Potato Sustainability Alliance Elects Executive Committee
The Potato Sustainability Alliance’s (PSA) Board of Directors selected new executive committee members at its winter board meeting held earlier this month during the 2023 Potato Expo in Aurora, CO.
The board elected Tracy Shinners-Carnelley of Peak of the Market to serve as secretary and Ritchey Toevs of Toevs Farms as treasurer. Each will serve a two-year term.
Beginning their second year of service, Jolyn Rasmussen of J.R. Simplot Company will continue as chair of the board and Tommy Jackson of Syngenta as vice chair.
In between meetings of the Board of Directors, the executive committee provides guidance to PSA staff and oversight on the organizational strategy, budget and annual work plan.
“PSA is a lean, responsive organization, and our ability to meet the needs of our stakeholders is reliant on the commitment of our board members,” said Executive Director John Mesko. “Our executive committee plays a critical role in helping us navigate the potato industry, and our new committee is just right for the busy year ahead of us. I’m excited and grateful to be working with them.”
About the Executive Committee
Jolyn Rasmussen, Chair – Jolyn is the Senior Manager of Raw Development and Sustainability for the Food Group at the J.R. Simplot Company in Boise, Idaho. Jolyn oversees agronomy, variety development, and sustainability. Jolyn grew up on her family’s dairy farm near Markesan, WI. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Agronomy and Dairy Science and an M.S. in Horticulture. Jolyn joined J.R. Simplot in 2011, where she has held positions in biotech agronomy research, raw development, and sustainability. This is her second year as board chair.
Tommy Jackson, Vice Chair – Tommy is the Executive Account Lead for U.S. Markets at Syngenta. Having worked at Syngenta for the past 31 years, he has had the opportunity to work both globally and nationally. He has held positions in crop protection, seeds, marketing, human resources, learning and development, and supply chain. He has a B.A. in Public Administration from Miami University, Oxford, OH, with a focus on Policy Analysis.
Tracy Shinners-Carnelley, Secretary – Tracy is the Vice President of Research, Quality & Sustainability at Peak of the Market. She leads research on variety evaluation, improved pest management, and agronomic practices for fresh market potatoes. Prior to joining Peak of the Market, Tracy spent ten years with Manitoba Agriculture, Food, and Rural Initiatives, as a plant pathologist and potato pest management specialist. She has a B.Sc. in Agriculture from Dalhousie University, a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Alberta. In 2020 Tracy was appointed as an Adjunct Faculty of Graduate Studies in Agriculture at Dalhousie University.
Ritchey Toevs, Treasurer – Ritchey is a second-generation potato grower from Aberdeen, ID. He and his family raise 950 acres of frozen processing potatoes at Toevs Farms, where they also grow wheat and barley. Ritchey is active in National Potato Council, Potatoes USA, and Idaho Potato Commission. He received his B.S. in Agriculture from the University of Idaho.
About Potato Sustainability Alliance
The Potato Sustainability Alliance consists of growers, supply chain partners, non-profit organizations and advisors working together to improve the economic, environmental and social aspects of potato production in the United States and Canada. For more information visit, potatosustainability.org.