The National Mango Board elected new officers during its March board meeting. As dedicated members, the NMB officers will fulfill their duties and responsibilities by leading the board in accordance with the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996, and the Mango Order.

Clark Golden of Vineland, NJ, will serve as chair, and Christopher Ciruli of Tubac, AZ, as vice chair. Serving as secretary is Michael Warren of Pompano Beach, FL, and elected as treasurer is Marsela McGrane of Los Angeles. The NMB officers, together with the rest of the board members, will continue to uphold

National Watermelon Promotion Board held its biannual board meeting virtually on Saturday, March 6 during which board member Jordan Carter was elected president by her peers, becoming the first woman to serve in this position. Prior to this nomination, Carter (District 3, Cordele, GA) served as secretary/treasurer as well as interim president since January 2021.

“I am overjoyed and beyond honored to serve as president and want to make my time in service meaningful,” said Carter. “I am so grateful to be a part of an amazing board of directors who work hard every day to promote watermelon and

John Shuman, president and CEO of Shuman Farms in Cobbtown, GA, has been named the 2020 Grower of the Year by the Vidalia Onion Committee in recognition of Shuman’s contributions to the industry for more than 25 years.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Buck Shuman, who began growing Vidalia onions in the 1980s, John Shuman took over his family’s farm in the early 1990s, rebuilding it from the ground up following the national farm crisis of the previous decade. Today Shuman Farms is one of the largest growers of Vidalia onions in North America.

A graduate of Georgia Southern

Okanagan Specialty Fruits, developer and grower behind the innovative Arctic apple, announced a line of staff changes and promotions in 2021 at the vice president and manager level.

• Jenn Armen - vice president of marketing and sales is now vice president of business and corporate development
• Don Westcott - director of operations has been promoted to vice president of operations, marketing and sales
• Marcy Keehn - HR manager has been promoted to the director of HR and admin
• Jodi Green - marketing manager has been promoted to senior marketing manager
• Monica Meinen – production scheduling

West Pak Avocado announced the appointment of Leonard Cueva as the company's senior vice president of finance.

To his new position, Cueva brings expertise in strategic business development, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and financial modeling. He also has turn-around business experience, a track record for improving internal controls, has studied the impact of lean manufacturing on operations, and has created a robotics process automation strategy.

Cueva is the former vice president of finance at C.R. Laurence, a manufacturer and supplier of architectural glazing systems. He

RCF Distributors LLC reported the sudden loss of dear friend, colleague and paramount sales agent Alan Alvarez. Mr. Alvarez died on Saturday, Jan. 30. El Grupo Crespo: RCF Distributors, Crespo Organic Mangoes, Empaque Don Jorge and hundreds of mango industry friends mourn the loss of the Mango King.

Deemed the Mango King years ago by customers, Mr. Alvarez built his successful career in produce through dedication, hard work, integrity and a positive attitude. He was an incredible relationship-builder within the industry, and he earned the trust of many on both sides of the border. His