Mandla Nkomo has been tapped as the new CEO of Partners in Food Solutions. He succeeds co-founder Jeff Dykstra, who will step down in July. Nkomo previously worked for CGIAR, where he was the chief growth officer for the CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy Initiative. He will be based in South Africa.
Mandla Nkomo, incoming CEO of Partners in Food SolutionsTodd Tillemans has been selected as the new chief commercial officer at Perdue Farms. Tillemans previously was the CEO at Cynosure, a developer and manufacturer of light-based aesthetic and medical treatment systems. Before that, he was the U.S. president of The Hershey Co.
Irene Kimball is the new communications director for Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Mo. She previously worked at Targeted Victory as a recruiter.
Anna Stutz has joined the staff of House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee member Julia Letlow’s, R-La., office as a scheduler. She previously was a staff assistant for Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
James Gomez is the new senior legislative assistant for Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill. He will handle the portfolio for immigration, environmental protection, foreign trade, and international affairs for the House Ag Democrat. He previously worked for the Rainbow PUSH Coalition as the director of international affairs.
Bob Mattive of Monte Vista, Colorado. has been elected as the new president of the National Potato Council. He will serve in the position for the next year. He and his wife, Gail, are partners of Worley Family Farms in Monte Vista. He succeeds RJ Andrus, Idaho Falls, Idaho, who has now become the immediate past president.
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Ted Tschirky of Pasco, Washington, has been tapped as NPC's first vice president and vice president of trade affairs. Dean Gibson of Paul, Idaho, is the new vice president of legislative affairs, Ben Sklarczyk, Johannesburg, Michigan, is the vice president of environmental affairs, TJ Hall, Hoople, North Dakota, was elected vice president of finance and office procedures, and Chris Olsen, Othello, Washington, is the new vice president of grower outreach and industry relations.
Bob Mattive, National Potato CouncilGreg Johnson has been elected as the new president of the California Farm Water Coalition. He owns Far West Rice in Durham, California. He replaces San Joaquin Valley farmer, Bill Diedrich, who served as the organization's president for the past eight years. Gina Dockstader, an Imperial Valley farmer, has been elected as vice president, and Wayne Western, of Hammonds Ranch in Fresno County, is the new secretary/treasurer. Additionally, Brett Lauppe, representing CoBank, and Jeff Sutton, of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, were added as new board members.
CEA Alliance has added two new members to its board of directors. Effective March 1, Craig Hurlbert of Local Bounti, and Andrew Horowitz, KUBO Greenhouse Projects, have joined the Alliance’s board of directors. Hurlbert has served as Local Bounti’s chief executive officer since December 2023. Horowitz is the North American director of strategic development for KUBO Greenhouse Projects, a Netherlands-based greenhouse construction business.
Keeff Felty has been elected president of the National Association of Wheat Growers during the organization's annual conference in Houston, Texas. Felty is a fourth-generation farmer in Oklahoma, who farms cotton, sesame, and pastureland along with his wheat crops. He succeeds Brent Cheyne of Oregon, who has transitioned into the past president position. Other officers elected include Pat Clements of Kentucky as vice president, Jamie Kress from Idaho as treasurer, and Nathan Keane of Montana as the new secretary.
The World Food Prize Foundation has added Francine Barchett and Nick Blumenthal to its Council of Advisors as youth members. The Council of Advisors guides the Foundation’s programs and ratifies the selection of the World Food Prize Laureate by the independent selection committee. Barchett and Blumenthal are the third and fourth members to join the Council of Advisors as youth representatives. Barchett is a Ph.D. student at Cornell University. She was selected to join the Council of Advisors in recognition of her research in social science, scientific communication, and commitment to education. Blumenthal was selected to join the Council of Advisors in recognition of his activism efforts in leveraging science and technology to combat global food insecurity. He was a Borlaug-Ruan International Intern stationed at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, where he researched structural inequities of African agriculture.
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