The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) is excited to announce that Ro Conder has joined our team as the new Vice President of Membership. Ro Conder has served on executive teams for more than 18 years, with considerable experience scaling revenue and building brand equity, future capacity, and organizational resilience. She is known for her creativity and ability to design programs to engage, connect, and attract people to a mission. Having worked extensively with boards, philanthropic investors, and corporate partners, she is an expert at growing purpose-driven networks and communities—through her work, she has been responsible for raising $250 million to date for complex, high-profile non-profits.
Ro has a lifelong love of animals: At the age of 10, she created her first anti-seal hunt petition and since then has continued to volunteer for animal rescue and welfare organizations in North America and Asia. Before Ro moved to New York City, she was the Chief Development Officer for the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the largest animal welfare organization of its kind in Canada. Inspired by her work in animal welfare, Ro has proudly maintained a plant-based diet for more than 14 years. She is a self-proclaimed foodie and is excited about where the plant-based food industry is going and contributing to its success. Ro lives with her husband Paul and rescue pup Zed in Greenwich Village.
“Ro’s appointment as VP of Membership represents the next big elevation of the work we do on behalf of our incredible plant-based foods community. Ro has a track record of enabling tremendous momentum by harnessing the power of companies, individuals, and communities,” said Rachel Dreskin, CEO of PBFA and The Institute. “This, combined with her passion for plant-based foods and values-driven leadership, will enable PBFA to champion, elevate, and support our growing membership base in even more dynamic and impactful ways.”
Ro will serve as the head of PBFA’s newly launched Membership Committee, created to shape member benefits, meaningfully engage current members, and support recruitment efforts—a committee made up by members, for members. By leading this group, Ro will be prioritizing a key goal of PBFA’s mission: to champion, strengthen, and elevate our membership.
Ro will also be overseeing PBFA’s new Small Business Development Program, a six-month opportunity designed to educate and support our smaller members on how to succeed and thrive in the plant-based industry.
Along with spearheading these new and exciting member opportunities, Ro will lead PBFA’s Membership Department, joining our Leadership Team to craft, guide, and execute key membership goals laid out in PBFA’s three-year strategic plan, launched in December of 2021.
“This role is a dream come true. I can bring together my expertise with my passion for plant-based food all while helping remove animals from the supply chain. It is an honor to be chosen as the first VP of Membership. I am committed to ensuring the plant-based foods industry strengthens and PBFA members have an extraordinary member experience,” said Ro.
The Membership Department has undergone many positive changes since the launch of PBFA’s strategic plan, with multiple member-facing opportunities launching in the coming months, including a completely redesigned member portal and a two-way member communication platform. With Ro on the team, we plan to accelerate and strengthen our member experience even further. Stay tuned for these exciting announcements.
Ro officially joined the team on Monday, April 25th, 2022. Please join us in extending her a warm PBFA welcome!
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Author Annie Tarashansky
