Items Tagged with 'Alison Foster'

Sharon Bomer Lauritsen, agricultural trade consultant at AgTrade Strategies, has retired. She held numerous roles in the space, including assistant U.S. trade representative for agricultural affairs in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, executive vice president of food and agriculture at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, and associate deputy administrator for fruit and vegetable programs at the Agriculture Department.

The Friant Water Authority appointed Julie Gantenbein as general counsel. She has been a shareholder in the Water and Power Law Group for the past 15 years where she has gained experience in water rights, regulatory compliance and statewide water policy. Her legal career includes extensive experience in non-federal hydropower licensing and compliance proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), natural gas certificate and compliance matters before FERC, and regulatory proceedings for federal water control facilities before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, according to the Friant Water Authority’s news release. 

The American Soybean Association elected new members to its board of directors, including Ohio grower Scott Metzger as 2026 ASA president. The American Farm Bureau Federation hired Autumn Lankford Higgins as director of government affairs. Sustainable aviation fuel developer Gevo tapped Paul Bloom as CEO and a director on the company’s board. Pivot Bio announced additions to the senior management team, including Shekar Govindaswamy as principal scientist.

Western Growers has appointed Rob Yraceburu, president of Wonderful Orchards at The Wonderful Company, as chair of its board of directors. In his role at Wonderful Orchards, Yraceburu oversees the world’s largest grower of pistachios and pomegranates and one of the largest growers of almonds and wine grapes. Before joining the Wonderful Company in 2015, he spent nearly three decades at Wells Fargo, where he served as a senior banker and as executive vice president and head of national food and agribusiness. During his tenure, he helped finance many of The Wonderful Company’s acquisitions, including FIJI Water and JUSTIN Vineyards. A fourth-generation raisin and almond farmer from California’s Central Valley, Yraceburu succeeds Stuart Woolf as chair and will serve a two-year term. 

Grant Leslie has been named government and policy operating partner at S2G Investments. CropLife International has appointed Corteva CEO Chuck Magro chairman of the group's board of directors. Alison Foster was promoted to manager of government affairs and operations for the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.