Bornsen leaves Wash. Potato Commission
Bornsen leaves Wash. Potato Commission
Shannen Bornsen, former director of international trade for the Washington State Potato Commission, has left that organization to take a position in international trade with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Ms. Bornsen, who had been with the Washington commission since February 2002, began her new job Monday, Jan. 3, relocating to Minneapolis.
Starting as director of marketing for the potato commission, Ms. Bornsen moved into international trade in mid-2003, traveling with a number of trade-commission groups to the Pacific Rim, Mexico and Cuba.
Her contributions to the commission were varied and many, and Executive Director Pat Boss said that Ms. Bornsen will be difficult to replace.
?We are doing interviews in mid-January and hope to have someone in by February 1," Mr. Boss said. "Shannen secured several grants, and we need someone to pick up and run with [the program]."
Both Mr. Boss and Assistant Executive Director Karen Bonaudi praised Ms. Bornsen?s accomplishments with the commission. "Shannen did a great job, and we?re sorry to see her go," Mr. Boss said. "She has a really bright future ahead."
Citing Ms. Bornsen?s ability as a grant writer, Mr. Boss also said that she had been instrumental in promoting Washington potatoes in Asia. "We made a lot of gains in our Asian trade because of her," he said. "Shannen helped boost a lot of sales, and we saw huge gains in chip potatoes. She can take a lot of credit for that."
Ms. Bonaudi added, "Shannen is unique in a lot of ways. Professionally, her position is going to be hard to fill because she was experienced in international trade and agriculture, and she?s very creative and right-brained at the same time. Personally, she was a great member of the office team and also a personal inspiration."
Among Ms. Bornsen?s achievements were obtaining grant funding for chipping potato projects in Southeast Asia and for frozen product training in Central America. "We are going to do a series of chipping seminars in Thailand, Korea and Taiwan in February, which I?ll still be a part of," Ms. Bornsen said in late December. "We have something planned for China in the future as well in the chipping arena."
Ms. Bornsen was also among those who saw the first shipment of chipping potatoes to South Korea, and she worked with former Gov. Gary Locke?s trade mission in "building a solid relationship with the importer and manufacturers there," she noted. "I was invited to visit the Orion plant in Korea in February along with the grower who sent potatoes so we could witness them using their first shipments of U.S. potatoes."
Ms. Bornsen, who had been with the Washington commission since February 2002, began her new job Monday, Jan. 3, relocating to Minneapolis.
Starting as director of marketing for the potato commission, Ms. Bornsen moved into international trade in mid-2003, traveling with a number of trade-commission groups to the Pacific Rim, Mexico and Cuba.
Her contributions to the commission were varied and many, and Executive Director Pat Boss said that Ms. Bornsen will be difficult to replace.
?We are doing interviews in mid-January and hope to have someone in by February 1," Mr. Boss said. "Shannen secured several grants, and we need someone to pick up and run with [the program]."
Both Mr. Boss and Assistant Executive Director Karen Bonaudi praised Ms. Bornsen?s accomplishments with the commission. "Shannen did a great job, and we?re sorry to see her go," Mr. Boss said. "She has a really bright future ahead."
Citing Ms. Bornsen?s ability as a grant writer, Mr. Boss also said that she had been instrumental in promoting Washington potatoes in Asia. "We made a lot of gains in our Asian trade because of her," he said. "Shannen helped boost a lot of sales, and we saw huge gains in chip potatoes. She can take a lot of credit for that."
Ms. Bonaudi added, "Shannen is unique in a lot of ways. Professionally, her position is going to be hard to fill because she was experienced in international trade and agriculture, and she?s very creative and right-brained at the same time. Personally, she was a great member of the office team and also a personal inspiration."
Among Ms. Bornsen?s achievements were obtaining grant funding for chipping potato projects in Southeast Asia and for frozen product training in Central America. "We are going to do a series of chipping seminars in Thailand, Korea and Taiwan in February, which I?ll still be a part of," Ms. Bornsen said in late December. "We have something planned for China in the future as well in the chipping arena."
Ms. Bornsen was also among those who saw the first shipment of chipping potatoes to South Korea, and she worked with former Gov. Gary Locke?s trade mission in "building a solid relationship with the importer and manufacturers there," she noted. "I was invited to visit the Orion plant in Korea in February along with the grower who sent potatoes so we could witness them using their first shipments of U.S. potatoes."
