The California Fresh Fruit Association hired Clayton Smith as director of government relations. He was previously a legislative assistant for Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, he completed an internship with CFFA during college. Smith is originally from Visalia, California
Clayton Smith (CFFA photo).
The California Agricultural Leadership Foundation hired Anna Nicholson as alumni engagement and event manager. In the newly restructured role, she will lead statewide engagement strategies, coordinate programming and strengthen relationships across CALF’s broad network of more than 1,400 program alumni. She was recently a client manager at 3P Partners, a national executive search firm specializing in food and agriculture. Earlier in her career, Nicholson worked in donor relations and event coordination at Shriners Hospitals for Children – Northern California, where she supported fundraising events and managed key donor communications.
Gino Dicaro has departed from the Wine Institute to join the Golden State Water Co. as public policy and government relations manager. He worked at the Wine Institute the past three and a half years. Earlier in his career, Dicaro was at the California Manufacturers & Technology Association for over 25 years in numerous roles, including as senior vice president of CMTA communications and president of the CMTA service corp.
The Bureau of Land Management is moving California state office executive Joe Stout to the agency’s top career position in Washington as acting deputy director of administration and programs. He will serve in the position through at least early August. The position was formerly held by Mike Nedd, who was removed from the role in May, according to Scott Streater of POLITICO’s E&E News.
Longti
Joel Nelsen (obituary photo)me California Citrus Mutual president Joel Nelsen died unexpectedly July 1. He was 78. Nelsen worked at CCM for 37 years, including as president from 1982-2019, where he made an immense impact on the citrus industry. He also led the Fresh Produce Council as the group’s president for 10 years. A celebration of life will be held July 24, 2025, at 11:00am at the Visalia Country Club in Visalia.
Former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency attorney Thanne Berg was appointed to the California Department of Toxic Substances Control as deputy director of the site mitigation and restoration program. Berg was serving as acting director of the program.
Industry
Valent U.S.A. promoted Steve Tatum to director of corporate communications. He has been with the company for seven years, recently in an associate director position. Earlier, he held communications roles with Kaiser Permanente and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.
The Keystone Policy Center hired Alyssa Charney as senior director of the agricultural technical assistance program. During the Biden administration, she was chief of staff for USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service and a senior adviser for farm production and conservation. Charney also completed a detail from USDA to the White House as director for lands and climate-smart agriculture in the Climate Policy Office.
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The National Wheat Foundation appointed Anne Osborne as its next executive director. She has been with the organization since 2021, most recently as program manager, where she’s helped grow the foundation’s National Wheat Yield Contest to more than 500 annual entries across five categories. Before joining NWF, she worked in ag sales.
Claire Dailey joined BASF Agricultural Solutions as a regional strategic messaging and content lead. She previously worked for public relations agencies Bader Rutter, Curious Plot and Periscope.
Trudi Lewis Boyd was promoted to general manager of advocacy communications at Chevron. In the newly created position, she will be based in the company’s Houston headquarters. She's been with the company for four years. Earlier, Boyd worked for Noble Energy and FTI Consulting.
Morgan Myers hired Eric Davis as vice president of food and consumer trust. He worked for Curious Plot the past 12 years leading food relations public relations.
U.S. Wheat Associates hired Julia Debes as director of communications and stakeholder outreach. She previously worked for Working Lands for Wildlife as director of communications and was president of her own firm, North Homestead Communications. Earlier, she served as communications director for the National Sorghum Producers and communications manager at the U.S. Grains Council.
Mariah Wollweber (ASA photo)The American Soybean Association (ASA) hired Mariah Wollweber as senior director of marketing and communications. She will be based in ASA’s Washington office and serve as a member of the senior leadership team. Wollweber was previously senior director of communications for USTelecom: The Broadband Association. Earlier, she was director of communications and partnerships for the National Association of Wheat Growers. A native of eastern Washington, Wollweber grew up showing livestock and driving trucks and tractors on her family’s wheat farm.
Capitol Hill
Grace Weatherall joined the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee as the climate and clean air counsel. She was previously an attorney-adviser for air and radiation at Environmental Protection Agency's Office of General Counsel. Earlier, she worked for the Environmental Defense Fund.
House Agriculture Committee member Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., hired Delaney Wehn as communications director. She was previously a staff assistant at the Department of State's Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy.
Kiara Tringali joined the House Natural Resources Committee's Federal Lands Subcommittee Democratic staff as a professional staff member. She was a legislative adviser for forestry and conservation policy at the Department of Agriculture's Office of Congressional Relations during the Biden administration. Earlier, she was a senior government relations representative at The Wilderness Society.
House Ag Committee Chair Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Pa., hired Caroline Leach as a staff assistant. A recent Texas Tech University graduate, she completed an internship with the House Ag Committee.
Senate Ag Committee Chair John Boozman, R-Ark., hired Katie Gage as a press assistant in his personal office. A recent University of Arkansas graduate, Gage was earlier an intern in Boozman’s office.
USDA
Justin Ransom was appointed administrator of the Food Safety Inspection Service. He’s held positions with McDonald’s, Tyson Foods and OSI Group. He began his career with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service as an international marketing specialist where he developed technical standards for the National School Lunch Program, instrument grading systems and trade facilitation.
Michelle Bekkering was named USDA's deputy under secretary of trade and foreign agricultural affairs. During the first Trump administration, she worked at USDA for three years as acting assistant administrator and assistant administrator of the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and the Environment. Bekkering also has worked at the International Republican Institute in governance and global initiatives roles.
Peter Laudeman joined USDA as a senior policy adviser for trade and foreign agricultural affairs. He was recently the director of trade policy for U.S. Wheat Associates. Earlier, he was a political affairs manager for Corteva Agriscience and also worked for the National Corn Growers Association.
Jacqueline Thomas was appointed director of external communications for the Farm Production and Conservation mission area. She was previously director of public affairs at the communications firm K Street. During the first Trump administration, she was deputy press secretary for Customs and Border Protection.
John Greene was named chief operating officer for the Rural Development Business Center. With nearly 50 years of private sector engineering, operations and management experience, he was recently CEO of Mytra Consulting. Earlier, he was CEO of New Lisbon Holdings and attended the U.S. Naval Academy.
The new class of officers pose for a photo with USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Michelle Bekkering (left), and Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley after being sworn in as a Foreign Service Officer in the Jefferson Auditorium at USDA during the 2025 FAS Global Attaché Conference, Washington D.C., on July 7, 2025. USDA photo by Tom Witham)Eight individuals were sworn in as agricultural attachés stationed at U.S. embassies and diplomatic missions on five continents. They will monitor and report on global agricultural production and trade, identify export opportunities for U.S industries and support U.S. foreign policy objectives.
Emma Aspell: Office of Agricultural Affairs in the European Union in Brussels, Belgium
Colby Branch: Office of Agricultural Affairs in Bogotá, Colombia
Samuel Driggers: Office of Agricultural Affairs in Pretoria, South Africa
Nigel Hunter: Office of Agricultural Affairs in Mexico City, Mexico
Herpin Rochet: Office of Agricultural Affairs in Manila, Philippines
Kristi Schammel: Office of Agricultural Affairs in Jakarta, Indonesia
Travis Stahl: Office of Agricultural Affairs in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Stephanie Swinehart: Agricultural Trade Office in Tokyo, Japan
The USDA welcomed 30 faculty and staff from Hispanic-serving institutions and Hispanic-serving school districts to the 2025 class of E. Kika De La Garza Fellows. The group spent the week in Washington learning how USDA services and programs can benefit them, their students and their communities.
The 2025 E. Kika De La Garza Education Fellows:
Adijat Adebola: CUNY Bronx Community College in New York
Erik C.D. Belmal: Rio Hondo College in California
David A. Byrd: Coastal Bend College in Texas
Steven Chumbley: Texas A&M University – Kingsville
Nicolle Fernandes: CUNY Fiorello H. La Guardia Community College in New York
Laura Fischer: Texas Tech University
Pam Geddes: Northeastern Illinois University
Teesta Jain: City Colleges of Chicago – Harry S. Truman College in Illinois
Jessica Johnson: Central New Mexico Community College
Jamie A. Levitt: California State University, Fresno
Sofía Macchiavelli Girón: Universidad del Sagrado Corazon in Puerto Rico
Pamela N. Martinez: New Mexico State University
Lindsay Peelman: Monterey Peninsula College in California
Selena Plancarte Arizmendi: California State University, Monterey Bay
Lisanette Rosario: CUNY Hostos Community College in New York
Janitza Saavedra Lugo: University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
Sonali Saha: Miami Dade College in Florida
Ken Sweat: Arizona State University West Valley
Rick Wiedenmann: Southeast New Mexico College
The 2025 E. Kika De La Garza Education High School Fellows include:
Daniel Delcher: Essex County Schools of Technology in New Jersey
Rafael Iniguez: Parlier Unified School District in California
Claudia Villalobos: IDEA College Preparatory, San Benito in Texas
The 2025 E. Kika De La Garza Science Fellows include:
Tolulope A. Agunbiade, Texas A&M University, Kingsville
Alicia V. Barriga, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez
Jenny Fisher: Indiana University Northwest
Simeng Li: Cal Poly, Pomona
Lin Luotao: University of New Mexico
Juliana Rangel: Texas A&M University
Noemí Rodríguez: CUNY New York City College of Technology
Nadim Zgheib: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Obituaries:
John Harris (Harris Ranch photo)John Harris, a farmer, cattle rancher, horse breeder, philanthropist and one of California agriculture’s most influential leaders, passed away on July 3. He was 81. He became the sole shareholder and CEO of Harris Farms in Fresno County in 1981 following the death of his father and led the ranch for decades, including Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant, Harris Ranch Beef Co., Harris Feeding Co., Harris Farms Thoroughbred Division and Harris Fresh. Over the years, he farmed cotton, grain, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, melons, almonds, pistachios, walnuts and wine grapes.
Harris served numerous agricultural organizations, including as president of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association, chair of the California Horse Racing Board and a board member of numerous others: The Pacific Legal Foundation, the Western Growers Association, the Race Track Chaplaincy of America and the Maddy Institute.
Harris is survived by his wife, Cookie. A public celebration of life is being scheduled and will be announced in the near future. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Jack A. Harris Memorial Scholarship Fund, continuing Harris’ commitment to supporting the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Douglas Bakker, director of business development at Kapi Kapi Growers, died unexpectedly. He was 56. A 40-year veteran of the fresh produce industry, Bakker spent the first 30 years of his career helping to run his family’s wholesale business, Bakker Produce. He joined the Kapi Kapi team in 2020 and supported both the organization’s name recognition and sales growth.
Tom Stenson, a well-known agricultural lender for the Farm Credit system, Farmer Mac and commercial banks, died after drowning at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. He was 75. Stenson served as a board member for Conterra Ag Capital for numerous years, focusing his experience to support the company's farm, ranch and agribusiness lending company.
2019 World Food Prize Laureate Simon Nanne Groot died July 6 in his hometown of Enkhuizen, the Netherlands. He was 90. Groot played a transformative role in empowering millions of smallholder farmers in more than 80 countries to earn greater incomes through enhanced vegetable production while providing hundreds of millions of consumers with greater access to nutritious vegetables for healthy diets. Groot introduced the first locally developed commercial vegetable hybrids in tropical Asia, which later expanded through Africa and Latin America. The World Food Prize Foundation will honor Groot during the annual Laureate Award Ceremony on Oct. 23.
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