Our Vision
Improving Lives and the World Through Seafood
Our Mission
We’re dedicated to making a positive impact around the world through philanthropic and community development efforts centered on seafood.
Our Board and Staff
Board Members
Larry Cotter, Chair
Former CEO of APICDA
Larry arrived in Juneau, Alaska in 1974 and went to work cleaning fish at Juneau Cold Storage. After four years he became a labor organizer for seafood processing workers throughout Alaska. In 1986 he became a fisheries consultant and the youngest member of a federal fishery management council (the North Pacific Fishery Management Council), serving two terms through 1992. During this time period foreign fishing and processing was eliminated in the North Pacific EEZ. Larry helped organize and became CEO of the Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association (APICDA) in 1992, a position he held until he retired in 2018.
Soren Dalsager, Founder
CEO, Everfish International
Soren is the founder of the Napa Seafood Summit and the Napa Seafood Foundation. A Danish national, he is educated in seafood engineering and worked in seafood production management for Faroe Seafood A/S and Seagull A/S. Soren also worked in international management consulting for Matcon Consulting A/S before moving to the USA. Throughout his career, Soren has held the roles of VP of Sales for San Francisco Trading Company, President of Royal Greenland US and Executive Vice-President of Global Sales for Regal Springs. In addition, he served on the board of directors of Iquique US Inc., and DNI Group and has been part of the senior management team of the Russian Fishery Group. He also started his own company— Soren’s Gourmet Seafood— and co-founded Everfish, which is currently doing business as Yutai Seafoods in China and San Francisco fisheries.
Hank Baumgart, Vice-Chair
Icy Strait Seafood
Hank began working in the seafood industry in the summer of 1969 unloading salmon for Dahl Fish Co. and then New England Fish Company in 1972 and 1973. In 1974 he leased his first commercial fishing boat which began a 25-year career in the fishing industry. During those 25 years he was constantly upgrading and building new fishing vessels and participating in the salmon, herring, halibut and blackcod fisheries on the west coast—from San Francisco to Norton Sound. In 1994, Hank founded Icy Strait Seafoods, Inc. a seafood processing company of which he remains the president today. He is an owner of processing plants in both Juneau and Hoonah Alaska. He continues to longline for halibut and black cod in Alaska for a few weeks annually and enjoys sportfishing in Alaska and Puget Sound.
Mark Cotter
CEO, The Food Group
As the CEO of The Food Group, Mark has spent more than 30 years in the food industry as a marketing executive, food innovator and trusted adviser to some of the world’s leading food manufacturers, brands, and agricultural/seafood boards and associations. He has assisted in making Norwegian Salmon a world-renowned brand and making Oreo the number-one branded ingredient in food products today. He was creator and content expert for the History Channel series “America Eats,” and appointed by the First Lady Michele Obama as a member of the advisory committee to the president on creating of the new food pyramid.
Phil Gibson, Secretary
CEO, Resiliensea Group, Inc
Phil has been involved in the seafood industry for over 30 years. He was part of Safeway USA from 1991 through 2012. As the company’s corporate Seafood Group Director—a role he held for the last seven years of his tenure—he implemented many innovations, including a private label brand that produces $200 million in sales annually. He also created a formal, internationally recognized, sustainable seafood program. In 2011, he received the SeaWeb Seafood Champion award for his work on sustainability issues. Phil is currently the CEO of Resiliensea Group. He also advises select companies and environmental conservation organizations. His focus is helping companies develop practical and credible programs to improve sourcing and selling practices. His clients include global and regional suppliers as well as national and regional retailers. He also authors market and brand studies for companies and trade associations using syndicated sales data to track consumer buying habits and help shape brand messaging.
Yara Silva, Treasurer
Highland Refrigeration
Yara holds a degree of Bachelor Science in Civil Engineering and a graduate degree in International Business. Yara has worked in banking negotiating daily operations with major clients at the trade desk and later in trade finance at the International Department. In 1990, Yara moved to Seattle where she worked as a consultant, acting as intermediary between buyer and potential sellers in countries such as Brazil (where she was born and raised), Chile and Denmark. In 1999, Yara co-founded Highland Refrigeration and is presently responsible for Finances and Administration. Yara also volunteers at the Goodwin Foundation (former Milk Fund) and the American Red Cross as a Portuguese language translator. She was a board member of the Danish Association in Seattle (Former known as Danish Foundation).
Staff Members
Jiliane Patriarca, Project Manager
Founder, The Organization Organization
Jiliane has been the Event Manager for the annual Napa Seafood Summit since 2015 and was brought on to the Napa Seafood Foundation as Project Manager in 2020. Specializes in professional organizing, event planning and business consulting, she founded her own company—The Organization Organization—in 2014. By applying her skills in marketing, productivity and time management she clears her clients’ cluttered processes, enabling them to focus on longer term visions and ambitions. Jiliane has worked across many different industries including finance, hospitality and foodservice. Originally from New York, she attended Franklin University in Lugano, Switzerland and currently resides in California.