Orlando, Fla. — The 2016-2017 Center for Growing Talent by PMA Board of Directors took office on Thurs., October 13 during Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) 2016 Fresh Summit Convention and Exposition in Orlando, Fla. Chairman of the Board Leonard Batti, vice president of business development of Taylor Farms California, Inc., Salinas, is joined by three other officers and 19 directors.
The Center for Growing Talent by PMA Board of Directors provides strategic direction for CGTbyPMA’s attract, develop and retain strategies for the fresh produce and floral industry and the implementation of fundraising plans to support its charitable work.
New board officers are:
- Leonard Batti, Chair, vice president of business development, Taylor Farms California, Inc., Salinas, Calif.
- Marty Craner, Chair Elect, president, B&C Fresh Sales, Orange, Calif.
- April Porter, Secretary/Treasurer, chief financial officer, Noble Produce, Winter Haven, Fla.
- Dick Spezzano, Immediate Past Chair, president, Spezzano Consulting Service, Inc., Monrovia, Calif.
New board members are:
- Robert Gordon, president/CEO, FreshPoint, Inc., Maitland, Fla.
- Janet Mahoney, director global total rewards, Driscoll’s, Watsonville, Calif.
- April Porter, chief financial officer, Noble Produce, Winter Haven, Fla.
- Megan Silcott, director of the Brock Center for Agricultural Communication, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Returning board members are:
- Juan Alarcon, CEO, Turbana Corporation, Coral Gables, Fla.
- Aribel Beck, vice president of finance & Administration/CFO, Naturipe Farms, LLC, Estero, Fla.
- Cathy Burns, president, Produce Marketing Association, Newark, Del.
- Jerry Butt, president/CEO, MIXTEC Group, Glendale, Calif.
- Chris Cervini, president, Lakeside Produce, Leamington, Ontario, Canada
- Tony D’Amico, president, To-Jo Mushrooms, Avondale, Pa.
- Gabriel Fonzo, CEO, Integrity, SA, Santiago, Chile
- Mikel Hancock, Sr. Director, Produce and Floral, Walmart, Bentonville, Ark.
- Kelly Jacob, vice president of retail & emerging channels, Pro Act, LLC, Houston, Texas
- Mark Munger, vice president, sales & marketing, 4Earth Farms, Commerce, Calif.
- Jill Overdorf, director business and culinary development/corporate chef, Coosemans LA Shipping, Vernon, Calif.
- Doug Ranno, CEO, Musical Harvest, Salinas, Calif.
- Dave Rhodes, vice president of produce & floral, Marsh Supermarkets, LLC, Indianapolis
- Jorge Suarez, director human resources, Earthbound Farm, The WhiteWave Foods Company, San Juan Bautista, Calif.
- LeighAnne Thomsen, marketing manager, Mission Produce, Oxnard, Calif.
- Tom Wonderly, chief human resources officer, Castellini Company, Highland Heights, Ky.
Retiring from the board are:
- Melany Jolly, executive vice president, Cream of the Crop Inc., Carmel, Calif.
- Jim Leimkuhler, president/owner, Progressive Produce LLC, Los Angeles
- Jim Richter, president & CEO, Amerifresh, Inc., Scottsdale, Ariz.
- Drew Yurko, chief financial officer, Lipman, Immokalee, Fla.
- Larry Zink, industry relations and outreach coordinator, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
About the Center for Growing Talent by PMA
Center for Growing Talent by PMA (CGTbyPMA) is a charitable organization 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 and women, emerging leaders, mid-level individuals and senior executives. Created in 2005, CGTbyPMA evolved from the PMA Foundation for Industry Talent to our new name and logo in 2016 to better describe what we do for the industry. For more information, visit GrowingTalentbyPMA.org.
About Produce Marketing Association (PMA)
Produce Marketing Association is the leading trade association representing companies from every segment of the global produce and floral supply chain. PMA helps members grow by providing connections that expand business opportunities and increase sales and consumption. For more information, visit www.pma.com.
Source: Produce Marketing Association (PMA)
