CEA Alliance unveils its new board

The Controlled Environment Agriculture Alliance (CEA Alliance) has announced its new officers and members of its Board of Directors for 2025.

Taking on the role of board chair is Steve Campione, chief financial officer of BrightFarms, formerly vice chair of the board. Campione has served as CFO of BrightFarms for over seven years, where he is the principal architect behind the company's strategy to develop highly automated, large-scale regional greenhouses across the Midwest, Southeast, and Texas. Prior to joining BrightFarms, Campione spent nearly nine years as CFO and COO of Rural Media Group, a leading media company dedicated to serving the agricultural community. Since joining BrightFarms, Campione has been actively engaged in efforts to improve the visibility of controlled environment agriculture and has been an advocate for the industry at both the state and federal levels.

New members joining the board include Jamie Burrows, founder and CEO of Vertical Future; David Einstandig, senior vice president/general counsel of Mastronardi Produce; Kyle Freedman, global market segment manager of Jiffy Group; Skip Hulett, chief legal officer of NatureSweet; and Tim Reusch, national sales manager of Dramm Water.

Members with continuing Board service include Tim Cunniff, co-founder and executive vice president of sales for Little Leaf Farms, who will continue as treasurer; Dane Almassy, senior vice president of sales for Customer Logistics and Marketing, AeroFarms; Monica Noble, vice president of quality and safety for 80 Acres; Craig Hurlbert, founder and CEO of Local Bounti.

Also remaining on the board as past chair is Dan Malech, acting CEO of Plenty, who has completed his term.

"I want to thank Dan for his service chairing the Alliance, as we've made great strides under his leadership. I'd also like to welcome Steve to the Chairmanship and all of our new and continuing board members. The CEA Alliance and the entire indoor farming sector are fortunate to have all of these business leaders helping guide our industry into the future," said Tom Stenzel, executive director of the CEA Alliance.