FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Raster brings over 15 years of experience designing and managing multi-stakeholder initiatives across food and agricultural supply chains.
RICHMOND, VA, May 20, 2026 – Leading Harvest is pleased to announce the hiring of Amanda Raster as Senior Programs Manager. In this role, Raster will manage cross-sector agricultural supply chain projects within Leading Harvest’s diverse membership base and external partners to drive measurable impact in agricultural sustainability.
Raster joins Leading Harvest with a strong background in sustainability science, program development, and multi-stakeholder engagement within the food and agriculture sectors. Her experience has focused on translating research and policy frameworks into practical programs, standards, and tools that support sustainability practice adoption. She brings experience in coordinating farmers, NGOs, researchers, government, and industry partners to develop credible approaches that advance environmental and social outcomes across agricultural production landscapes.
“Amanda’s depth of experience in both standards and outcomes-based sustainability initiatives will be an invaluable resource for Leading Harvest as we continue to scale our programs,” said Kenny Fahey, President and CEO of Leading Harvest. “Her passion for understanding agricultural systems and the ecological, economic, and social dynamics that shape them will help us further our mission of advancing sustainable farmland management.”
At Leading Harvest, Raster will scope and design agricultural supply chain projects with values-aligned partners. Drawing on her expertise in program and project management, she will drive impactful initiatives in agricultural supply chains.
“Since its inception, I have admired Leading Harvest’s standards-based approach to transforming agricultural systems,” said Raster. “I am excited to contribute to Leading Harvest’s efforts to advance sustainable agriculture through flexible systems and effective supply chain collaboration.”
Raster holds a B.A. in Conservation Biology and Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
A photo of Amanda Raster can be found here. More information on Leading Harvest can be found at www.LeadingHarvest.org.
About Leading Harvest
Leading Harvest is a nonprofit organization that mobilizes the entire value chain through market-driven and third-party audited standards, outcome-driven collaborations, and a learning network to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient global agricultural system. It created and maintains an innovative, third-party audited Farmland Management Standard, which is a universal, outcome-based sustainability standard focusing on farm management and continual improvement.
