Release No.: 121-17
WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2017 - Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced the appointment of 12 individuals to serve on the Hass Avocado Board.
Producers appointed to serve three-year terms are:
- Susan V. Pinkerton, Santa Paula, Calif.
- Laurie M. Luschei, Mission Viejo, Calif.
- Ben Van Der Kar, Carpinteria, Calif.
Producers appointed to serve three-year terms as alternates are:
- C J Shade, Ojai, Calif.
- Will Carleton, Carpinteria, Calif.
- Jeff Dickinson, Fallbrook, Calif.
Importers appointed to serve three-year terms are:
- Jorge A. Hernandez, Pharr, Texas
- Sergio Chavez, Lake Elsinore, Calif.
Importers appointed to serve three-year terms as alternates are:
- Jose Antonio Gomez, Plantation, Fla.
- Nils Goldschmidt, Henderson, Nev.
Producer appointed to serve a two-year term as an alternate is:
- Bob Schaar, Fallbrook, Calif.
Producer appointed to serve a one-year term as an alternate is:
- Thomas A. Escalante, Oxnard, Calif.
“These appointees represent a cross section of the Hass Avocado producers and I know that the Hass Avocado industry will be well served by them," said Perdue.
The 12 Hass Avocado Board members include seven producer members, two importer members and three producer or importer members that serve in swing seats. The type of member that will fill the swing seats is determined by the ratio of domestic avocado production to imports. Since 2006, all three swing seats have been assigned to importers. Each member has an alternate who can vote and make decisions only when they are acting for an absent member. Members can serve up to two consecutive three-year terms and may serve as alternates during the years when they are ineligible to serve as members. About one-third of the board is appointed annually by the Secretary.
The Board is authorized by the Hass Avocado Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 2000 and the Hass Avocado Promotion, Research and Information Order of 2002. Board members and alternates are nominated by their industry and appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized 22 industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. The Agricultural Marketing Service provides oversight, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal responsibility, program efficiency and fair treatment of participating stakeholders.
More information about the board is available on the Hass Avocado Board page on the AMS website, including a link to the Hass Avocado Board roster under the heading Organizational Structure.
More information about research and promotion programs is available on the Research and Promotion Programs page on the AMS website.
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