Susan Craig
Dr. Susan Craig lives on her off-grid farm in Northern California, Happy Chihuahua Acres, with a host of non-human refugees. She has been an animal rights vegan for over 30 years. She moved into his rural home in 2018 after her home was destroyed by a wildfire. Susan has a doctorate in Educational Leadership and had a long career as a public school teacher, administrator, and university faculty member in the San Francisco Bay Area before becoming a farmer. Susan has trained extensively in the Grow Biointensive sustainable and veganic gardening methodology with John Jeavons since 2018. In addition to growing food, saving seeds, and running a small private animal sanctuary, Susan teaches Grow Biointensive gardening classes and is involved in vegan advocacy . Being vegan as a moral basis for living is the central guiding principle of her life. Dr. Craig is thrilled to be part of the North American Veganic Certification initiative and is deeply grateful to Jimmy Videle for his leadership in this important effort.
Eric Torbet
Eric is the webmaster of NAVCS. He lives in Northern California and is working to establish a 1/2-acre farm where he plans to grow vegetables, fruit/nut trees, flowers and native plants. He managed two small veganic farms in the past (2016-2018).
Jimmy Videle
Jimmy Videle is co-founder, visionary and chief certifying inspector of Certified Veganic (North American Veganic Certification Standard), author of The Veganic Grower’s Handbook: Cultivating Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs from Urban Backyard to Rural Farmyard, and Preserving Our Sacred Lands: Where the Wolves Still Howl, Warblers Sing and Whip-poor-wills Grace the Night Skies.
He has been a contributing writer to the Independent Media Institute/Observatory on issues of veganic growing and environmental justice. Jimmy Videle – Observatory and Growing Green International, writing on any and all topics related to veganic organic methods.
La Ferme de l’Aube, the artisanal and farm seed company he co-owned, was stock-free certified since 2015, and certified organic with Ecocert from 2016-2020.
Further back, his co-owned farm in Arizona, Moonrise Farms, was certified naturally grown from 2005 to 2009, where he was a farmer-to-farmer certifier, under CNG certification standards. Additionally, he has been an organic agriculture consultant since 2008, where he has consulted and advised individuals, farms, non-profit organizations and political parties (in both Canada and the United States).
His current home is in Boileau, Quebec with his wife and partner Mélanie Bernier and four rescue cats.
Rhonda-T Wallace
Rhonda-T Wallace is the founder of Terra Farm Sanctuary, a farmed animal sanctuary in the high desert of Spokane County in Washington State, where she grows on basalt in a challenging zone 6-ish microclimate. She focuses on veganic demonstration gardens, rewilding, and the care and protection of the sanctuary’s residents.
Rhonda-T grows a diverse variety of heirlooms and open-pollinated crops, and mentors others in veganic growing as a foundation for her advocacy. Through Terra, she demonstrates veganic agriculture as a practical approach that supports soil health, ecological balance, and a plant-based food system. The sanctuary’s certified veganic gardens serve as living examples of how growers can transition away from using animal-based inputs and soil-disturbing methods toward more sustainable and compassionate techniques.
Her efforts encompass land stewardship and food security, with an emphasis on education, accessibility, and practical application. She is especially interested in seed integrity, resilient growing in challenging climates, and the role of veganic systems in transforming agriculture.
She is dedicated to experimenting, learning, refining her techniques, while growing garlic and mushrooms for retail.
Board Member Code of Ethics
I understand and agree that, I
1. will treat all Certified Veganic farmers equally, fairly, kindly and with respect
2. will be an ambassador of the Certified Veganic mission to the greater world community
3. will not collaborate for personal monetary gain with another Certified Veganic farm
4. will not be able to apply for Certified Veganic Grants