Alliance for Food and Farming Board Appoints Markon’s York Vice-Chair

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:  Teresa Thorne
(831) 786-1666

ALLIANCE FOR FOOD AND FARMING BOARD APPOINTS MARKON’S YORK VICE-CHAIR
Gorny and Woods Appointed to the Management Board

Markon President Tim York was appointed as Vice-Chair of the Alliance for Food and Farming (AFF) during the organization’s annual Management Board meeting. York replaces Bryan Silbermann who is retiring as the CEO of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA).

“Tim’s commitment to the produce industry is well known.  His knowledge, skill set and perspectives have benefitted many organizations and we are gratified that Tim will assume this leadership role with the AFF,” says AFF Chair Chris Zanobini.

“The AFF has an exciting program on the horizon in 2017 with many new elements that will continue to advance the goals of the organization,” York says.  “I look forward to taking on this new leadership role and working closely with the Board and staff to further the successes of the AFF.”

“Bryan Silbermann has been integral to the advancement and evolution of the AFF,” Zanobini continues.  “His involvement in the establishment of the Safe Fruits and Veggies campaign and his continued guidance has been a key factor in the success of this campaign and we thank him again for his service.”

Dr. James Gorny, Vice President for Food Safety and Technology of PMA and Kate Woods, Vice President of Northwest Horticultural Council were also appointed to the AFF Management Board during the annual meeting.  “Jim has served as Bryan’s alternate and has provided science-based perspectives to the Board which have been extremely helpful in our decision-making so we look forward to his continued service and input,” Zanobini says.

Woods serves on the AFF Communications Committee and replaces Christian Schlect who is retiring from the Northwest Horticultural Council in March.  “We welcome Kate and her expertise to the Board.  And, we thank Chris for his six years of service,” Zanobini says.  “The Board and the AFF organization significantly benefited from Chris’ wide-ranging experience and his logical and pragmatic approach and insights.”

The Board also appointed Teresa Thorne as the new Executive Director of the AFF to replace Marilyn Dolan who has left the organization to pursue other business interests.

The mission of the AFF is to deliver credible, science-based information about the safety of all produce.  The AFF  counters or corrects inaccurate information about the safety of organic and conventional produce so that facts, not fears, can guide consumers’ shopping choices. The cornerstone of the Safe Fruits and Veggies campaign is the safefruitsandveggies.com website which was established with the help of experts in the areas of toxicology, nutrition, risk analysis and farming.

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