Eastern Produce Council names 2026 Leadership Class
Eastern Produce Council names 2026 Leadership Class
The Eastern Produce Council has selected 18 produce professionals for its 2026 Leadership Class.
The program provides industry and professional development opportunities throughout the year, including seminars, farm tours and networking events, Susan McAleavey Sarlund, the council's executive director, said in a statement.
"We provide a variety of industry and professional development opportunities allowing our participants to build on their careers," she said. "And the networking benefits they experience with each other also prove to be very valuable."
Participants in the 2026 program are:
Alec Arena, Frank Donio Inc.; Stacy Conway, C.A. Ferolie; Timothy Dunn, Katzman Distribution; Judy Fierman, Fierman Produce Exchange Inc.; Michael Hearn, Four Seasons Produce; Ryan Kelly, Baldor Specialty Foods; Dylan Lang, Fowler Farms; Joycelyn Muise, F&S Fresh Foods; Veritza Ortiz, Four Seasons Produce; Paul Pascal, Sunny Valley International; Meetkumar Patel, Wakefern Food Corp.; Natasha Phan, Mastronardi Produce; Dante Savanello, JOH; Meghan Szymansky, Crispy Green; Scott Tepper, Fierman Produce Exchange Inc.; Jake Walters, John Vena Inc.; Ben Weir, Local Bounti; and Chris Zuhlke, ProducePackaging.com.
The program begins in March with a Rutgers University professional development seminar on coaching, team building and communication styles. In April, the class will attend a Rutgers seminar on social media and artificial intelligence for business growth and attend the council's general membership event at TopGolf.
June includes a farm tour at Frank Donio Inc. and a tour of Holt Logistics. The program concludes in December at the New York Produce Show with Cornell University's Future Leaders in Produce Program, the show's opening breakfast and trade show, and a tour of Hunts Point Terminal Market.
"Our proven program delivers a unique combination of knowledge and experience," McAleavey Sarlund said. "We have an amazing program of opportunities for the year, a talented group of class members and a host of notable industry professionals to guide them."