California Advocates has added Adam Quiñonez as managing director. He most recently oversaw state relations for the Association of California Water Agencies, where he led a team of advocates representing more than 470 public water agencies. Quiñonez will transition to the California Advocates team after the legislative session. 

The International Fresh Produce Association announced the 2025 board of directors slate to be confirmed by a ballot at the 2024 Global Fresh Produce & Floral Show in Atlanta. Yan Branco of Sobey's has been tapped as Retail Council chair and Hans Leibbrandt of Monfrut for the role of Chile Council chair. At-large representatives include: Mohammed Abbas of Del Monte Fresh Produce, Steve Barnard of Mission Produce, Dave Chen of Equilibrium Capital/Perfection Fresh, Sonya Constable of Sprouts Farmers Market, Jan Doldersum of Rijk Zwaan, Jim Hancock of Sam's Club, West Mathison of Stemilt Growers, Chang Hwa Oh of Jinwon Trading, Shubha Rawal of IG International, Jose Rossignoli of Robinson Fresh, Shaily Sangvhi of Driscoll's and Maria Wieloch of ICA Gruppen. 

USApple elected new board officers. Brett Baker, president of United Apple Sales, will serve as board chair. He was raised on a fruit and vegetable farm in Ransomville, New York, and is the son of Paul Baker, the 1989 USApple chair. Baker succeeds 2023-24 USApple Chair Steve Clement, who currently serves as CEO of PNW Tree Fruit in Washington. Other elected board members include Steve Smith, vice chair, of Washington Fruit; Philip Glaize, III, secretary, of Glaize Apples in Virginia; and Kaari Stannard, treasurer, of New York Apple Sales. 

Rebecca Meyers joined Honeybear Brands as national sales director. She joins the apple grower, packer and shipper company with more than 20 years of experience in the fresh fruit industry, most recently working at Auvill Fruit Co. Meyers will lead the business development team in her new role. 

Target tapped Amy Tu as chief legal and compliance officer and corporate secretary. She was most recently president of international at Tyson Foods. She has also served in legal and leadership roles at Boeing. Tu succeeds Don Liu, who is retiring. She will assume her new role on Sunday. 

Amy Tu, Target

CoBank promoted Matt Hale to vice president of the water division. He has been with CoBank for 16 years, most recently in the position of electric distribution division vice president. 

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Matthew Caswell joined Green Capitol LLC as a partner. Most recently a senior agribusiness executive at AGP, Caswell will work on sustainable development policy with agriculture, energy and environment clients. He is an Iowa native and served as 2020 board of directors chairman for the Iowa Agribusiness Association. 

Neil Gormley is departing from his role as senior attorney at Earthjustice. Gormley is launching Wild Potomac, a nonprofit group working on conservation along the Potomac River. 

The North Dakota Beef Commission hired Rhiannon Wenzel as a communications specialist. The North Dakota native recently graduated from Bismarck State College with degrees in graphic design and communications. 

Drew Lingle started a new position as manager of clean energy policy initiatives and strategy at CF Industries. He joins the company from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce where he was a professional staff member. Lingle also previously worked on agriculture, energy, environment and trade issues for Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., for nearly four years. 

Starbucks tapped Angela Anderson as director of sustainability and supplier commitments for global supply chain. She worked at the National Pork Board and Dairy Management Inc. before joining Starbucks in 2022. 

Rantizo added Rachel Lium to staff as content marketing manager. Lium most recently worked on the marketing team at CHS. 

Mark Walton recently co-founded GRS International, a consulting group providing regulatory support and services to public and private developers in the animal agriculture space. He previously worked at AquaBounty Technologies Inc. as the chief technology officer. 

Shannon Scruggs Campagna is the new CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation. She will lead the bipartisan foundation that supports Congress. 

Laurel Caes started a new position as global marketing lead for solutions as a service at John Deere. She has been with the company for 13 years, most recently working on platform evangelism business transformation. 

Western Growers awarded Hudson Treloar the group’s annual scholarship. He will pursue a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles this fall. 

Greg Henderson, editorial director of Drovers at Farm Journal Media, died unexpectedly last week. He was 57. Before transitioning to editorial content, he started his career in farm radio and was a longtime advocate of the beef industry. His memorial service will be held at a later date, according to his obituary. 

ams-24-greg-henderson-768x660.jpgGreg Henderson
Frank Gilardi, co-founder of Freshway Foods, died July 8. He was 66. Frank and his brother Phil purchased the assets of their father’s wholesale company in 1988 to co-found their company, Freshway Foods, in Sidney, Ohio. Gilardi’s services were held in mid-July. 


Ed Duda, former CEO of DUDA, died Aug. 11. He was 91. Ed began his career with the family company in 1957 and held a variety of roles before being elected president in 1977. He retired from the company in 1998 from the post of CEO. He continued to serve on the company’s board of directors until 2005. He also served in an array of industry groups, including the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, chairman of the former United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association and trustee of Florida Institute of Technology. His memorial service will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Oviedo, Florida.

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