Staff

Prior to joining the Foundation, Anna Gore managed projects on pesticide MRL regulatory capacity-building and a large portfolio of global MRL activities in Latin America, Asia, and Africa for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) for 7 years. Her activities at FAS focused on alignment and harmonization of regional MRL regulatory systems, underscored the importance of a science and risk-based approach to MRL regulation, and supported countries in the development of stronger plant health regulatory systems. Prior to USDA/FAS, Anna was the Associate Director for Foundation Relations at The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) where she oversaw proposal development and grant management. She has written extensively on the potential benefits of leveraging agricultural technologies to improve food security throughout the developing world, including products such as Golden Rice, drought resistant seed varieties, and GMO crops.

Anna earned her master’s degree in international development from The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and a bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College. She is fluent in Spanish, having lived in Peru where she worked on women’s health and nutrition issues. Anna resides in the San Francisco Bay area and when she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and painting.

Bill Barney has extensive research experience in the pesticide field including pesticide efficacy field screening, conducting bioassays of insecticides and fungicides, and as a Field Researcher conducting GLP pesticide studies including residue, field and aquatic dissipation, crop rotation, transferable turf, dislodgeable residue and greenhouse metabolism.  Bill also has comprehensive experience as a study director and project manager for GLP studies.   At the IR-4 Project, Bill was the study director for conventional chemistry residue studies and is currently a Biopesticide Regulatory Manager, providing regulatory assistance to register biopesticides with EPA.  Supported by the International Crop Grouping Consulting Committee, Bill led the efforts to revise the U.S. crop grouping system.  Also supported by the Codex Electronic Working Group for the revision of the Codex Classification of Food and Animal Feeds, he also led that effort to revise the international Codex Classification of Food and Animal Feeds.  Bill has BS and MS degrees in entomology and a Master of Library and Information Science.  Bill resides in New Jersey and when not working enjoys swimming and yoga.

Grace Lennon started her agricultural career as an analytical chemist providing analytical support for EPA registration of agricultural products. With over 20 years of experience, she previously worked as a study director for BASF, and then for over a decade with IR-4 overseeing field and lab research with an emphasis on regulatory compliance and quality assurance. Grace is an expert in GLP compliance in both the field and laboratory. She oversees studies in the U.S. and Asia for the Minor Use Foundation and provides technical guidance to teams around the world.

Grace resides in the Bucks County area outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  In her spare time, Grace loves to be adventurous; she is always looking for the next challenge in rock climbing, hiking, biking or anything outdoors.

Shannon McNamara is a communications consultant focused on helping small food and agriculture-related organizations communicate effectively online. She brings more than 30 years of experience in communications strategy development utilizing a wide variety of vehicles. Her work focuses on digital communications including websites, search engine optimization, paid search programs and customer relationship management marketing.

Shannon collaborated with the Minor Use Foundation to develop the organization’s website and bring the Foundation’s priority setting process online. She continues to provide support to the Foundation assisting with workshops, communications, website management, and other projects that draw on her experience.

Shannon has a BA in advertising with a minor in Japanese from Michigan State University. She is also a graduate of The Japan Adventure Program, a year-long, work-study program of intensive Japanese language and culture in Shiga, Japan through Lansing Community College. When she’s not working, she enjoys hiking, going to concerts, photography, beading, and gardening.

Prior to joining the Minor Use Foundation, Veronica Picado led the Laboratory for Analysis of Agrochemical Residues in Costa Rica’s Office of Sanitary and Phytosanitary matters and oversaw the process of establishing its international accreditation (ISO 17025). She has also served as the Costa Rican delegate to the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues, the body responsible for setting international pesticide residue standards under the joint hospices of the WHO and the FAO. A chemist by training, she has extensive experience managing studies related to the magnitude of pesticide residues. She now serves as the Foundation’s Study Director for Central America and the Caribbean, as well as the Manager for Technical Operations. She lives in San Jose, Costa Rica and In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family and riding her bike.

Dr. Sasireka Rajendran has a PhD in Processing and Food Engineering from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India. Having worked extensively on multi-country projects across Asia, Sasi possesses a deep understanding of diverse cultures and developed an ability to navigate complex international landscapes. Her contributions to project management and networking at the Minor Use Foundation are evident through her communication and coordination skills, allowing her to effectively liaise with stakeholders across different countries in Asia. She works closely with the technical team of MUF to monitor and implement activities on MRL data generation. She works with Asian countries to identify the gaps in the crop protection tools for minor use crops and scoping new projects for the region. Throughout her career, Sasireka has showcased commitment to the agricultural community, contributing to professional societies such as Phi Tau Sigma – The Honor Society for Food Science and Technology and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

She resides in Hyderabad, India. Outside of work, Sasi enjoys spending quality time with her family and indulging in her passion for cooking.

Dr. Wilfredo Robles obtained his doctorate at Mississippi State University in 2009 under the Weed Science program. His research topic was focused on the use of remote sensing and geospatial technologies for aquatic weed management. He also holds a Master of Crop Protection and a Bachelor of Animal Science from the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez Campus (UPRM).

Currently, Wilfredo has a combined appointment of teaching and research as a Professor in the Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences and Agricultural Experiment Station at UPRM. As a researcher, he conducts field research related to pesticide registration on tropical crops for pests and disease management. He is currently the state liaison for the IR-4 Project in Puerto Rico and has conducted related field research since 2011 at the Agricultural Experiment Station, Corozal. In 2023, he was awarded the IR-4 National Recognition of Excellence Award to recognize his team efforts to achieve regulatory approval of pesticide registrations. At the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, he teaches the undergraduate course “Weed Control” along with the graduate course “Mode of Action of Herbicides”.

Wilfredo has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles on weed management as well as serving as Graduate Committee Chair and advisor to several master’s degree students. He is a past president of the Puerto Rican Society of Agricultural Sciences and served as associate dean for the Agricultural Experiment Station, UPRM.