IFPA Announces New Board of Directors Slate for 2023

International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) has announced the slate of new directors for the 2023 IFPA Board of Directors. The volunteer leaders will be confirmed by a ballot shared with membership and their board term will begin at the end of October.

The IFPA Board of Directors is led by the officers of the Executive Committee and will be led in 2023 by current chair-elect, Laura Himes, senior merchandising director at Walmart. Himes will inherit the role from current chair, Bruce Taylor, CEO of Taylor Farms.

Both Himes and Taylor will take the stage in Orlando at the Global Produce & Floral Show in October to share their remarks. The next Chair-Elect, slotted to assume leadership of the Executive Committee will be John Anderson, CEO and Managing Partner of Oppy.

Laura Himes:
 

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead and collaborate with this Board of Directors. It is an incredibly diverse group representing ideas from around the globe and will build on the successes of IFPA’s inaugural year in fulfilling our mission, vision, and delivering on our 7 strategic commitments."

The new slate of board directors are selected to serve in roles of those directors retiring from board service. Tasked with identifying these leaders is the Leadership Development Committee.

This year, this committee was led by past Chairs Dwight Ferguson, president and CEO of California Agricultural Leadership Foundation and Danny Dumas, senior vice president and general manager of Calavo Growers.

Danny Dumas:
 

"It’s been an honor serving this industry as a part of the Leadership Development Committee. The role of the Board is to provide the insights and perspectives that will drive the association forward and create solutions that give our members more access to the people and ideas that can make a difference in their business. I’m confident this Board slate of leaders will do just that as it leads an already strong and engaged volunteer community."

With over 1000 volunteer leaders serving across multiple committees, councils, and other working groups, IFPA Board of Directors serve a key role in driving association work around the seven priorities.

This year’s slate of directors will assume leadership of the Food Safety Council, Australia New Zealand Advisory Board, the Marketing Council and more. Before IFPA officially launched in January 2022, it was announced that the Board structure was designed to support all segments of industry membership across the global supply chain.

Dwight Ferguson:
 

"In identifying the volunteers who would join the Board in the coming year, we aligned the association’s strategic needs with thought leaders who will bring a diversity of perspectives and backgrounds, to ensure the Board is reflective of the industry we represent."

"We know these leaders will work in partnership with those Directors continuing their Board service and with the staff to grow prosperity for our industry and the world through bold advocacy, powerful connections, and actionable guidance."

The new Board slate for 2023:

• Australia New Zealand Advisory Board
  • Richard Byllaardt, Chairman, Citrus Australia - Mildura, Victoria, Australia
• Food Safety Council
  • Jennifer Pulcipher, Director of Food Safety & Compliance, North Bay Produce – Traverse City, Michigan, USA
• Fresh-Cut Processor Council
  • Judy Clark, Chief Executive Officer, Fresh Texas – San Antonio, Texas, USA
• Marketing Council
  • Karen Nardozza, President & Chief Executive Officer, Moxxy Marketing – Miami, Florida, USA
• South Africa
  • Jaco Oosthuizen, Chief Executive Officer, RSA Group – Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
• U.S. Government Relations Council
  • Bret Erickson, Executive Vice President, Little Bear Produce – Edinburg, Texas, US
• Wholesaler-Distributor Council
  • Stefanie Katzman, Executive Vice President, S. Katzman Produce – Bronx, New York, USA

Retiring Board members include:

• Tom Brugato, President, Pacific Coast Fruit Company - Wholesaler-Distributor Chair
• Adrielle Dankier, Commercial Director, Nature's Pride
• Trevor Dukes, CEO, The Fruit Farm Group - South Africa Chair
• Danny Dumas, Senior Vice President, Calavo Growers - Immediate Past Co-Chair
• Cheryl Enlow, VP of QA and Food Safety, Renaissance Food Group - Food Safety Chair
• Dwight Ferguson, President/CEO, California Agricultural Leadership Foundation - Immediate Past Co-Chair
• Karen Fernald, SVP Category, Merchandising and Pricing, Food Lion
• Ben Hoodless, Director & Business Development Specialist, ElementAG - IFPA Australia-New Zealand Chair
• Brian Kocher, President and CEO, Calavo Growers - US Government Relations Chair
• Jacob Krempel, VP of Operations, HelloFresh
• Raina Nelson, President, US, Westfalia Fruit Marketing USA LLC - Fresh-Cut Chair
• Carlos Oramas, CEO, Gems Group, Inc.
• Michael Simonetta, CEO, Perfection Fresh