The Grower-Shipper Association of Central California named Greg Beach as chairman. He also serves as vice president of sales at Steinbeck Country Produce. Beach says a few of his goals in the new role include tackling action on the diamondback moth, strengthening labor pipelines, and building upon GSA strengths as a “go-to” hub for timely guidance, education, and boots-on-the-ground support.
Greg Beach (Grower Shipper Association of California photo)DUDA recently hit a historic milestone: the business’ centennial. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson presented DUDA, a fifth-generation, family-owned-and-operated agricultural and real estate enterprise, with the prestigious Century Pioneer Family Farms certification.
The American Sheep Industry Association named Mike Michener as the group’s next executive director. Most recently, he was principal consultant at Michener Strategic Advisory. Earlier, he was deputy assistant administrator in the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security at the U.S. Agency for International Development and minister counselor to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Agencies in Rome. Michener succeeds Peter Orwick, who retired after leading the organization since the 1990s.
The House Agriculture Committee has a new member: California Republican Rep. David Valadao. A dairy farmer representing part of the highly productive San Joaquin Valley, he is now the only Republican member of the committee from California. Valadao fills the seat of the late Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., who died suddenly in January after representing Northern California in Congress and on the Ag Committee for over a decade.
Rep. David Valadao (Valadao office photo)Food Export USA made staff hires. Danyelle Thornton joined the team as marketing manager to lead the team’s digital engagement and content development. Earlier, she was director of marketing and communications at The Knowledge House. Additionally, Austin Warner joined Food Export USA as a liaison to support supplier and state member engagement across the organization’s Midwest and Northeast regions.
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation appointed 12 members to serve on the Scientific Prioritization and Review Committee. The panel will advise DPR on prioritizing actions associated with continuous evaluation and mitigation of pesticides, and provide science-based recommendations to inform DPR’s transparent, data-driven process for identifying and addressing potential risks to human health and the environment from pesticide use. Those members include:
Dr. Hillary Q. Thomas-Sanchez, research and technical director at Naturipe Berry Growers, Inc.
Jess Tyler, staff scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity
Dr. Kari Arnold, associate director at IR-4 Western Region/UC Davis
Dr. Asa Bradman, professor in the Public Health Department and professor for the environmental systems graduate group at the University of California Merced
Dr. Staci Cibotti, pesticide program specialist at Xerces Society
Dr. Chris Geiger, president of Lacewing Collaborations LLC
Beau Howard, district manager of JG Boswell Co.
Dr. Olukayode Jegede, assistant professor of ag toxicology and cooperative extension specialist at the University of California Davis
Dr. Chow-Yang Lee, professor and endowed president chair of urban entomology at the University of California Riverside
Dr. Kelly Moran, senior scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute
Dr. Sascha Carsten Thomas Nicklisch, assistant professor of environmental toxicology environmental chemist in the Ag Experiment Station at the University of California Davis
Dr. Jhalendra Rijal, integrated pest management adviser at UCCE
Additionally, individuals were appointed to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s Sustainable Pest Management Advisory Committee to inform and support a statewide transition towards making SPM the de facto pest management approach in California. Those appointees include:
Renee Pinel, president and CEO at the Western Plant Health Association
Jason Saling, grower relations manager at Rodney Strong Vineyards
Margaret Reeves, senior scientist at Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network
Maggie Rodriguez, director of global regulatory and government affairs at ProFarm Group Inc.
Jo Ann Baumgartner, executive director of the Wild Farm Alliance
Lena Brook, deputy director at Fullwell
Jennifer Clarke, executive director at the California Leafy Greens Research Board
Jim Farrar, director of the statewide integrated pest management program at the UC ANR
Laura Krueger, vector ecologist at the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District
Kevi Mace, senior environmental scientist in the Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis at the California Department of Food and Agriculture
Michael Mellano, CEO of Mellano & Company
Cuong “Jimmy” Nguyen, food safety and organic production adviser at UC ANR
Mahmood Nikbakhtzadeh, assistant professor of environmental health science at CSU San Bernardino
Daniel Palla, technical sales representative at Trécé, Inc.
David Poplin, CEO of CDS Services Inc. and dba Legion Pest Management
Mayra Sanchez, associate director at Californians for Pesticide Reform
Paul Squires, owner of Squires Ag Consulting, Inc.
Andrew Sutherland, urban integrated pest management adviser at UC ANR
Catherine Soileau Sylvester, wife of rice farmer and USA rice member Jeffery Sylvester, passed away on April 5 after a battle with cancer. She was 65. The Sylvesters raised six children in their Whiteville, Arkansas, home. “Cathy was the cornerstone to the Sylvester family,” said fellow rice farmer Richard Fontenot who is the current president of the Louisiana Farm Bureau. “Their family ties to agriculture and their faith brought them together and helped make a positive impact on all those around them. Cathy will be deeply missed.” Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Central Time, on Wednesday April 8, at the Church of Resurrection Chapel in Whiteville with burial to follow in the church cemetery.
Interested in more news on farm programs, trade and rural issues? Sign up for a four-week free trial to Agri-Pulse. You’ll receive our content - absolutely free - during the trial period.
The Animal Health Institute hired Ellen Hart as vice president of regulatory affairs to lead the industry’s regulatory reform effort, coordinate industry efforts in anticipation of the Animal Drug User Fee Act reauthorization, and guide industry’s work with international bodies to implement risk-based standards. Hart, a veterinarian, joins AHI from the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine, where she most recently served as director of international programs and outreach. Originally from Iowa, Hart earned her Bachelor of Science in Physiology from the University of Wyoming and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University.
Former Biden-era USDA official Anne Knapke joined the Center for American Progress as a senior fellow to shape a new progressive agenda for American food and agriculture policy that supports rural communities. She previously served as deputy chief of staff at USDA at the end of the Biden administration, and earlier was the deputy assistant secretary of congressional relations. Knapke also was legislative director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and held senior roles at both the Meridian Institute and the Gates Foundation.
A new lobbying coalition, Center Market Strategies, has been launched to deconsolidate monopolies as President Donald Trump has ramped up the pushback against mega-corporations. Chris Jones, former chief government relations officer at the National Grocers Association, and Andy Green, former Biden-era USDA senior adviser for fair and competitive markets, co-launched the initiative. The bipartisan firm will offer advocacy consulting and legal strategies focused on competition policy and enforcement, with a focus on businesses that lack market power, according to POLITICO.
Former USDA staffer Sara Eckhouse is the new director of Food as Medicine at The Rockefeller Foundation. She previously co-founded and served as executive director of FoodShot Global, an integrated capital platform with more than 20 global partners to catalyze innovation for a healthier, more sustainable, more equitable food system, according to her LinkedIn page. Eckhouse was also an adviser at Trailhead Capital, an investment firm focused on regenerative agriculture to improve human and planetary health. During the Obama administration, she was chief of staff for the Agricultural Marketing Service for four years and a senior adviser to then-Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Madison Sifford (NASDA photo)The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture hired Madison Sifford as communications coordinator. She will focus on developing both digital and print communications, including managing NASDA’s social media platforms and website. A communications and dairy science graduate of Virginia Tech, she was most recently marketing manager at Culpeper Farmers' Cooperative.
Allie Herring was promoted to communications director for the House Agriculture Committee Republican staff. She has been with the committee since September as press secretary. Earlier, while a student at Texas Tech University, Herring completed internships with Agri-Pulse and Combest, Sell & Associates.
Health and Human Services alumnus Charlie Chapman joined BGR Group as a vice president in the firm’s health and life sciences practice. Chapman was previously a policy adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the legislative affairs office at HHS.
Elisabeth Armstrong was named chief of staff in the office of the director at the National Institutes of Health. She will provide strategic counsel to NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya and other key leaders within the organization. Armstrong previously served as director of the Office of the Executive Secretariat in the FDA, where she provided strategic guidance to Commissioner Marty Makary. Earlier, she worked in healthcare policy equity research for Raymond James & Associates’ Global Equities and Investment. She earned a doctorate in bioethics and health policy from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine; a Master of Science degree in drug development and product management from University of California, San Diego; a Master of Science degree in bioethics from Columbia University in New York; and dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and philosophy from Colorado Christian University, Lakewood, where she also served on the faculty.
The National Confectioners Association promoted Brian McKeon to executive vice president of public policy and regulatory affairs and Christopher Gindlesperger to executive vice president of public affairs and communications. Prior to joining NCA in 2021, McKeon was a shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP and held an array of roles on Capitol Hill. Gindlesperger has been with NCA for over 11 years and earlier worked for the American Beverage Association and as communications director on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Meat Foundation named KatieRose McCullough as president and chief scientist. McCullough previously served as chief scientist for the Meat Foundation and will continue to serve in her current role as senior director for science and public health at the Meat Institute. She succeeds Susan Backus, the vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs for the Meat Institute, who has served the foundation for the past 27 years in a variety of roles, including most recently as president.
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.
