IOIA Annual Membership Meeting
February 19, 2026
The 2026 AGM will be held online February 19, the 3rd Thursday, from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. ET
We are pleased to announce there will be 2 keynote speakers this year:
Dr. Jennifer (Jenny) Tucker, has served as the Deputy Administrator of the National Organic Program since 2011. Before that, she served as Assistant Deputy Administrator for 7 years. She has also been a group facilitator and organization development consultant, working primarily with scientific and technical government and non-profit organizations. She earned a B.A. in Environmental Science from Wesleyan University, an M.S. in Management from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from Virginia Tech. NOP is a regulatory program housed within the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service that develops and enforces national standards for organically-produced agricultural products. These standards assure consumers that products with the USDA organic seal meet consistent, uniform standards for production and distribution. She will kick off IOIA’s online annual meeting at 4 p.m. Eastern, with “From National Policy to Local Oversight: The Critical Role of Inspectors in the Organic System”. Her presentation is free to the public, including IOIA inspectors and supporting members.
After an hour break, IOIA members will be treated to a second keynote by former US Senator Jon Tester at 6 p.m. Eastern entitled, “Why are inspectors important?“ and other topics. Mr. Tester has been a certified organic farmer since before the NOP program was launched and was instrumental in Montana’s first organic regulation. He was elected to the Montana State Senate in 1998, where he was elected President of the Senate in 2005. In 2006, he ran for the US Senate and successfully won three terms, all while farming the certified organic family farm in northern Montana. In 2020, he authored the book, Grounded: A Senator’s Lessons on Winning Back Rural America. He co-hosts a podcast with Maritsa Georgiou and in May 2025, he joined MS Now, known then as MSNBC, as a political analyst for Deadline: White House, a television program airing weekdays from 4 to 6 p.m. Eastern. It is hosted by NBC News senior political analyst Nicolle Wallace.
Mr. Tester’s presentation is free to all inspector members and supporting individuals attending the AGM.
There will be plenty of time for questions with both speakers.
The IOIA annual business meeting will follow at 7 p.m. Eastern.
Board of Directors election - Candidates Statements
Financials - Budget vs Actual 2025 Balance Sheet (Cash) 2025
IOIA holds advanced training in conjunction with our annual meeting. However, because the meeting is online this year, no training events are scheduled on Feb. 19.
Instead, please see Upcoming Trainings page to learn more about our fascinating “Ask me Anything” Advanced Training series, running each Friday from Feb 27 to March 27.
Our second keynote speaker is former Senator for Montana Jon Tester.
As a Door Prize we will be offering a signed copy of Jon's book 'Grounded'.
Grounded is an inspiring and eye-opening memoir from Montana’s three-term democratic senator showing how democrats can reconnect with rural and red state voters.
Jon is a third-generation farmer and former US senator. He and his wife Sharla, operate the same farm that was homesteaded by Tester’s maternal grandparents more than a century ago. The Testers raise organic wheat, barley, safflower, lentils, millet, alfalfa hay, and peas.
“Jon Tester shares with the reader some refreshingly honest and straightforward lessons on life and leadership. In Grounded, this farmer-senator reminds us why authenticity, bipartisanship, and honest leadership still play an important role in our government. This is a powerful contribution to us all at a defining time in our country and the world.” ~Chuck Hagel, former US senator from Nebraska (R-NE), former US secretary of defense, and author of America: Our Next Chapter
“Jon Tester and I were raised in the same small town of Big Sandy, Montana. He has an authentic and unique perspective on America that should never be ignored. This is a story about the truest way we can progress as a nation, and hold our government accountable, without dismissing the beating heart and working soul of those who live in rural America. Nobody cares more than Jon.” ~Jeff Ament, Pearl Jam
Jon currently hosts a weekly podcast on YouTube by the same name, “Grounded”, on MS Now. Check it out!