based solutions in communities globally. With a passion for the positive impact that food can have on our local economies, the health of families, and our warming climate, Christopher is deeply committed to helping scale the regenerative organic movement. Prior to joining ROA, Christopher was Chief Growth Officer at 4P Foods where he helped the public-benefit corporation build a scalable, equitable regional food system in the US mid-Atlantic – including launching a pioneering locally sourced Food-is-Medicine initiative. He is the founder of Forward Impact that has helped direct over $30M in public/private capital to place-based systems change efforts and the co-founder and past CEO of Forward Cities – a nonprofit that worked with cities and rural regions across the US to reduce barriers to entrepreneurship and small business growth. Christopher is a founding partner of Raleigh Founded, an entrepreneurial co-working community in North Carolina with more than 400 member companies, as well as Founding Chairman of BlueCo, a co-warehousing company based in Raleigh. Additionally, Christopher is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a Senior Advisor with the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation and has been a fellow and faculty member with Duke University’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship initiative, and the Innovator in Residence at the Center for Creative Leadership. He is co-author of the nationally acclaimed book Life Entrepreneurs: Ordinary People Creating Extraordinary Lives (Jossey-Bass, 2008), and has started and scaled several social ventures including co-founding SMARTHINKING – a venture-backed online tutoring company that served 1,000 universities and colleges before being acquired by Pearson Education as well as Cafe Nunoa, a live music/ arts/ restaurant venue in Santiago, Chile, that he started when we was 24. Christopher graduated with honors from Duke University and has an MPP from George Washington University and an MBA from Georgetown. He currently serves on the Governor’s NC Works Commission in North Carolina and lives with his wife and two children in Durham, NC.