Mar21
POTATOES USA ELECTS CHAIR FROM WASHINGTON STATE
Potatoes USA held their annual meeting in Denver, Colorado on March 11-13, 2024. During their meeting, the board elected Shelley Olsen from Othello, Washington to serve as Chairwoman for the upcoming year. Shelley recently served on the Potatoes USA’s Executive Committee and has previously been on the boards Admin Committee and International Marketing Committee. Over the last year, Shelley has traveled to Vietnam to promote US Potatoes and has been very active in Washington, D.C. She has been instrumental as a founding board member of the Potato Leadership, Education & Advancement Foundation (LEAF) since 2020 and served as Chairman of the board from 2020-2022. She is also a 2015 graduate of the Potato Industry Leadership Institute (PILI). Mike Carter, the Past Chair of Potatoes USA, a grower from Wisconsin, handed over the gavel with nothing but positive words for Shelley about what she has accomplished over the past year and what he sees for this upcoming year with her as chair. Shelley also sits on the Marketing and Industry Affairs Committee at the Washington State Potato Commission.
Washington currently has 14 members on Potatoes USA. Within the next few years that number will be 9 with the new restructuring of the Board. The members that are currently serving are listed below.
Current Potatoes USA Board Members from Washington:
- James Baker, Moses Lake
- Jennifer Bunger, Pasco
- Dan Gunderson, Burington
- Andrew Hyer, Moses Lake
- Rhonda Kleyn, Quincy
- Juan Martinez, Warden
- Travis Mecham, Moses Lake
- Shelley Olsen, Othello
- Mike Pink, Pasco
- Sammy Stahl, Ritzville
- Blake Underwood, Richland
- Levi Underwood, Richland
- Marvin Wollman, Warden
- Dennis Wright, Kennewick.
IF you have any questions about the restructuring of the board or are interested in serving on Potatoes USA, please contact Brandy Tucker at
