We are very pleased to announce that two new members have joined the board: Lane Selman and Cristiana Vallejos.
Lane Selman grew up on a citrus farm that her Sicilian great-grandparents planted in 1919 on Florida’s space coast. She studied Agronomy (BS) and Entomology (MS) at University of Florida before moving to Oregon in 2000. Lane is an Assistant Professor of Practice at Oregon State University where she has worked with organic vegetable and grain farmers, managed collaborative research projects, and planned outreach events since 2005. In 2011, Lane created the Culinary Breeding Network to build communities of plant breeders, seed growers, farmers, produce buyers, chefs and other stakeholders to improve quality in vegetables and grains. She currently serves on the Portland-Bologna Sister City Association board. Lane lives in Portland, Oregon. Lane was inspired to join the board of SOSP as she strongly believes that building community and increasing connections in the organic seed world will enhance our effectiveness as change makers.
Cristiana Vallejos is a Master’s student in the Crop and Soil Science Department at Oregon State University focusing on Plant Breeding & Genetics. In 2019, they were awarded a B.S. in Horticulture with an option in PB&G from Oregon State University. They attended SOSS in both 2018 and 2019 as an undergrad student while working on breeding tomatoes for disease resistance for organic systems. Currently, their research focuses on breeding multi-use naked barley for organic systems. As a current student, who identifies as queer and non-binary, Cristiana was motivated to join the SOSP board in hope of finding a community within the plant breeding field that supports and encourages inclusivity and gender equity.