Newark, De. – Center for Growing Talent by PMA, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins have come together to announce the founding of the Frieda Rapoport Caplan Women’s Fresh Perspectives Scholarship that will enable a woman in the industry to attend the Women’s Fresh Perspective Conference each year at no cost. This year’s conference will be held on September 12-14, 2021. The scholarship, named after the late, industry legend, Frieda Rapoport Caplan, is the product of a generous gift from Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins.
The Caplan’s family influence and engagement with the Women’s Fresh Perspectives portfolio goes back to the earliest days of conference program. Frieda Rapoport Caplan was a speaker at the very first Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference and more recently received the Women’s Catalyst Award at the Women’s Fresh Perspectives Breakfast in October 2019. Caplan passed away the following January and the annual award was renamed in her honor. The Caplan influence does not end with Frieda, Caplan’s granddaughter, Alex Berkley, has attended every conference and has been an active leader of the Women’s Fresh Perspectives Committee, serving as co-chair from 2015-2017.
“As we finished off 2020, it was a challenging year for everyone in business, we felt it would be really awesome to memorialize and honor Mom by finding a way to give back to the industry and the foundation,” said Karen Caplan, CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Jackie and I decided to establish a scholarship to allow a woman who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to attend the conference to do so – all expenses paid.”
The scholarship is designed for women in the industry who embody Frieda’s spirit of action, excellence and dedication to personal and professional development. The 2021 scholarship recipient should meet a few criteria, including being a first-time attendee of the Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference and employed in any segment of the produce and floral supply chain both at the time of the application and the time of the conference (September 12-14, 2021). More details on who should apply and the live application form, can be found here. Applications are live now and due by May 31, 2021 for this year’s consideration.
“Many of us will remember Frieda as a transformative leader, a mentor, and an enduring supporter of personal and professional development,” said Megan Nash, director of programs at Center for Growing Talent. “It is so fitting that in the years to come, many women will be able to pursue their own development at the Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference because of this lasting gift. We are so grateful to Karen, Jackie and the Caplan family for their generous contribution and we’re honored to be a part of the work to ensure the legacy of Frieda Rapoport Caplan is never forgotten.”
The Frieda Rapoport Caplan Women’s Fresh Perspectives Scholarship is one of two scholarships available to produce and floral professionals through the Center for Growing Talent. The Tip Murphy Scholarship for Leadership Excellence is available for young professionals to cover the cost of attendance to one of the Center for Growing Talent’s programs including the Emerging Leaders Program. Those interested in applying can do so here, all applications are due by May 31, 2021.
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About Center for Growing Talent
Center for Growing Talent (CGT) was created by the produce and floral industry to grow the people across our industry. We help attract, develop and retain the talent needed to feed our industry’s growth, including educational programming and networking events. We offer a variety of industry-specific solutions across the career continuum, for university students, young professionals, women, emerging leaders, mid-level individuals and senior executives. For more information, visit CenterforGrowingTalent.org.
