Sound Agriculture out of Emeryville, Calif., has selected Adam Litle as the company’s new CEO. Sound's first product, Source™, helps plants access existing nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil to provide in-season nutrition. Litle previously worked for Granular, an agtech company, that has been acquired by Corteva As a member of Granular's founding team, Adam played an integral role in leading the company from inception to acquisition by DuPont (now Corteva).Most recently, Litle served as Granular's senior vice president of revenue and was a member of Corteva's global leadership team.
Monterey Mushrooms hired Michael Manson to manage the less than truckload (LTL) sales territory of the eastern region. Before joining Monterey Mushrooms, Manson was a logistics account executive for Lighthouse Transportation and Total Quality Logistics.
Mike O’Brien has announced his retirement from Monterey Mushroom. O’Brien joined Monterey Mushrooms in 2014 as vice president of sales and marketing. Brian Jenny will succeed O’Brien at Monterey Mushrooms. Jenny previously was vice president of sales at Bright Farms and before that was the former director of sales at Monterey Mushrooms.
Michael Manson
Church Brothers Farms has promoted Jeff Church to chief operations officer and Rick Russo to senior vice president of sales and marketing. Church previously was the vice president of sales. Russo joined Church Brothers in October as vice president of strategic growth in planning.
Package Containers has brought on Larry Grove as the new manufacturing operations manager, managing the company’s supply chain, quality control and product innovation. Most recently, Grove was director of operations for Taylor Communications.
Marc Danner has been promoted to general manager of protected agriculture at Lipman Family Farms’. Danner will lead market strategies of all protected agriculture locations across Lipman.
Kyla Oberman is the new director of marketing at California Giant Berry Farms’. Oberman previously was the marketing manager at Jacobs Farm Del Cabo. Before that she was the marketing manager at Tanimura & Antle. Oberman succeeds Cindy Jewell who recently opened a consulting agency.
Melissa Vargas now serves as the district director for Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif. Marcella Cortez has been promoted to community engagement director and previously served in the district director role.
Allie Polaski is now the press secretary for Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif. She previously served as press assistant.
President Donald Trump announced he will add Roger Beachy to the National Science Board. Beachy is a professor emeritus in the Department of Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. He was the former executive director of the World Food Center at the University of California, Davis. In 2009, Beachy was appointed as the first director of USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, where he served until 2011.
John Deere has tapped Jon Ebert to serve as the North American public relations manager for the U.S. and Canada. Ebert was formerly the global input manufacturer segment manager at the John Deere Intelligent Solutions Group. Ebert joined John Deere as an intern in 2009 with the National Training Group. Ebert replaces Cyndee Smiley, who was recently named sales operation manager for the John Deere Ag & Turf Division in the U.S. and Canada.
Jon Ebert
Monument Advocacy has added Lilia McFarland Horder to its team as a new principal, mainly supporting the firm’s agriculture and food practice as well as sustainability issues. Horder, a 13-year veteran with the Department of Agriculture, worked as a public affairs specialist, served as the acting chief of staff for then Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden, worked as the new and beginning farmer and rancher program coordinator and lastly served as the acting chief of staff for departmental administration.
Elanco Animal Health has expanded its leadership team, adding a chief marketing officer and three commercial leaders to its current executive committee. Following the acquisition of Bayer Animal Health, Dirk Ehle, current global head of Bayer Animal Health, will join Elanco as executive vice president and president of Elanco Europe. Ehle has spent 18 years with Bayer AG in a variety of leadership roles, and the past eight as the leader of Bayer Animal Health. Joyce Lee, current president of North America for Bayer Animal Health, will also join the company as executive vice president and president for U.S. Pet Health and Commercial Operations. Racquel Harris Mason has been tapped to serve as an executive vice president and chief marketing officer, effective immediately. She previously served as senior vice president at the Coca-Cola Company for the McDonald’s Division USA and vice president, Coca-Cola and Coke Zero brands. José Simas is rejoining Elanco to become executive vice president for U.S. Farm Animal, leaving his position as president of Trouw Nutrition USA.
North Hill Group, a consulting firm specializing in market access and regulatory affairs in the food and agricultural sectors, has promoted Greg Dana to vice president and added Mary Locke to the staff as a senior adviser. Dana brings nearly four decades of experience in regulated product environments, and in his new role will continue to offer guidance in global biotech regulatory compliance and policy formulation. Locke brings experience in agricultural biotechnology research, with a focus on regulatory science supporting global safety assessments of biotech crops.
Maureen Bausch has been named chief development officer of GENYOUth COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Fund. GENYOUth is a nonprofit organization founded by dairy farmers through their checkoff to create healthier schools. Bausch will lead and implement the fund’s revenue-generating strategy to meet the demand from school nutrition professionals tasked with feeding the nation’s students during the coronavirus pandemic. Bausch has more than 25 years of experience in business development and marketing for organizations such as Bold North Associates, Mayo Clinic, Mall of America and the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee.
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