USDA Announces New Board Members to Hass Avocado Board

New Board Members Announced by the USDA in November and New Executive Committee Members Announced by Hass Avocado Board in Early December

On Thursday November 19th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the appointment of 11 members to the Hass Avocado Board (HAB). Appointed are three producer members, three producer alternates, two importer members and two importer alternates to fill three-year terms beginning Nov. 1, 2020, and expiring on Oct. 31, 2023, and one producer alternate to fill the remainder of the term which expires on Oct. 31, 2021.

Members and alternates newly appointed to serve are:

• Susan V. Pinkerton, Ventura, California (Producer Member)
• Ben Van Der Kar, Carpinteria, California (Producer Member)
• CJ Shade, Ojai, California (Producer Member)
• William Carleton, Carpinteria, California (Producer Alternate)
• Jeff Dickinson, Fallbrook, California (Producer Alternate)
• Kimberlin Brown Pelzer, Fallbrook, California (Producer Alternate)
• Keith Slattery, San Clemente, California (Producer Alternate 1-year term)
• Jorge A. Hernandez, McAllen, Texas (Importer Member)
• Sergio Chavez, Lake Elsinore, California (Importer Member)
• Andrew Bruno, Newbury Park, California (Importer Alternate)
• Peter Shore, Ojai, California (Importer Alternate)

HAB has 12 members, which include seven producer members, two importer members and three producer or importer members who serve in swing seats. Each member has an alternate.

Following these appointments, at the Hass Avocado Board’s new member seating event held on December 1, 2020, HAB announced two producers and two importers have been seated to HAB’s Executive Committee.

“I am honored to continue supporting the work of HAB alongside these respected industry members seated to the executive committee,” said HAB Chairman Jorge Hernandez. “We know HAB’s success truly depends on the leadership of our board members and we look forward to supporting HAB’s vision of making fresh Hass avocados America’s most popular fruit by 2025.”

As the only independent avocado organization, HAB’s goal is to equip the entire industry for success. The executive committee will play a pivotal role in implementing HAB’s new 2021-2025 strategic plan, which includes strategies, objectives and five-year working goals across each of five strategic priority areas:

Sustainability

Nutrition

Business Support Tools and Information

Industry Engagement and Leadership

Communications

For the industry, HAB strives to be a catalyst for action and a reason to be confident. All industry members are encouraged to register here to view timely industry updates and access tools that will help facilitate the decision-making process for their avocado business.