The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointment of six members to serve on the National Mango Board. Six appointees will serve three-year terms, beginning January 1, 2025, and ending December 31, 2027.
Newly appointed members are:
- District I Importer: Albert Perez, Miami, Florida
- District I Importer: Luis Orrantia, Doral, Florida
- Domestic Producer: Umi Martin, Waimea, Hawaii
- First Handler: Luis Gabriel Cintron, Miami, Florida
- Foreign Producer: Helena Medeiros, João Pessoa Petrolina, Brazil
- Foreign Producer: Jose Angel Crespo, El Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico
The National Mango Board has 18 members, including eight importers, seven foreign producers, two domestic producers, and one first handler.
More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Mango Board webpage or on the board’s website at www.mango.org.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 22 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
AMS policy is that diversity of the boards, councils and committees it oversees should reflect the diversity of their industries in terms of the experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies and other distinguishing factors, including but not limited to individuals from historically underserved communities, that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. Throughout the full nomination process, the industry must conduct extensive outreach, paying particular attention to reaching underserved communities, and consider the diversity of the population served and the knowledge, skills and abilities of the members to serve a diverse population.
