Leadership Team

We hired SureHarvest because, “They get it.”

– Jan DeLyser, California Avocado Commission

At SureHarvest, we know sustainability from the ground up.

Our expertise lies in the business, scientific and practical knowledge of production agriculture, combined with experience in designing and implementing management information systems for the agrifood supply chain.

Dr. Jeff Dlott

Dr. Jeff Dlott founded SureHarvest in 1999 with a vision for achieving a sustainable agrifood system by measuring and then rewarding growers for producing public benefits like cleaner water and air, job opportunities, and vibrant communities, in addition to food. Dr. Dlott assembled a group of tech-savvy investors and dedicated management team to design the knowledge and technology systems needed to create a ‘sustainability currency’ for the agrifood marketplace. He has almost 20 years of experience in pest management research and the development of sustainability programs for over 25 different commodities, most notably, the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program. Dr. Dlott is a co-founder of the Sustainability Index for Specialty Crops, an initiative to design sustainability performance metrics for the specialty crop sector. He is also participating in a multi-stakeholder effort to design a Sustainability Index for Walmart to measure the impact of the production processes of Walmart’s 60,000+ suppliers. Dr. Dlott received his Ph.D. from the University of California-Berkeley in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.

Christopher Van Coops

Mr. Christopher Van Coops is responsible for managing all aspects of the company's software products and technical services. He has been managing, designing, implementing, deploying and supporting IT, software, web and database systems for over 14 years. Prior to joining SureHarvest, he served as an engineering manager at Kronos where he oversaw the full software development life-cycle for time-and-attendance software products. Mr. Van Coops joined SureHarvest in 2002 to lead the design and engineering of the Farming MIS product. He earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Dr. Cliff Ohmart

Dr. Cliff Ohmart joined SureHarvest in September, 2009 to lead the Professional Services team in the design, implementation and evaluation of sustainability strategies for the agrifood supply chain. Prior to joining SureHarvest, Cliff served as the Sustainable Winegrowing Director at the Lodi Winegrape Commission (LWC) for13 years. Working with the Commission’s 750 growers who farm over 100,000 acres, Cliff established the LWC as a national and international leader in sustainable farming practices.  Cliff is the senior author of the Lodi Winegrower’s Workbook: A self assessment of integrated farming practices, to guide grower innovation and adoption of sustainable farming practices. Cliff was the architect of the LodiRules for Sustainable Winegrowing program for third-party certification by Protected Harvest. In 1990, as a pest control advisor for Scientific Methods, he designed what was likely the first computer database system for commercial pest management, including programmable hand-held data loggers for in-field data collection using barcodes. This innovation was the inspiration for SureHarvest and its Farming MIS technology. Dr. Ohmart received his PhD in Entomological Sciences in 1976 from the University of California-Berkeley and a Bachelor of Science in Forest Entomology from the SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry. Dr. Ohmart has delivered over 300 lectures and presentations around the world and has written over 50 publications.

Scott Turner

Mr. Scott Turner started his career in agricultural information technology in 1980 when he launched his own company. After growing to 18 employees, his company merged with the national agribusiness software company, AGRIS Corporation. When AGRIS was purchased by John Deere in 1995, Scott served as the General Manager of Operations for 5 years where he co-authored a business plan for John Deere to develop a "community" or supply chain IT application for the food and beverage industry linked to production agriculture, including harvest logistics, inventory and crop management systems. Scott was responsible for securing new sales and developing marketing campaigns until he retired in 2009. As the Executive Sales Advisor for SureHarvest, Scott is leading the team in a comprehensive sales and marketing program to expand sales of the SureHarvest Farming MIS product to new crop segments.

Melissa McKinsey

Ms. Melissa McKinsey brought more than a decade of experience in agricultural technology sales when she joined SureHarvest in April 2011 as a National Sales Manager for the SureHarvest Farming MIS product. Melissa is focused on sales to nut, fruit and winegrape growers in the Northern San Joaquin Valley and North Coast of California. Melissa worked previously as a sales representative for PureSense, an irrigation technology company. From 1989 – 1999, she worked with Scott Turner at AGRIS and John Deere Agri-Services as a Sales Manager, providing farm accounting and related systems to agribusinesses throughout California. Melissa also spent several years as a successful real estate agent in the Modesto area where she currently lives. Melissa received her education in public relations from Ohlone College.

Randy Miller

Mr. Randy Miller joined SureHarvest as a National Sales Manager in April 2011 bringing 20+ years of experience in sales and business development in information technology. Randy will be managing sales of the SureHarvest Farming MIS product to vegetable, fruit, nut and winegrape growers in the Central Coast, Salinas Valley, southern San Joaquin Valley and Imperial Valley of California. Randy brings deep experience in the high tech industry, having held management positions in 5 different Silicon Valley companies, including 4 years as President and CEO of iQuest, a company he founded and sold to a Fortune 500 company. Most recently, Randy was Director of Sales for Aging Vines. Randy lives in Templeton, California and is a graduate of California Polytechnic University with a B.A. in Business Administration.

Andrew Arnold

Mr. Andrew Arnold manages the Professional Services arm of SureHarvest, where he collaborates with commodity associations and agrifood companies to design and develop sustainable practice programs. Mr. Arnold leads the development of Web-based tools to support sustainable practice data collection and benchmarking. Throughout his 20+ year career in the agri-food industry, he has focused on the intersection of information technology and business with experience in strategic planning, product development, project management, marketing, sales, and business development. Mr. Arnold brings experience in using information sharing tools to build collaborative value chains from his work with John Deere’s FoodOrigins group. He also managed information systems for the grape supply, logistics, and winemaking sector at E&J Gallo Winery. Mr. Arnold earned his B.A. from the University of California-Berkeley and a M.S. from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Joe Browde

Dr. Joe Browde joined the SureHarvest Professional Services team in June 2010. Joe was the key architect of the Cycle of Continuous Improvement for the Sustainable Winegrowing Program during his tenure as the Senior Project Manager for the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) from 2004 through 2010. As a co-author of the California Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices Self-Assessment Workbook, Dr. Browde led projects in pest management, air quality, water conservation and quality, and risk management, educating over 7400 growers through130 events. From 2000-2003, Dr. Browde directed the Winegrape Pest Management Alliance as a consultant to the California Association for Winegrape Growers. As a result of Dr. Browde’s outreach efforts to more than 2600 growers, pest control advisors, vineyard managers and workers, the industry achieved a 30 percent reduction in the use of higher-risk pesticides. Dr. Browde began his career with Zeneca Ag Products, where he served as an Entomology Specialist and Team Leader of an interdisciplinary research team. His experience spans a breadth of cropping systems including commodities such as cotton and soybeans, as well as, specialty crops.  Dr. Browde received his Ph.D. in Entomology from Iowa State University. He also holds a Master of Science in Entomology and a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from North Carolina State University.

Lee Friedman

With an office in the Washington, DC area, Lee Friedman is leading SureHarvest’s projects on the East Coast.  Lee uses his diverse background in the law, environment, and intellectual property to manage a variety of SureHarvest sustainability initiatives, including collaborative projects with farmers, scientists, NGO’s, government agencies, and private companies to link environmental improvements to economic incentives, such as favorable bank loans, reduced insurance premiums, facilitated access to nutrient trading programs, and other ecosystem marketplace benefits.  Before joining SureHarvest in 2009, Lee worked for over 12 years at a large, international law firm, an environmental nonprofit organization, and entertainment industry associations.  Using this experience, Lee works with clients in analyzing specific sustainability issues, while also ensuring that the information that we collect and manage on behalf of our partners and project participants is protected under comprehensive confidentiality agreements and policies. Lee holds a B.S in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire and a J.D. (with an environmental law emphasis) from Lewis & Clark Law School in Oregon.

Franklin Dlott

Mr. Franklin Dlott is responsible for the SureHarvest Implementation Program, including installation, training and support services. Franklin brings a depth of production agriculture experience to SureHarvest, having worked for the University of California Cooperative Extension in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties (the “Salad Bowl”) where he was responsible for IPM research and extension activity for growers, PCAs and agricultural professionals. He has over 3 years experience providing consulting support to the statewide Sustainable Winegrowing Program delivering program content, data management, analysis and reporting. Mr. Dlott received his M.Sc. in Botany from the University of British Columbia and a B.A. in Biology and Linguistics, with honors, from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Sandy Clifton

Ms. Sandy Clifton joined SureHarvest in 2008 after a 25-year career in the fresh produce industry working for Dole, Ameri-Fresh, Tanimura & Antle and Duda Farm Fresh Foods. Sandy recently completed an M.Sc. degree in Watershed Science and Policy from the California State University at Monterey Bay. Sandy earned a B.S. in Crop Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Jane Vandine

Ms. Jane Vandine manages the financial and human resource systems for SureHarvest. She brings a wide breadth of experience managing accounting, bookkeeping, contracting, customer service and marketing programs for architectural firms, small businesses, non-profits and a community college. Ms. Vandine received her B.A. in Psychology from Metropolitan State College in Colorado and has completed coursework for an M.A. in Counseling at California State University-Chico.