Bryan Silbermann, longtime chief executive officer of the Produce Marketing Association, will relinquish day-to-day operational responsibilities to association President Cathy Burns in 2016 and will officially retire from the organization in early 2017.

In a conference call with The Produce News, Silbermann revealed that the general succession plan and retirement date was established on Dec. 1, 2013, when Burns was hired as president.Bryan Silbermann

“PMA’s Executive Committee approved Cathy’s hiring as my successor with the knowledge of my intent to retire on January 31, 2017,” Silbermann said.

Initially, the plan was to have Burns transition into assuming the day-to-day operations at some point in 2016, presuming that she met the expectations of the board as president and that the job was to her liking. Silbermann said she “exceeded the expectations of the board,” which has led to the expanded role, effective Jan. 1, 2016. He said the staff will report to her as of that date.Cathy Burns

Silbermann will maintain the CEO title and work on specific projects for the organizations during the year-long transition period. On Jan. 1, 2017, Burns will be named CEO and Silbermann will officially retire one month later.

During the transition year, Silbermann spelled out six areas in which he will concentrate his efforts, including offering “advice and counsel” as Burns needs it and “representing PMA at our events worldwide — both in and outside of the United States.”

He will also reach out to the membership and conduct additional face-to-face meetings of the association’s regular members to help them maximize the value of their PMA membership. Silbermann is also planning to work very closely with the Center for Produce Safety on its relatively new governance structure, which has it operating as a separate foundation apart from the University of California-Davis.

During this year, PMA is also intent on expanding its collaborative efforts with other trade associations, especially the United Fresh Produce Association. Silbermann said the two organizations worked very closely on their response to the rules regarding the Food Safety Modernization Act, and that collaboration will continue.

Finally, the PMA CEO will work with current staffer Kathy Means and retired PMA veteran Duane Eaton to update the history of the association, which will eventually be available to the industry in some type of digital format. He said there is a lot of “institutional knowledge” that the trio will attempt to capture for the benefit of the organization and its membership.

Burns noted that during this year she will continue to implement PMA’s strategic plan 2.0, and be the primary contact between the PMA board of directors and staff.

“I will also have my eye on leading PMA’s long-range growth,” she said.

The former supermarket industry veteran, who held a variety of senior management roles in the corporate world for many years, said she has very much enjoyed working for the industry at large as opposed to concentrating her efforts for one employer, as she did for most of her career.

The 61-year-old Silberman joined PMA in 1983 as manager of international trade and market research. He came from the financial industry with no produce industry background. After rising through the ranks for more than a decade, he was elevated to the top spot at PMA on July 1, 1996, when longtime CEO Robert Carey retired. Silbermann said he has been pointing toward a retirement date in this general vicinity for more than a decade.

“And I am retiring, I am not consulting,” he quipped, noting that while he might take on some small projects upon his retirement, his main focus is to retire.