The Team

Dr. Eric Harris

Executive Vice President

Eric is the Executive Vice President and is responsible for overall operations at SureHarvest. He oversees client engagements to develop and implement data-driven sustainability programs grounded in the most recent science. Eric has many years of experience leading consultancies related to sustainability strategies and development of sourcing standards across domestic and global food and agriculture value chains. He has experimented with integration of new technologies to implement smarter technology-enabled assessment and training approaches in several sustainable agriculture programs and certification systems. Previously, Eric led research at the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Medical School, and has authored multiple peer-reviewed scientific publications. Eric received a PhD in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and holds a BSc in Botany and Anthropology from the University of Toronto.

Nathan Smith

Senior Vice President, Client Solutions

Nathan is the Senior Vice President, Client Solutions. He leads the company's business development process and guides new clients through the planning, design, and implementation phases of a project life cycle. Nathan identifies opportunities for greater collaboration with key clients and partner organizations. His industry engagement has focused on sustainable sourcing, with an emphasis on raw material sourcing initiatives designed to promote continuous improvement with production practices and traceability in the food and agriculture value chain. Recently, he has led SureHarvest's efforts to expand the relevance of its products and solutions to row crops and milling operations in the midwestern region through partnerships with agribusinesses and trade associations. He also represents the SureHarvest division as part of the corporate sales and business development team at Where Food Comes From. Nathan received a MA degree in Latin American Studies, with concentrations in Geography and Environmental Studies, from the University of Arizona and holds a BA degree from the University of Washington.

Franklin Dlott

Director of Implementation

Franklin is the Director of Implementation. He designs, implements and supports clients across a wide range of SureHarvest product offerings, crops, companies, and people. He has worked with many businesses to streamline and reform their collection and use of data to help them make better decisions. Franklin has designed and deployed Sustainability Management Information Systems in specialty crops, including nuts, wine, tree-fruit, flowers, leafy greens, mushrooms, and corn. Diverse software innovations completed under his direction include: strip-trial support, nitrogen budgeting for almonds, and assessor parcel mapping to name a few. Franklin received his M.Sc. in Botany from the University of British Columbia and undergraduate degrees in Biology and Linguistics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Christopher Van Coops

Vice President Farming MIS Engineering

Chris is the Vice President of Farming MIS Engineering. His role includes managing the design, development, support, integration, staffing and technology partnerships for the company's Farming MIS software suite as well as managing the company's internal IT needs and initiatives, and providing support and technical expertise for other products and projects. He has been managing, designing, implementing, deploying and supporting IT, software, web and database systems for over 20 years. Prior to joining SureHarvest, he served as a software engineering manager at Kronos where he oversaw the full software development life-cycle and engineering staff for time-and-attendance software products. Mr. Van Coops joined SureHarvest in 2002 to lead the design and development of the Farming MIS software suite. Chris earned his BS in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Amy Hiser

Program Manager

Amy Hiser is the Program Manager for various sustainability certification programs managed by SureHarvest. In this capacity, she works closely with SureHarvest's long standing client and partner, Protected Harvest, supporting the certification process for farmers seeking sustainability certification. She brings a lifelong commitment and involvement in agriculture and education to her role with SureHarvest. Amy attended Fresno State University where she pursued substantive coursework in Ag Communications before ultimately getting a BA degree in English, along with a minor in Ag Communications.