Farm Hands West: Lee to lead SJTA, Becker promoted at Mission Produce

The San Joaquin Tributaries Authority has named Andree Lee as the organization’s first executive director. A California water resources and policy leader, Lee currently works for EKI Environment and Water Inc. as vice president in the water resources group, specializing in facilitating solutions to water management challenges among agencies and stakeholders. In the SJTA leadership role, Lee will oversee an approximate budget of $1.5 million and serve as the voice of the organization. She also serves as chair for the Urban Water Institute and is a former Water Education Foundation California Water Leader. 

Andree Lee, San Joaquin Tributaries Authority

Mission Produce promoted Brooke Becker to senior vice president of sales. She will lead the company’s North America sales team meeting demand for avocados and mangos. Becker has been employed with Mission for 13 years, beginning as a sales intern and most recently in the role of vice president of sales. 

Ryan Krabill joined the Oregon Farm Bureau as a government affairs manager. He previously worked for the National Potato Council and Potatoes USA. 

Kenneth Connolly has joined the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee's Democratic staff as a senior policy adviser for Chairman Tom Carper, D-Del. Connolly was most recently a climate, energy and finance policy adviser at Goldman Sachs. 

The Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of eight members to the Hass Avocado Board for 3-year terms. Producer members include James Johnson of Fillmore, California, and Paula Coxe of Fallbrook, California; and Michael Craviotto of Moorpark, California, and Ivor Van Wingerden of Arroyo Grande, California, as producer alternates.  Importer members include David Billings of Capistrano Beach, California; and Angela Tallant of Estero, Florida; as well as Kellie Bray, Global Farmer NetworkSabrina Castillo Lora of Miami, and Robert Ybarra of Pharr, Texas, as alternates. 

Ag policy veteran Kellie Bray is joining the Global Farmer Network as director of partnerships while also starting her own business, KBray Consulting, to focus on agriculture, innovation and problem solving projects. Bray worked for CropLife America for 16 years, most recently as chief of staff. She will continue to have an array of volunteer roles including serving on the Midwest Food Bank national board of directors.

Michael Bliss was promoted to director of grower services at California Citrus Mutual. He has been with the organization for over a year and a half in a manager position. In his new role, Bliss will lead the team in developing strategies to improve services and benefits to growers and allied industry partners.

The Foundation for Fresh Produce announced the 2025 board of directors. Dwight Ferguson, president and CEO of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, will serve as chair. Alex DiNovo, president and chief operating officer of DNO Produce, will continue to serve on the board and executive committee as past chair. Other individuals tapped for leadership positions include Chair-Elect Jin Ju Wilder of Vesta Foods and Secretary/Treasurer April Porter from Noble Citrus and Crystal Beach Capital. 

The Food Industry Association hired Erin Sigrist as director of state government affairs. She was previously president of the Vermont Retail and Grocers Association for the last seven years and executive director of the Vermont Specialty Food Association. 

Michael Connor, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, will step down. Over his 3.5-year tenure, he oversaw billions of dollars of infrastructure investments to advance navigation improvement, flood and storm damage reduction and aquatic system restoration. 

Agricultural trade policy specialist Brent Boydston has launched a new business, Ag Center Solutions. He is a past chair of the U.S. Grains Council and was previously a corn, cereal grains, digital agriculture and carbon lead at Bayer Crop Science. 

Teresina Chin is the new lead international trade specialist in the USDA Foreign Ag Service cooperator programs division. She has been a marketing specialist at the agency for nearly 36 years. 

Andrew Walmsley joined the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology as vice president of government relations. Most recently, he was director of legislative affairs for the Florida Farm Bureau Federation. Before that, he was senior director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau Federation, wherAndrew Walmsley, Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnologye he managed AFBF’s farm policy team to include energy, climate, transportation and biotechnology issues. He was named a ‘Top Lobbyist’ in Washington by The Hill in 2022. 

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Patrick Creamer has officially stepped down as communications director for the Republican side of the Senate Agriculture Committee. He worked in D.C. for 24 years before taking federal retirement and relocating to Arkansas. Sara Lasure, a veteran of Arkansas Sen. John Boozman’s personal office, will now lead communications for the committee's GOP side. 

The FGS Global food and agriculture team hired Patrick Bond as a director. Previously, he led government affairs for the American Securities Administration and was communications director for Oklahoma Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Okla.

Sanah Baig is the new White House senior policy advisor for agriculture and nutrition. She was most recently deputy undersecretary for research, education and economics at the USDA, the Good Food Institute, and the Biden-Harris transition team. 

Caitlin Harder joined the Beer Institute as director of public affairs. She previously worked at Clyde as a director of public affairs.   

The Senate Agriculture Committee hired Mary Phillips Hubert as counsel. She previously served on the staff of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee. Hubert is a Texas A&M and University of Arkansas alumna. 

Melissa Duncan, legal head of global seeds and North America regional counsel at Syngenta, departed from the company on Nov. 1 after 6 years in that role. James Cueva, head of intellectual property, global seeds and biotech, is the new head of legal seeds and patents. He will maintain the responsibilities of his old and new roles. 

Shirley Lu, U.S. Wheat Associates

Shirley Lu was promoted to China managing director at the U.S. Wheat Associates. She replaces regional vice president Jeff Coey, who retired on Dec. 31. Lu begins her position on Jan. 1 based in USW’s Hong Kong regional office. Before joining USW in 2012, Lu worked as a wheat buyer for 12 years. 

Beau Greenwood is the new director of federal government affairs at Juul Labs. He was most recently a consultant at Greenwood Strategies and previously worked at CropLife America for 16 years. 

Sandra Wright is the new executive assistant at the Grain Elevator and Processing Society. She previously worked in an executive assistant position at the National Corn Growers Association for over 25 years. 

Jack Bobo will be the new executive director of the UCLA Rothman Family Institute for Food Studies. He will lead the program alongside faculty director Amy Rowat. Bobo will continue working with the University of Nottingham Food Systems Institute to foster relationships between the two institutions. Bobo won the 2024 Council for Agricultural Science and Technology communication award at the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Des Moines last week. 

Lynn Frances Gallagher has died at the age of 79. Gallagher completed 25 years of public service, beginning her Capitol Hill career as a professional staff member for ranking Republican William Wampler of Virginia on the House Agriculture Committee. She became an expert on both trade and nutrition policy. A celebration of life will be held Wednesday and her funeral Thursday in Falls Church, Virginia.