Blake Zante has been named as the new executive director of The Kenneth L. Maddy Institute, succeeding Mark Keppler, who served as executive director for the past 19 years. Zante most recently served as a district representative to former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
Blake Zante, Maddy InstituteRobin Vercruse has been named the executive director of the Low Carbon Fuels Coalition (LCFC). She succeeds Graham Noyes, who has served as the executive director for the past nine years. Vercruse previously was the policy director of LCFC and began working on these issues at the Fuel Freedom Foundation, as vice president of policy and environment.
President Joe Biden has nominated Nelson Cunningham as deputy United States Trade Representative. Cunningham co-founded McLarty Associates in 1998 and helped lead the firm for 25 years until stepping away last year. Before that, he served in the Clinton White House as special adviser to the president on western hemisphere affairs and was also general counsel in the Office of Administration. He previously worked for President Biden as the general counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee, under then-Chairman Joe Biden.
Heather Hurlburt has announced she will step down as chief of staff of the Office of the United States Trade Representative. Her last day will be Jan. 26. At that time, Jamila Thompson, a current senior adviser to the U.S. Trade Representative, will take over as acting chief of staff. She previously served as chief of staff to Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District, and was the deputy chief of staff for the late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.
Radhika Fox, EPA’s assistant administrator for water, has announced she is leaving the agency after three years in the post. She will continue to serve in the position until the end of February. She helped lead the latest effort to rewrite the “waters of the U.S.” rule. The agency did not say where Fox is heading after EPA or when a successor would be nominated.
USDA has made new appointments to senior staff level positions. Kumar Chandran has been designated the acting undersecretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services. He most recently led the policy work of the national non-profit FoodCorps and served as the senior adviser for nutrition policy in the Office of the Secretary. He will serve with Stacy Dean, deputy undersecretary for FNCS. Dean has been twice nominated by President Biden to be the undersecretary Food, Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, and the Senate has twice returned her nomination. She has served as deputy undersecretary for FNCS since January 2021.
Justo Robles is rejoining USDA as the deputy chief of staff in the Office of the Secretary. He most recently served as the director of intergovernmental relations at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) since July 2022. He previously was the White House liaison for USDA.
Russellie Bongolan will be the new chief of staff to Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. She previously was the White House liaison for USDA.
Alberto A. Gonzalez, Jr., is now the senior policy adviser for Food and Nutrition Service, functioning as the chief policy adviser, according to USDA’s press release. He previously worked for UnidosUS as a senior project manager for health policy.
Angela Tiwari is the new director of strategic policy engagement at the International Fresh Produce Association. She previously was the director of grassroots and political action.
Tony Figueroa has joined Church Bros. Farms as the director of safety and risk management for both the United States and Mexico operations. Bringing over 30 years of experience in regulatory safety and compliance, Figueroa previously worked for various law enforcement agencies.
Angela Tiwari, IFPACarlos Solf of Southern Specialties and Craig Rolandelli of Jacobs Malcolm & Burtt have been tapped as the new co-chairs of the Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association. Solf will serve as the East coast chair and Rolandelli as the West coast chair. They will each serve a two-year term.
Jamison Cruce has been elevated to vice president of government affairs at the USA Rice Federation. The Georgia native has been with the organization since 2018 and was most recently a senior director of government affairs. His career also includes stops at the American Farm Bureau Federation and Georgia Peanut Commission.
Cory Harris has been promoted to principal and head of The Vogel Group’s agriculture practice. He previously was a director in the firm. Harris has also held roles with the American Feed Industry Association, Indiana Soybean Alliance, and Growth Energy. He also worked on Capitol Hill for Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind., as his legislative director.
Dexter Hedgepeth has been appointed as the new vice president of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice at the Defenders of Wildlife. Hedgepeth previously was the inaugural officer for diversity, equity and inclusion at The Pew Charitable Trusts and its subsidiary, the Pew Research Center.
Kevin Herglotz has joined the Milken Institute as the executive vice president of institutional advancement. He previously was the president and CEO of HPA Strategies. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Department of Agriculture under then-Secretary Ann Veneman as the deputy chief of staff and director of communications.
Joe Park has been promoted to chief digital and technology officer at Yum! Brands, effective March 1. He most recently was the chief digital and technology officer for Pizza Hut Global. He succeeds Clay Johnson, who will continue with Yum! Brands as a senior adviser.
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Chobani has hired John Frost as its new chief customer officer. He comes to Chobani after working 23 years for PepsiCo, Inc., where he most recently was the senior vice president and general manager of United States retail.
Gina Tumbarello has added executive director of the Food and Agriculture Export Alliance to her resume in addition to her role as senior director of global strategies, policy and trade at the American Feed Industry Association.
Danielle Beck has been promoted to senior director of government affairs for Invariant. She previously was the director of government affairs.
Rachel Skaar has joined the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to be Chairman Tom Carper’s, D-Del., deputy communications director. She previously worked in the office of Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., as his press secretary.
Deborah Golino, 70, renowned plant pathologist and retired director of Foundation Plant Services, at University of California, Davis, died Dec. 23. Golino earned her degrees at University of California, Riverside, graduating with a Ph.D. in plant pathology in 1987. While earning her doctorate, she studied insect-transmitted citrus diseases for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. Golino moved to Davis in 1987 working for the Crops Pathology and Genetics Research Unit for the USDA-ARS. She became a Cooperative Extension specialist in the UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology and director of Foundation Plant Services in 1994. During her tenure, she expanded the unit from a small staff of less than 10 focusing mostly on grapevines and grapes into a nationally and internationally known source of virus tested, healthy roses, grapevines, strawberries, sweet potatoes and fruit and nut trees, according to a release.
George T. Teraoka passed away on December 26, at the age of 102. A California native, Teraoka graduated from Fowler High School in 1939. In 1942, at the age of 21, Teraoka and his family were interned in Jerome, Ark., following the attack at Pearl Harbor. Knowledgeable in electronics, he repaired juke boxes and electrical equipment. He was permitted to work in St. Louis, Mo., while his family was moved to Rohwer camp. In St. Louis, he met his wife, Mary Nobuko Kawahara, and later joined the U.S. Army and was placed on reserve. Later returning to Fowler, Teraoka farmed a variety of crops, later growing his family’s operation into one of the largest producers of boysenberries in the country. He invented the first boysenberry mechanical harvester. Later in his life, he chaired the California State Bushberry Advisory Board and the Central California Farmers' Co-op. He also served as vice chairman of the Nisei Farmers' League and was a director on the Japanese American National Museum's inaugural Board and president of the Japanese American Citizens League for Fowler.
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