The Northwest Hort Council's new staff member Laura Grunenfelder

The Northwest Hort Council’s new staff member Laura Grunenfelder

Laura Grunenfelder has joined the Northwest Horticultural Council in Yakima, Washington, as a science policy specialist. She will assist the Pacific Northwest tree fruit industry on matters relating to agricultural chemicals, food safety, export market access, and other technical policy issues.

Grunenfelder is from Olalla, Washington, and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, specializing in botany and plant sciences, from Washington State University. She went on to earn a master’s degree in postharvest physiology from WSU in 2003, graduating magna cum laude.

After graduating, she worked for AgroFresh as a field technician for non-apple crops. In 2006, she accepted a position with Pace International, LLC, in Wapato, Washington. Before joining the Hort Council on June 3, she was Pace’s technical service program manager for the southern Northwest region. As part of that job, she worked with apple, pear, and stone-fruit packing facilities on implementation of products and equipment, employee training, and food safety.