ALEXANDRIA, Va. — At the 2022 Winter Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, the American Peanut Council (APC) elected new officers and executive committee members to lead the organization for the coming year.
Collins McNeill, of M.C. McNeill & Company, was elected chairman. McNeill is the owner of a Tallahassee-based peanut brokerage firm. Georgia farmer Donald Chase was elected vice-chairman. Chase also serves as a member of the Georgia Peanut Commission. Selected as secretary/treasurer was Anne-Marie DeLorenzo, Senior Strategic Sourcing Manager for Peanuts-Americas at Mars Wrigley.
The board also approved recommendations from the year-long work of a Governance Task Force. The task force recommendations included significant changes to the bylaws to better reflect industry priorities, improve transparency in decision-making and establish parameters between the work of the board and related committees. A major outcome of the bylaws reform was the creation of a new 15-member executive committee. The new executive committee members include representatives from the four industry segments represented in APC’s membership:
Growers – Tim Burch and Donald Chase, Georgia; Joel Sirmon, AL; Dell Cotton, VA; Larry Don Womack, TX; Paul Rogers, VA, representing as chairman of the National Peanut Board
Shellers – Greg Harnish, Birdsong Peanuts; Clint Piper, Golden Peanuts; Jamie Brown, OFI; Rachel Santos, Premium Peanut; John Powell, APSA
Manufacturers – Anne-Marie DeLorenzo, Mars Wrigley ; Kimmi Wernli, Crazy Richards ; Brian Reed, The JM Smucker Company
Allied – Collins McNeill, M.C. McNeill & Company
The make-up of the 54-member board of directors remains unchanged.
In accepting the role as APC’s new chairman, McNeill noted ‘we were able to accomplish some significant milestones at our conference in Atlanta. Not the least of which were much-needed reforms in how we govern the organization. Now the pieces are in place to really step to the next level on our priorities of growing exports, documenting and communicating the industries great sustainability story, and ensuring we deliver value to our most important asset – our members’.
About American Peanut Council
American Peanut Council’s mission is to support the long-term growth of the U.S. peanut industry. The only organization that represents the entire peanut supply chain, APC offers a forum and unified voice for all industry sectors. APC’s work includes managing industry issues, promoting, increasing global consumption of U.S. peanuts, driving sustainability innovation, and directing research to improve peanut safety, quality and production. APC programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, or marital/family status. Persons requiring alternative means of communication about APC programs (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the association for assistance at 703-838-9500. For more information about APC, visit www.peanutsusa.com.
–American Peanut Council