EFI Welcomes Gonzalo Martinez de Vediaas New Executive Director

Experienced Labor Expert to Guide EFI Into Its Next Decade of Impact

WASHINGTON – Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers and retailers, announces that its board of directors has unanimously selected Gonzalo Martinez de Vedia as the organization’s next executive director, following a rigorous, five-round recruitment process that attracted more than 200 applicants. Martinez de Vedia assumes the role this month, succeeding Peter O’Driscoll, who is concluding over 14 years of influential EFI leadership.

With EFI nearing the conclusion of its current five-year strategic plan and preparing to shape its 2027–2030 blueprint, O’Driscoll saw this as the ideal moment to shift to new leadership that will guide the organization’s next phase of impact. O’Driscoll will continue supporting EFI through June 2026 and will remain available for advisory work and special projects thereafter.

Martinez de Vedia brings extensive global expertise in philanthropy and agricultural labor practices across the fresh produce and dairy sectors. His career includes serving as country program director for the Solidarity Center in Brazil, along with senior roles in organizations advancing labor rights, supply-chain accountability and philanthropic initiatives. He has collaborated with EFI since 2018 and served on the EFI board since January 2025.  

“Having worked on a range of programs designed to improve agricultural labor practices, I was drawn to EFI because of my commitment to building effective and scalable solutions for farms and farmworkers through multistakeholder collaboration,” Martinez de Vedia said. “I have long admired the way EFI brings everyone to the table, and I look forward to the chance to lead the organization into the next decade.”

O’Driscoll expressed strong enthusiasm for his successor: “Gonzalo is exceptionally well-suited to lead EFI into its next chapter. His deep knowledge, integrity and long-standing engagement with EFI mean he can hit the ground running. I’m confident he will strengthen each of our program areas while bringing fresh energy and perspective, and I look forward to supporting a smooth transition.”

EFI’s search was led by a nine-member hiring committee representing EFI’s multistakeholder structure and staff. Candidates were evaluated through individual assessments, multiple interview rounds, staff engagement and in-person presentations before the committee advanced Martinez de Vedia to the full board in early October.

With this transition, EFI is well-positioned to accelerate its mission and deepen its impact across the fresh produce industry. For more information, visit equitablefood.org.

About EFI

Equitable Food Initiative is a capacity-building and certification nonprofit that works to improve the lives of farmworkers and drive business performance by integrating worker engagement throughout the supply chain. Committed to multistakeholder participation, EFI works with growers, farmworkers, retailers and experts to create assessment, training and organizational development programs that support continuous improvement and address agriculture’s most pressing challenges. For more information about Equitable Food Initiative, visit equitablefood.org.