Angus Kelly is the new head of government affairs at Inari. Kelly previously worked at the National Corn Growers Association as the director of public policy. He also brings 12 years of experience working for Syngenta to his new role.
Angus Kelly, InariThe Organic Trade Association has brought on Joelle Mosso as senior director of technical and regulatory affairs, and Scott Rice as director of regulatory affairs. Mosso previously worked at Eurofins Scientific, an international analytical testing services company, where she was the chief scientific officer for the produce segment. Before that, she worked at Earthbound Farm, one of the world’s largest organic produce companies. Rice has over 20 years of experience in the organic industry. He previously worked at the Washington State Department of Agriculture, where he oversaw outreach and external affairs in the organic program.OTA will be losing Gwendolyn Wyard, currently vice president of regulatory and technical affairs. She is leaving the organization in June to start her own business, Strengthening Organic Systems.
Nath Morris has been selected as the next president of U.S. Poultry and Egg Association (USPOULTRY). He succeeds John Starkey, who will retire in August, and will remain on as an adviser through the end of the year. Morris, a Georgia native, has been executive vice president of expo at USPOULTRY. Before joining USPOULTRY, Morris worked for Perdue Farms/Heritage Breeders, Arbor Acres Farms/Aviagen, Meyn USA, and Seaboard Farms.
Abed Abdo has been tapped as the new chief financial officer of Organic Valley. Bringing over 20 years of finance experience to the role, Abdo previously worked at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where he had served as the CFO since 2019. He is a certified public accountant.
Darci Vetter has accepted a new role with PepsiCo as the new head of global public policy. She previously was principal at Sower Strategies and before that worked at The Nature Conservancy and Edelman Global Advisory.
Lori Bigras has joined Ocean Mist Farms as the new communications manager. She previously worked at Tradin Organic as a supervisor and before that as a product development manager at UCSC Silicon Valley Extension.
Darci Vetter, PepsiCoRobert Smith now serves as the senior counsel for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. He previously worked at Sidley Austin as a managing associate.Don’t miss a beat! It’s easy to sign up for a FREE month of Agri-Pulse news! For the latest on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. and around the country in agriculture, just click here.
Ana Rojas-Plumberg has joined Rep. Tracey Mann’s, R-Kan., staff full time as a staff assistant. She previously was an intern in Mann’s office.
Jerry Cook has been appointed chief financial officer of Custom Agronomics, a provider of liquid plant nutrition. Cook previously worked for Ascent Chemicals, DanChem Technologies, and TCI Powder Coatings.
Brent Hales has accepted the role of associate vice president of the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of California. Bringing over 20 years of experience to the role, Hales previously was the associate dean of Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences and director of Penn State Extension.David Buchanan, associate dean of the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources at North Dakota State University, will retire Thursday after 16 years at the university. He joined NDSU as professor in the animal sciences department in 2007, later serving as department head between 2007 and 2009. In 2012, he was named the associate dean of the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources. Before coming to NDSU, he was on the faculty of Oklahoma State University for 27 years.
The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City honored Marty Vanier and Blake Hurst with the Jay B. Dillingham Award for Agricultural Leadership and Excellence. Vanier is the director of the National Agricultural Biosecurity Center at Kansas State University, and Hurst is a Missouri corn and soybean farmer who previously served as Missouri Farm Bureau president.
Maria Katindig has joined USA Rice as the new finance manager. She has a bachelor's degree in commerce and accounting from St. Paul’s University and has worked at various private companies, non-profit organizations, and local government entities.
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