Irrigation expert Atef Swelam has joined the staff at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) as the director of Kearney and West Side Research and Extension Centers. The Egyptian native has been recognized by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization as a “Water and Food Hero” for his work developing irrigation techniques that saves water and boost yields across the Nile Delta.
Laura Daniel-Davis, Interior DepartmentPresident Joe Biden has named Laura Daniel-Davis as the acting deputy secretary of the Interior Department. Daniel-Davis brings more than three decades of experience to the role and previously served as the principal deputy assistant secretary for Land and Minerals Management. She also was chief of staff to Interior Secretaries Sally Jewell and Ken Salazar and as associate deputy secretary at the department during the Obama administration.
Holt Edwards now works for the Association of American Railroads as vice president of government affairs. He most recently worked on Capitol Hill as the subcommittee staff director for Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's Fisheries, Water and Wildlife Subcommittee. He also worked at the Environmental Protection Agency during the Trump administration as senior advisor for Senate affairs.
Shawna Nelson has been promoted to executive vice president of membership at Organic Valley. She began her career at Organic Valley in 2005 as a human resources intern. She succeeds Travis Forgues, who is moving on from the company to transition to Hidden Springs Creamery and the family farm in Wisconsin on Nov. 3.
Steven Leslie has been elevated to director of educational programs at the Food and Drug Law Institute. He previously served as the acting director after a stint as deputy director and has been with FDLI for four years, after 16 at the Grocery Manufacturers Association.
Joe McGowan has settled into his role as the head of federal government affairs at Novartis, where he previously was executive director. McGowan has Capitol Hill experience and has also worked at the Department of Health and Human Services.
After 50 years in public service, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., announced he will not seek another term in the House. Blumenauer, who chaired the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee during the congressional consideration of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, has served 27 years in the House of Representatives. “It is time to continue my life’s mission without the burden of day-to-day politics,” Blumenauer said in a press release. “I look forward to continuing championing livable communities starting right here in Portland and being a resource and a partner for the next generation.”
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Agency Information Officer Rob Peterson has announced he is retiring after beating cancer. In a LinkedIn post, Peterson says he will most likely go back into part-time consulting. He has been with the CDFA since 2016, and before that was a consultant for the California Department of Technology.
Kevin McGarry is retiring from the U.S. Wheat Associates after 40 years at the organization. He started as an entry-level accountant and is retiring as the vice president of finance. He has taken more than 50 international trips during his career, conducting audits and managing USW’s books. McGarry will remain with USW for the next year as a senior adviser, helping to bridge the transition with his successor Kurt Coppens.
USDA has named 21 new members to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) to help advise Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on public health issues. The new members include Bledar Bisha, University of Wyoming; Heather Carleton, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Anna Carlson, Cargill Protein; Hayriye Cetin-Karaca, Smithfield Foods; Ben Chapman, North Carolina State University; Vik Dutta, bioMérieux; Larry Figgs, Douglas County Health Department, Omaha, Neb.; David Goldman, Groundswell Strategy; Michael Hansen, Consumer Reports; Arie Havelaar, University of Florida; Ramin Khaksar, Clear Labs; Lieutenant Colonel Noel Kubat, Department of Defense, U.S. Army Veterinary Corps; KatieRose McCullough, North American Meat Institute; Indaue Giriboni de Mello, Newman’s Own; Eric Moorman, Butterball; Abani Pradhan, University of Maryland; Shivrajsinh Rana, Reckitt; Marcos Sanchez Plata, Texas Tech University; Kristin Schill, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Nikki Shariat, University of Georgia; and Abigail Snyder, Cornell University.
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There are also nine returning members: Yaohua (Betty) Feng, Purdue University; Janell Kause, USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service; Elisabetta Lambertini, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition; Shannara Lynn, Department of Commerce's National Seafood Inspection Laboratory; Maxim Teplitski, International Fresh Produce Association; Bing Wang, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Benjamin Warren, Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; Randy Worobo, Cornell University; and Teshome Yehualaeshet, Tuskegee University.
Cathy Burns, IFPAInternational Fresh Produce Association CEO Cathy Burns is now a co-chair of the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance. Mike Joyner of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association is the other co-chair. Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia and National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles are also on the coalition’s leadership team.
Randy Day has been tapped as the chairman of the National Chicken Council. Day spent 43 years with Perdue Farms and retired this past year as the CEO. He now serves as a special adviser to the Perdue Farms Board of Directors. Other members elected to NCC's board include Peco Foods Chief Operations Officer Bill Griffith as vice chairman and Simmons Foods Chief Operating Officer David Jackson as secretary-treasurer. Mike Brown was elected to his 13th term as president of NCC.
Former Assemblymember and Sacramento Mayor Phil Isenberg passed away on Oct. 26. He was 84. He was known for his deep expertise on a range of complex issues including California’s state budget to water and resource policy. He served as a board member on the Public Policy Institute of California and PPIC‘s Water Policy Center Advisory Council. He was also chair of the California Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force, chair of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force, and first chair of the Delta Stewardship Council.
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