Conference Schedule

About the Speakers

• Jake Fowler

  Northwest Agriculture Business Center

  Jake Fowler is a Project Manager at the Northwest Agriculture Business Center. He has 20 years of experience in business development, marketing, project management, and sales. His role with NABC has allowed him to connect with individuals and farmers across northwest Washington. This experience has provided him with valuable insights into various markets and the challenges related to farm production and value-added marketing. Jake is passionate about strategic thinking and enjoys developing strategies to help NW producers achieve their goals and objectives.

• Audrey Nordby

  University of Oregon

  Audrey Nordby is a fourth-year student at the University of Oregon studying Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and minors in Art and Computer Information Technology. Now in her third term with the Oregon Consulting Group (OCG), she combines creativity and strategic thinking to help organizations connect with younger audiences in authentic, value-driven ways.

  Her work spans marketing strategy, sustainability, and consumer insights with experience ranging from private equity research at AlphaSights in New York to brand storytelling for sustainable fashion companies. Across these roles, Audrey has explored how purpose and transparency shape purchasing decisions, especially among Gen Z consumers.

  Beyond OCG, Audrey enjoys painting, cooking, and spending time outdoors. Since working on the original Organicology project, she’s become more intentional about buying local and organic foods, inspired by the stories behind the products and the people who make them. She’s excited to share her team’s research and help organic companies connect authentically with Gen Z audiences.

• Noah Schoenbaum

  University of Oregon

  Noah Schoenbaum is a senior at the University of Oregon majoring in Economics and Business Administration. This is his third term with the Oregon Consulting Group, now serving as a Project Lead. As a consultant, Noah recently worked on an impact analysis for a Central Oregon first responder training facility. His team developed a three-part value proposition by forecasting regional economic benefits from construction, modeling wildfire damage reductions, and illustrating human impact through a magazine-style case study.

  In his first engagement, Noah partnered with a coalition of organic food companies to conduct a Gen Z marketing analysis through primary consumer research. The project culminated in industry recommendations delivered at a national conference.

  Noah serves as the Student Director of the Lundquist College of Business Honors Program, working to strengthen value for members. In this role, he expresses himself as a creative builder, founding: a social impact consulting group, a Ph.D. research internship program, and a Business Development team that strengthens recruiting opportunities.

  This summer, Noah worked as a Growth Strategy and Operations intern at Sherlock, a blockchain security startup. There, he explored his interest in emerging technologies and gained experience positioning SaaS products to drive customer engagement and subscription growth.

  Beyond academics, Noah enjoys snowboarding, cooking, fishing, and playing sports. He also has interests in blockchain, artificial intelligence, real estate, investing, and travel.

  Noah is thrilled to speak at the Tilth Alliance conference and share the insights that the team prepared for last spring’s Organicology Conference! Since working on this project, Noah has changed his shopping and dietary habits, prioritizing more organic and sustainably produced goods. He hopes the session in Spokane will allow organic companies to spread their message to Gen Zer’s effectively.

• Dayton Walker

  University of Oregon

  Dayton Walker is a fourth-year student at the University of Oregon pursuing a dual major in Economics and Accounting. He is passionate about leveraging his analytical and financial skills to solve complex business challenges and is enthusiastic about applying his experience to drive the success of this project.

  Dayton joined the Oregon Consulting Group (OCG) in May 2024, inspired by the opportunity to collaborate with hard working peers on real world business problems. In his three prior terms in the role as a Strategy Consultant at OCG, Dayton has demonstrated a commitment to delivering high-quality client solutions. He has worked on a project for the City of Oakridge, developing a strategic plan to market its industrial park. He has presented at a conference in Portland on strategies for marketing organic foods to Gen Z consumers, and he has collaborated with a local theatre troupe to help increase their funding. Through these experiences, he has gained skills in conducting expert interviews, visualizing qualitative and quantitative data, and crafting strategic initiatives.

  Outside of the classroom and OCG, Dayton has recently finished up interning for Frank, Rimerman + Co where he worked as a Family Office Intern where he honed in his analytical skills. He also loves spending as much time as possible practicing being creative by writing and watching films.

  I’m excited to present at this year’s Tilth Conference + Farm & Food Symposium. This past winter, I had the opportunity to present at the OGC Conference, and since then my passion for promoting organic food—especially to Gen Z—has only grown. I’m focused on exploring innovative ways to engage younger audiences and inspire them to make sustainable, organic choices.