IRVINE, Calif. (December 13, 2007) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture appointed new members to the federal Hass Avocado Board (HAB) during the November 28 HAB board meeting. The HAB board of directors then elected the new term’s officers including: Len Francis, chairman; Jim Donovan, vice-chairman; Don Reeder, treasurer (re-elected); and Ed Figueroa, secretary (re-elected). The officers will serve a one-year term ending November 2008.
HAB Chairman Len Francis has served on the HAB since its inception in 2002, fulfilling the role of the board’s treasurer in 2005-2006 and vice-chairman in 2006-2007. In addition to his duties with HAB, Francis has been involved in avocado production for nearly 40 years. He served as a farm advisor for the University of California in Riverside and Orange Counties and has owned LF Grove Management for 30 years. Additionally, Francis has been in production research for two decades and served as the California avocado industry’s production research coordinator for nine years.
“I am honored to have been elected to this position by my fellow board members,” said Len Francis, chairman of the HAB. “During my tenure on the HAB board of directors, I have enjoyed becoming familiar with the issues of the international Hass avocado community. I look forward to serving as the HAB chairman and to the challenge of continuing to build growth within the Hass avocado category.”
In his new position, Francis will take on a leadership role in overseeing the strategic direction of HAB. Francis replaces previous HAB Chairman Charley Wolk who served as the chairman since the inception of the board in 2002. Wolk is now filling the newly formed position of immediate past-chairman.
About the Hass Avocado Board
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) was established in 2002 to promote the consumption of Hass avocados in the United States. A 12-member board representing domestic producers and importers of Hass avocados directs the HAB’s promotion, research and information programs under supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture. Hass avocados are grown in California and imported into the US from Mexico, Chile, Peru, Dominican Republic and New Zealand.
