Shannon Douglass, California Farm BureauThe California Farm Bureau elected Shannon Douglass, who currently serves as the organization's first vice president, to replace president Jamie Johansson during the Farm Bureau’s 105th Annual Meeting in Reno. She is a beef cattle rancher from Orland who also grows walnuts, corn, and forage crops. She also serves as the director of outreach for CalAgJobs and is a former chair of the CFBF Young Farmers and Ranchers State Committee.Shaun Crook has been elected first vice president. A vice president of a family timber business, Crook has served three terms as second vice president. He was elected president of the Tuolumne County Farm Bureau in 2015. Ron Peterson, of Hilmar, a dairy cattle rancher who grows silage crops and almonds and is a member of the Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors, has been elected as second vice president.
The Food and Drug Administration is promoting Namandjé Bumpus to principal deputy commissioner upon the retirement of Janet Woodcock early next year. Bumpus joined the FDA in August 2022 to serve as the agency’s chief scientist. Before that, she was director of the department of pharmacology and molecular sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Michael Rogers has been named associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. He was previously serving in that role in an acting capacity, overseeing inspections, compliance, enforcement, field laboratory operations, import operations, and strategic planning. Rogers previously was deputy director of ORA’s Office of Regional Operations.
Colleen Liang has been appointed as the new director of the environmental programs and planning division at the Port of Oakland. Liang joined the Port in 2000, and most recently was serving as the acting director of the environmental programs and planning division.
Joe Gilson is leaving Capitol Hill to be a new director of government affairs with the American Farm Bureau Federation. Gilson has served the last four years as a legislative assistant for Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, covering the agriculture, energy, and environment portfolio. Before that, he worked at the Department of Agriculture as a policy adviser for rural development. Eli Harberts has been promoted to legislative assistant, taking over Gilson’s portfolio in Grassley’s office. He previously was a legislative correspondent.
Colleen Liang, Port of OaklandThe American Seed Trade Association has brought on Katrina Bishop as its new senior director of strategic communications. She previously worked at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers where she had been in the public affairs division since 2019. She previously worked on Capitol Hill for Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., as his press secretary and communications director.
Chris Tutino has taken a new job with Reach Global Strategies as the director of operations. He previously worked for Cibus as the senior director of communications. Before that, he was with Syngenta as the senior communications manager.
Jake Lowenstein has joined the Association of Equipment Manufacturers as the new policy communications manager. He previously was a communications manager at the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance at the Plastics Industry Association.
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AEM has also named new officers. Todd Stucke with the Kubota Tractors Corp. has been chosen as the new chairman of the association, succeeding Rod Schrader, chairman and CEO of Komatsu North America. Linda Hasenfratz, executive chair and CEO of Linamar, has been selected as the new vice chair. Melvin Porter, president and CEO of Link-Belt Cranes, is the group's treasurer. Bill Hurley, vice president of global government affairs at AGCO, was also tapped as the new ag chair.
Michael Stern and Anthony Osborne have been added to Sentera’s board of directors. Stern is the former chief executive officer of The Climate Corp. and head of digital farming for Bayer Crop Science. Osborne previously served in an advisory role for Sentera. Before that, he spent more than 30 years at Bayer and Monsanto in various senior leadership roles across product management, strategy and commercial, including vice president of marketing at The Climate Corp. and senior vice president of North American marketing.
Kathy Goodyke, a member of Minnesota Agri-Women and Sharron Zoller, a member of California Women for Agriculture, were recognized with the LEAVEN Award at the recent American Agri-Women Convention. The LEAVEN Award is the highest achievement American Agri-Woman can receive, honoring woman for their extraordinary impact on their agricultural community.
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