February 17, 2022 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the appointment of 33 individuals to serve on the National Potato Promotion Board. The appointees will serve three-year terms from March 1, 2022, through Feb. 28, 2025.
Members appointed or reappointed are:
Ed Staunton, California
Les Alderete, Colorado
Bevan Lenz, Colorado
Jason Tillman, Colorado
Kurtis Crapo, Idaho
Tyson Funk, Idaho
Taylor Grant, Idaho
Eric Jensen, Idaho
Jordan Johns, Idaho
Braden R. Lake, Idaho
Rick S. Miller, Idaho
Adam Nielsen, Idaho
Jeff VanOrden, Idaho
Colin Szawlowski, Massachusetts
Alison Sklarczyk, Michigan
Erwin J. Styma, Michigan
Peter A. Ewing, Minnesota
Jocelyn Schlichting, Minnesota
Martin H. Kimm, Montana
Leah Halverson, North Dakota
Nathan Bender, Nevada
Kory Hansen, Oregon
Luke Robison, Oregon
Benjamin Zechmann, South Dakota
Matthew Linehan, Vermont
Jennifer Bunger, Washington
Daniel Gundersen, Washington
Andrew Hyer, Washington
Rod Schutte, Washington
Samueal Stahl, Washington
Marvin Wollman, Washington
Jon Gay, West Virginia
Norbert Bomm, Illinois
The 102-member board is comprised of 96 producers, five importers and one public member.
More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Potato Promotion Board webpage.
AMS policy is that diversity of the board should reflect the diversity of its industries in terms of the experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. When submitting nominations, the industry must consider the diversity of the population served and the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the members to serve a diverse population.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 22 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
