Ian LeMay will be beginning a new role as president of the California Table Grape Commission on Jan. 8. He previously served as president of the California Fresh Fruit Association where he had been for the last nine years.
Ian LeMay, California Table Grape CommissionThe California State Water Resources Control Board has tapped Eric Oppenheimer to be the new executive director. He began his new role on Tuesday. He previously served as one of the State Water Board’s chief deputy directors. He succeeds Eileen Sobeck, who retired after serving seven years with the board. Oppenheimer brings over 25 years of experience to the role, previously working on projects related to water rights, the Bay-Delta, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, and promoting water conservation.
Governor Gavin Newsom has appointed Hazel Miranda as the new chief of staff and policy adviser to the chair of the California Air Resources Board. Miranda started her own regulatory and strategy consulting firm in 2023. Before that, she worked for Newsom as the deputy legislative secretary.
Janet Liang has been elected as the new chair of the California Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Liang is the executive vice president, group president and chief operating officer of care delivery, for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals. Other officers include: First Vice Chair Maryam S. Brown, president, Southern California Gas Company; Second Vice Chair John A. Stowell, senior vice president of The Walt Disney Company; and Third Vice Chair Frank Washington, CEO of Crossings TV.
CMI Orchards made leadership changes going into the new year. Joel Hewitt has shifted from the domestic sales and organic manager role to vice president of sales. Garrett Joeckel has stepped into the role of vice president of operations. He has been with CMI since 2014. Wade Baker is now the production manager. He joined CMI in 2022 and brought 30 years of industry experience to the role. He previously worked on the warehouse side of CMI’s business. Loren Foss has taken over as the vice president of domestic business strategy. She previously worked in CMI’s sales division working on branded varieties. Scott Agnew has been moved to the new role of senior director of international sales. He previously was the director of export sales.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has added six new members to its senior staff team and promoted one in its latest rounds of hires.
Kevin Shea has been named senior adviser in the Office of the Deputy Secretary. He has over 40 years of experience at USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, including serving as the administrator since 2013. He also served as the acting deputy secretary from February 2023 to July 2023. Michael Watson has been selected to fill Shea’s position as the administrator of APHIS. Watson has been the associate administrator of APHIS since 2018 and served as the acting administrator when Shea was appointed acting deputy secretary.
Kevin Shea, USDAGeorgette Furukawa is now the chief of staff for the Agricultural Marketing Service. She comes to USDA from the White House, where she was an adviser to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander team in the Office of the Chief of Staff.
Jayme Holliday has been hired as a senior adviser for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. She comes to USDA from Capitol Hill, where she most recently worked as a senior policy adviser to Del. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, D-M.P.
Sarah Dietch is returning to Rural Development as chief of staff. Dietch previously worked at the Peace Corps, where she served as director of Peace Corps Response. Before that, Dietch held senior roles at USDA’s Rural Development, the Transportation Security Administration Office of Legislative Affairs, and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Legislative Affairs.
Betsy Dirksen Londrigan is now the administrator for the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. She will replace Karama Neal, who is leaving to return to Arkansas. Dirksen Londrigan was serving as USDA’s Rural Development state director for Illinois, a position she assumed in January 2022.
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Jimmy Dahman has been promoted from acting chief of staff for Rural Development to senior adviser for communications and external engagement.
Veronica Nigh has joined The Fertilizer Institute as the new senior economist. She previously worked for the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Dustin Sapp has been appointed as the new CEO of Traction Ag, replacing Ian Harley, who will take over as the company’s chief operating officer and remain an executive board member. He most recently was the president of Formstack.
Greg Selby has been promoted to senior grower support and education strategist at MyLand, a soil heath company based in Phoenix. He previously joined the company last February as a soil health scientist.
Taylor Lekin has joined the American Feed Industry Association as the new marketing and program development coordinator. She recently graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in agriculture and rural policy studies.
Ana Davis has been appointed to a three-year term as treasurer and member of the executive board at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Davis is the head of health, safety and environment for North America at Syngenta.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack has appointed four new members to fill vacancies on the Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Federal Advisory Committee. The new committee members will serve three-year terms. The new appointees include Ted Fang, San Francisco; Qiana Mickie, New York; Jeffrey Young, Shepherdsville, Kentucky; and Kate Greenberg, Denver.
Hass Avocado Board has elected new executive committee board members for 2024. Bob Schaar is the new chairperson and Jamie Johnson is the new vice chairperson. Chris Henry has been elected as the new treasurer and Gwen Jackimek as secretary.
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