California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Rhonalyn Cabello to be deputy director of the public affairs office at the California Department of Resources, Recycling and Recovery. Cabello previously held roles in the office of Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, California Volunteers, and for Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs.
Grimmway Produce Group named Ken Silveira as chief executive officer. He joined the company in 1998 as a ranch manager, and has gone on to lead the company’s organic farming efforts and serve as executive vice president. Silveira succeeds Jeff Huckaby, who will transition into the role of chief agricultural officer where he will focus all of his time on the company’s farming operation. 
Ken Silveria (Grimmway Produce Group photo)
Rep. Josh Harder, D-Calif., hired new staff. Kathryn Sorenson was named chief of staff. She has been political director for the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund for the last nearly five years. Ravi Doshi was hired as legislative director. Doshi was previously counsel to Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., on the Senate Judiciary Committee and senior counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the General Counsel during the Biden administration.
Rachael Goldenberg, Harder’s former chief of staff, is now a principal at political media and intelligence company, Tavern.
Arizona-based Divine Flavor made leadership promotions to expand the company’s vegetable division. Jeremy Giovannetti will lead the vegetable division’s commercial performance and oversee sales and business development while managing the company’s farm-to-market strategy to drive revenue. David Reyes was promoted to director of business development for hothouse and vegetables. He will focus on driving growth through strategic retail account development and expanding Divine Flavor’s presence in new markets, while working closely with procurement and grower partners.
CropLife America hired Sally Rey Parkinson as director of federal government relations. She previously held numerous roles at the U.S. Agency for International Development, including as an acting office director.
Sunkist added two new leadership staff members: Joshua Carr as director of procurement and Stephen Sheldon as director of global business development. Carr will oversee purchasing operations across several business units and support procurement strategy across the organization. He has more than 15 years of procurement and supply chain experience, most recently with Walmart. Sheldon will focus on driving growth through new and existing international market opportunities. He’s previously held roles in the produce and agricultural sectors with Limoneira, Westpak Avocado and NuVasive.
The Izaak Walto
Jenny Lester Moffitt (American Farmland Trust photo)n League appointed Jared Mott as executive director. He has served as conservation director since 2017, and has been interim executive director since December 2025. Scott Kovarovics recently retired as executive director after 18 years at the League, including 13 years as executive director.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., hired Juan Ayala as communications director. Ayala has been communications director at Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions Inc. for the past year, and earlier worked for Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Rep. French Hill, R-Ark.
Trevor Raasch joined the Association of Equipment Manufacturers as client success adviser. He previously held roles with Worldwide Express and ADP.
Agri-Pulse Communications promoted Paige Dye to circulation and strategic communications manager. Since joining Agri-Pulse in 2017, Dye has played a key role in the company’s digital advancement, modernizing subscriber systems and collaborating with developers to improve efficiency while ensuring that the organization remains rooted in high-quality customer service. In her extended role, she will lead audience development and strategic communications, focusing on deepening member engagement and driving the continued growth of Agri-Pulse’s national audience.
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USDA alumnus Anastasia Bodnar joined Corteva Agriscience as gene editing regulatory advocacy leader. She was previously a senior adviser at the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology. Earlier, she held numerous roles during 10 years working at USDA, including as the department’s biotechnology coordinator.
Remington Seeds named Dan Foor as chief executive officer. He has been with the company a year and a half, recently as 
Laurie Hueneke Martens (Sigma Alpha photo)vice president. Earlier, he held roles with Monsanto, La Crosse Seed, and DLF.
James Kenny was promoted to senior manager for policy communications at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He was previously manager of policy communications.
Laurie Hueneke Martens, head of public policy and government relations at Merck Animal Health, has been named one of two 2026 recipients of the professional agricultural sorority Sigma Alpha’s national Spirit of Ruth Award. Hueneke Martens was recognized for her leadership, mentorship and contributions to agriculture, including her work supporting farmers’ access to essential tools, technologies and markets.
CoBank hired Maureen McDonnell as utilities industry economist. Earlier, she was principal energy and infrastructure consultant at Pioneer Management Consulting and was manager of energy market fundamentals at Ovintiv.
Mike LaPlant, a leader in Western irrigated agriculture, passed away unexpectedly. He farmed irrigated hay, alfalfa, and timothy in the Columbia Basin Irrigation District since 1976. LaPlant served as president of the Washington Farm Bureau from 2011 to 2021 and held numerous leadership roles at the state and national levels, including service on the American Farm Bureau Board of Directors and on the Family Farm Alliance Advisory Committee. He was also a past president of the Washington State Water Resources Association. A memorial service will be held at Our Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Ephrata, Washington, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 25.
Are you changing jobs, getting promoted or receiving an award? Know someone who is? Email Lydia@Agri-Pulse.com to be featured in next week’s edition of Farm Hands on the Potomac.
