The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of six members to serve on the Christmas Tree Promotion Board. Appointees will serve three-year terms effective immediately, through Dec. 31, 2026, unless otherwise noted below.
The newly appointed members appointed are:
- Producer Region #1 – Western: JoLynn Stroda, Monroe, Oregon
- Producer Region #1 – Western: Chris Aldrich, RLA, Onalaska, Washington (through Dec. 31, 2025)
- Producer Region #2 – Central: Jane Neubauer, Chardon, Ohio
- Producer Region #3 – Eastern: Renee Beutell, Tuckasegee, North Carolina
- Producer Region #3 – Eastern: Chuck Berry, Covington, Georgia
- Importer – Larry Downey, Cookshire-eaton, Quebec Canada (thru Dec. 31, 2024)
The 12-member board is comprised of 11 producers representing production in the eastern, central and western regions of the United States, and one importer member.
More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Christmas Tree Promotion Board webpage.
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.
