Board members, whose terms officially began Aug. 1, also elected Alexi Rodriguez as chair and re-elected George Goshgarian Jr. as vice chair.
“Our industry is facing many challenges right now,” said Rodriguez. “I’m looking forward to working with this talented and dedicated board and organization. I believe we have the resources and experience to navigate these complicated times.”
The 10-member ABC board has five grower members – three representing independent growers and two representing cooperative growers – and five handler members, also with three independent and two co-op representatives. Some members sit in three-year seats, others in one-year positions.
The grower representatives elected or re-elected in this year’s elections are:
- Paul Ewing, an independent from RPAC, LLC in Los Banos. He was re-elected to a one-year term.
- Brandon Rebiero, an independent grower from Gold Leaf Farming in Modesto who previously served as an alternate and was elected to a three-year term.
The handler representatives were re-elected in both positions this year. They are:
- Darren Rigg, an independent handler from Minturn Nut Co. in Le Grand. He was re-elected to a one-year term.
- Mel Machado, a co-op handler with Blue Diamond Growers from Modesto re-elected to a three-year term.
In addition, the board has three alternates elected or re-elected this year:
- Katie Staack-Dorsett, an independent grower with Grizzly Nut, LLC from Waterford This is her first term as an alternate.
- Chad DeRose, an independent handler with Famoso Nut Co., LLC in McFarland, who was re-elected.
- Mark Jansen, a co-op handler with Blue Diamond Growers from Sacramento who was also re-elected.
This is the full board:
