Lana Gladstein
Jennifer Burdman
Mead Hardwick
Mead Hardwick is a Partner at Hardwick Planting Company. Hardwick Planting Company produces 8,000 acres of cotton, corn, soybeans, grain sorghum and wheat.
Mead’s focus at Hardwick Planting Company is strategic and long-range planning, financial planning, cost of production analysis, lending needs, equipment acquisition strategy, development and implementation of precision agriculture systems and precision terrain designs. Mead has completed The Executive Program for Agriculture Producers (TEPAP), is a Certified Louisiana Master Farmer and was awarded the 2020 Louisiana Master Farmer of the year. Mead serves on the board directors for Cotton Incorporated, EWR, Inc., Tensas Co-op Gin, Tensas State Bank and the Louisiana Agricultural Corporation, LLC Self Insured Fund (LAC – SIF).
Prior to his role at Hardwick Planting Company, Mead obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, in 2004. From 2004 – 2015, Mead worked for Dallas based corporate real estate firm Fischer & Company specializing in industrial real estate development for various FedEx divisions in the U.S. and Canada. After living in Dallas, TX for 14 years, Mead and his family returned to their family farm in 2014.
Mead has been married to his wife Felicia for 16 years. They have three children – Will (13), Caleb (11) and Vivian (6). Mead, Felicia, and their children live in Monroe, Louisiana.
Cannon Michael
Patrick Smith
Renee Cheung
Renee is Managing Partner of Bonterra Partners, an investment advisory firm she founded in 2010 that helps investors develop pioneering agriculture, forestry and other natural capital investments that generate financial returns and regenerate the environment and local communities. She has led and evaluated numerous sustainable agriculture investments in both developed and emerging markets on behalf of investment firms, family offices, corporates, foundations, NGOs and multilateral development banks. Renee was formerly Senior Vice President, Real Assets at New Island Capital, where she focused on investments in sustainable and regenerative agriculture and forestry in the Americas and the rest of the world. Previously, she was a private equity executive at RIT Capital Partners PLC and Pantheon Ventures. Renee received a BS in Computer Science and an MS in Management of Science & Engineering from Stanford University.
Lisa Sebesta
As Founder of Sitari Capital, Lisa works with investors to evaluate and manage impactful, direct investments in private companies that align with their values. She was previously a Managing Partner at Fresh Source Capital, LLC, and a General Partner in Fresh Source Capital Fund 1, which focuses on the sustainable food and agriculture sector. Previously Lisa spent 15 years as an equity analyst and portfolio manager for boutique investment firms in Boston.
Lisa has served as an advisor and/or board director for several food and agriculture organizations, including Atlantic Sea Farms, Farmers To You, Big Picture Beef, and Boston Public Market.
Lisa holds an undergraduate degree from Holy Cross and earned her Masters at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She is a CFA® Charterholder and member of the Boston Security Analysts Society.
