Raina Spence

Raina was hired in 2023 to assume the role of Northwest Potato Research Consortium Director. Having first served the potato industry as a graduate student studying potato late blight in the early 2000s, Raina brings decades of experience to the regional research program. With a career that spans university extension work to international diplomacy, Raina most recently hails from the fresh produce food safety sector, where she has been a producer advocate and held leadership roles within the International Fresh Produce Association’s Food Safety Council. She will be actively seeking input from growers, researchers, and other stakeholders, in effort to continuously advance potato research in the region and beyond.