The International Fresh Produce Association has announced the slate of new directors for the 2023 IFPA Board of Directors. The volunteer leaders will be confirmed by a ballot shared with membership and their board term will begin at the end of October.
The IFPA Board of Directors is led by the officers of the executive committee and will be led in 2023 by current chair-elect, Laura Himes, senior merchandising director at Walmart. Himes will inherit the role from the current chair, Bruce Taylor, CEO of Taylor Farms.
Himes and Taylor will take the stage in Orlando at the Global Produce & Floral Show in October to share their remarks. The next chair-elect, slotted to assume leadership of the executive committee, will be John Anderson, chair, CEO and managing partner of Oppy.
The new slate of board directors are selected to serve in roles of those directors retiring from board service. Tasked with identifying these leaders is the Leadership Development Committee. This year, this committee was led by past chairs Dwight Ferguson, president and CEO of California Agricultural Leadership Foundation and Danny Dumas, SVP and general manager of Calavo Growers.
“The role of the board is to provide the insights and perspectives that will drive the association forward and create solutions that give our members more access to the people and ideas that can make a difference in their business,” Dumas said. “I’m confident this board’s slate of leaders will do just that as it leads an already strong and engaged volunteer community.”
With more than 1000 volunteer leaders serving across multiple committees, councils and other working groups, the board serves an important role in driving association work around the seven priorities. Before IFPA launched in January, it was announced that the board structure was designed to support all segments of industry membership across the global supply chain.
“In identifying the volunteers who would join the board in the coming year, we aligned the association’s strategic needs with thought leaders who will bring a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds, to ensure the board is reflective of the industry we represent,” Ferguson said.
“We know these leaders will work in partnership with those directors continuing their board service and with the staff to grow prosperity for our industry and the world through bold advocacy, powerful connections and actionable guidance.”
The new board slate for 2023:
- Australia New Zealand Advisory Board: Richard Byllaardt, chairman, Citrus Australia;
- Food Safety Council: Jennifer Pulcipher, director of food safety and compliance, North Bay Produce;
- Fresh-Cut Processor Council: Judy Clark, CEO, Fresh Texas;
- Marketing Council: Karen Nardozza, president and CEO, Moxxy Marketing;
- South Africa: Jaco Oosthuizen, CEO, RSA Group;
- U.S. Government Relations Council: Bret Erickson, EVP, Little Bear Produce; and
- Wholesaler-Distributor Council: Stefanie Katzman, EVP, S. Katzman Produce.
Retiring board members include:
- Tom Brugato, president, Pacific Coast Fruit Company;
- Adrielle Dankier, commercial director, Nature’s Pride;
- Trevor Dukes, CEO, The Fruit Farm Group;
- Cheryl Enlow, VP of QA and food safety, Renaissance Food Group;
- Karen Fernald, SVP category, merchandising and pricing, Food Lion;
- Ben Hoodless, director and business development specialist, ElementAG;
- Brian Kocher, president and CEO, Calavo Growers;
- Jacob Krempel, VP of operations, HelloFresh;
- Raina Nelson, president, U.S., Westfalia Fruit Marketing;
- Carlos Oramas, CEO, Gems Group; and
- Michael Simonetta, CEO, Perfection Fresh.
