Naturipe Farms made a new hire and staff promotions in the value added fresh division. Samantha Carrico was hired as director of business development, east for Naturipe’s Value Added Fresh division. She will focus exclusively on Value Added Fresh products, including washed and ready-to-eat blueberries, and grab-and-go snack solutions as well as lead customer development and sales growth. Carrico brings more than a decade of experience in finance, trade strategy and customer development. Joe Klick, who has been with the company more than 15 years, was promoted to associate vice president of product management. In his new role, Klick will oversee product strategy and portfolio development across Naturipe’s berry offerings. Brian Vertrees was promoted to senior director of business development. He has been with the company since 2011 and held an influential role strengthening category leadership across North America and Asia.
Samantha Carrico (LinkedIn photo)The Raley’s Cos. president and CEO Keith Knopf has departed the organization. Owner and Chairman Mike Teel has moved back into the role of CEO, a position he previously held before Knopf joined the company. In the transition, Teel promoted Tiffanie Burkhalter as president and chief financial officer, and Jen Warner as president and chief operations officer.
U.S. Wheat Associates announced a West Coast Office staff promotion and two new staff members following Tyllor Ledford’s move to Manila to assume the new role of assistant regional director for South and Southeast Asia. In the transition, Luke Muller was promoted to market analyst. He joined the organization in 2023 as assistant director of the USW West Coast Office, and earlier was a research assistant in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Resource Economics at Michigan State University and a consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome, Italy.
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New USW staff hires include Kate Stephens as assistant director and Tereza Edwards as assistant program manager. Edwards joined the team March 16 after previously serving as director of member services for the Columbia River Steamship Operators’ Association and as the communications and membership manager for the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association. Stephens will begin her role in late June after graduating from Cornell University. While in college, Stephens completed an internship with United Grain Corporation.
Adam Cloch joined FGS Global as a director on the energy and sustainability government relations team. He previously served as communications director for Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, and worked for the Conservative Climate Caucus.
Madeline Drake of Sacramento was appointed deputy secretary for biodiversity and habitat at the California Natural Resources Agency. She is being promoted from an assistant secretary role, which she has held since 2022. Earlier, Drake held multiple positions at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service from 2017 to 2021, including senior fish and wildlife biologist, and was a California sea grant state fellow at California State Parks.
Rhys Williams of Orangevale was appointed to the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Williams held multiple roles in the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom from 2019 to 2025, including acting deputy chief of staff and chief deputy cabinet secretary.
Continental Floral G
Matt Jones (ADAMA photo)reens, a family-owned grower of premium American-grown foliage and specialty cut floral, hired two experienced sales professionals, Kate Dodde and Klair McDermott, as mass market sales representatives. Dodde joins the team from the Christmas tree industry where she worked closely with both growers and national accounts to bring products to market. A floral designer, McDermott spent over a decade as the creative lead for an international floral company where she specialized in product design, development and sales for fresh-cut flowers in mass-market channels across the U.S. Additionally, Lucia Narciso was promoted to wholesale sales manager. She has been with the organization since 2018 and has played a key role in establishing the organization’s Guatemala office.
ADAMA US appointed Matt Jones as head of sales. He brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across the crop protection and agriculture industries, including senior roles with BASF Agricultural Solutions, Syngenta Crop Protection, Landus and UPL. At ADAMA, Jones will oversee the U.S. sales organization with a focus on strengthening customer relationships, enhancing channel partnerships, and accelerating growth through strategic execution and market responsiveness. Jones succeeds Brian Cardin, who is retiring after an over 40-year career serving the ag industry.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association hired Zoe Wallace as director of government affairs. She has been a policy manager at Gordley Associates for nearly two years.
Scott Reasons, head of Syngenta Professional Solutions North America, will retire on May 31 after a 40-year career with the company. He held leadership roles across sales, sales management and marketing before assuming leadership of the Professional Solutions business 16 years ago. Dave Ravel, currently head of sales for Syngenta Professional Solutions, will assume the role of head of Syngenta Professional Solutions North America effective June 1. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the turf, ornamental and pest management industries and has spent more than 25 years with Syngenta and its legacy companies, including holding leadership roles across sales, marketing and key accounts.
J.P. Freire is now chief of strategic communications and public affairs for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. He was previously communications director for the House Ways and Means Committee.
The National 4-H Council hired Angie Freel as director of youth learning. She has worked for 4-H in the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture for nearly 30 years.
Farm Progress named Raymond Bianchi as senior vice president of agriculture to oversee the company's portfolio of agricultural events and media properties, including the Farm Progress Show and both digital and print publications. He brings over 20 years of experience in the international trade show, event and media industry space. Most recently, he was managing director for corporate relations at The Water Environment Federation. Bianchi succeeds Greg Frey, who worked for the company for over 34 years.
Dairy Farmers of America hired Tyler Mogensen as a financial analyst. Mogensen has held the same title at Custom Truck One Source since graduating from Iowa State University over three years ago.
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.
