Alexis Randolph of Quality Assurance International (QAI) has joined the Board of Directors for OMRI (the Organic Materials Review Institute). OMRI's volunteer board oversees policy development and governance for the organization. The 20-year-old nonprofit recently exceeded 5,000 input products that are OMRI Listed® for organic use, and organic certifiers such as QAI rely heavily on OMRI's lists of allowed products.
Alexis brings to OMRI's board decades of experience in organic certification, including work with crop, livestock and handling operations, and experience reviewing complex materials used on farms and in processing facilities. Alexis completed International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) training in crops and handling, and she has experience and training with ISO 17065 quality management. In her current role as Technical Manager for QAI, she oversees a team of reviewers while developing policies and procedures for their national and international programs. Founded in 1989, QAI is a leading USDA-accredited organic certifying agency, currently certifying more than 106,000 organic products and 1,585 USDA organic producers and processors worldwide. They also provide certification services for the Canada Organic Regime and multiple international organic standards, as well as NSF/ANSI 305 Standard for Personal Care Products.
According to Alexis, "I've had the pleasure and opportunity to observe OMRI's work first-hand, as they have contributed to the regulatory process of creating standards, and acted as the subject matter expert at various industry events. Working for a certification agency that utilizes OMRI resources, I am very familiar with OMRI's mission and the value OMRI adds to the organic industry. I am looking forward to participating in this important work."
OMRI was founded by organic certifiers, and directly supports their work through a technical subscription service. The organization's bylaws require that organic certifiers make up at least 25%, but no more than half of its board of directors. This balanced representation helps to ensure impartiality of the board as a whole, so that OMRI's policies and standards always serve the whole organic industry.