Julie Berge joined the Wine Institute as vice president of communications and member relations. She was previously senior director of strategic communications at the Western States Petroleum Association. Earlier in her career, Berge worked at global communications firm FleishmanHillard focused on using storytelling to connect food and wine clients with Californians.
Julie Berge (Wine Institute photo) Chris Williams, vice president of sales at Rä Foods, died March 20 after a battle with cancer. He was 44. A respected figure in the food industry, WIlliams began his career at Tyson Foods. He later worked in key sales, business management and marketing positions at Danone, Mikey’s and WhiteWave Foods, among other companies. He began his role with Rä Foods representing the Wild About Sprouts and Wild About Mixmi brands in 2023.
Maggie McNeil has retired "for keeps" from the Organic Trade Association, she said in a note to media contacts. She retired from the organization a few years ago and has been supporting the group’s media relations on contract. Prior to OTA, McNeil wrote for MarketWatch.com, Sparks Companies and Reuters. Sandy Pfaff will now lead OTA media relations.
John Tadayuki Nakamura, a farmer who served 12 years as the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s representative in Washington, died Feb. 27 at age 88 in Springfield, Virginia. Nakamura was born in Los Angeles. He and his family were relocated to Japanese-American internment camps in Arkansas during World War ll. After getting a food science degree at the University of California, Davis, and serving in the Army he took over operation of a family farm and would win California’s Outstanding Young Farmer award in 1972 for his work with a group of scientists on integrated pest management. He was an associate of the International Fellowship, a Christian ministry, and passionate about addressing global hunger. He was a close friend of and assistant to Tony Hall, former congressman and ambassador to the UN food and agriculture programs in 2002-06. Hall eulogized Nakamura at his service Tuesday.
Michael Skahill is now a partner at DTB Agri-Trade and executive director of the Meat Import Council of America. He most recently worked for Lineage Logistics in global government relations. Skahill worked at Smithfield Foods for more than 20 years in global affairs and government relations positions. He completed a term as vice chairman of the National Pork Board and previously served on the U.S.-China Agricultural Food Partnership and the U.S. Meat Export Federation trade committee. Skahill will replace Bill Westman after his retirement.
Walmart hired Wendy Hamilton as director of federal government affairs. She was director of operations for House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass.
A group of top whiskey producers launched the American Whiskey Association to promote U.S.-made whiskey around the globe. Priorities of the group will include reducing tariffs in global markets, addressing non-tariff barriers and promoting industry marketing opportunities. Founding members include Jack Daniel’s, Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark, among others.
Eden Lambert (Torrey Advisory Group photo) Torrey Advisory Group hired Eden Lambert as a policy manager focused on animal agriculture, commodities, credit and crop insurance. At Texas A&M University, Lambert was a graduate research assistant at the Agricultural and Food Policy Center and studied how policy affected the affordability of various crop insurance options for producers. She previously was an intern at the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.
The American Egg Board announced new board and executive committee members after the organization’s spring meeting. New officers include Andy Seger as chair, Ross Dean as vice chair, Sandra Lausecker as secretary and John Watson as treasurer. Sam Krouse and Sara Stiebrs were selected as members at large. Alex Simpson will move into the immediate past chair position. The board, composed of 36 egg farmers, including 18 members and 18 alternates, welcomed four new members: Emily Battilega of Sioux Center, Iowa; Justin Haats of Howard Lake, Minnesota; John Puglisi of Howell, New Jersey, and Libby Schwab of Monroe, New Hampshire.
Former Heritage Foundation senior research fellow Brent Sadler was nominated to be the next U.S. Maritime Administration administrator. He was with the Navy for 26 years and has served stints with the U.S. Pacific Command and Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
Former Sen. J. Bennett Johnston, a Louisiana Democrat who advocated vigorously for rice in USDA overseas food aid programs but opposed ethanol mandates, died March 25 at a hospital in Arlington, Virginia. He was 92. A daughter said he had covid and other ailments. Johnston chaired the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee from 1987 until he retired in 1997 after four Senate terms. He also shaped 1992 legislation on water-sharing in California and a 1990 bill that preserved 1 million acres in the Tongass National Forest. Lecturing oil and gas executives on their financial support, he said that the seven largest oil companies contributed less to candidates than the Alabama Farm Bureau, according to The New York Times. In 1994, Johnston resisted without success a Clinton administration rule that added ethanol to motor fuel.
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