Dan Davis joins CF Fresh
Dan Davis has joined CF Fresh of Sedro-Woolley, Washington, as production coordinator. He oversees the harvesting, packing, and quality assurance for the certified organic fruits and vegetables that the company’s growers produce in Washington, Oregon, and California. He also coordinates the company’s growing private-label packing program. Davis was formerly general manager of Allan Brothers, Inc., of Yakima, Washington.


Gasperini heads NCAE

Frank Gasperini has joined the National Council of Agricultural Employers in Washington, D.C., as executive vice president. He succeeds Sharon Hughes, who left the organization in May.
The NCAE represents employers on labor issues and is active in efforts to promote immigration reform and labor enforcement at the federal level.

For the past seven years, Gasperini was director of state issues with RISE/CropLife. RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) represents manufacturers of nonagricultural pesticides and fertilizers. He previously worked for other pesticide manufacturers and distributors, including DuPont, Gowan, Lesco, and Van Waters & Rogers (now Univar).

Gasperini is from Ohio and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture from Ohio State University. He has a master’s degree in business administration from Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago and, in 2006, earned his Certified Association Executive credentials. He said specialty crop agriculture has not always been as aggressively represented at the federal level as commodity agriculture and he welcomed the opportunity to return to his agricultural roots and help the NCAE address the unique challenges that specialty crop producers are facing.

The NCAE has two staff members, including Matthew Coffindaffer who joined the association in September as administrative manager.


Organic association has new director
Christine Bushway is the new executive director of the Organic Trade Association based in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Bushway earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of New Hampshire and has worked as head of an agricultural trade association, a lobbyist, and a spokesperson on food issues. She also had an advertising, public relations, and marketing agency.



Pear Bureau hires two
The Pear Bureau Northwest has appointed two new staff members. Lynsey Kennedy (top photo), the bureau’s new international program coordinator, worked as a strategist and project coordinator for the Warren McKenna Design Group after earning a master’s degree in business administration from Oregon State University in 2006. Former export department team member Leyla Kabasakal recently left her position to move to Istanbul, Turkey.

Jenny Sullivan (bottom photo) has joined the Pear Bureau in the new role of program coordinator. She will work with management to execute communications and marketing programs. She graduated in 2005 from Portland State University’s School of Business Administration with a double major in marketing and advertising management and has been employed at the Agri-Business Council of Oregon since 2006.