Drew Toop will join the staff of the Northwest Horticultural Council as regulatory information specialist on December 8. Toop, who grew up in the Yakima, Washington, earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Chinese Language and Culture from Washington State University in 2012. He has spent time in Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China.

Chris Schlect, president of the Hort Council, said Toop’s primary responsibilities will be to closely monitor national and international technical documents for anything that could influence tree fruit trade, such as changes maximum residue levels for pesticides by foreign governments. Schlect said Toop’s knowledge of China and the language could prove useful, since China is a target market for Northwest cherries, apples, and pears.