The USHBC’s
Bluetiful Mission
- Earning and maintaining market confidence through good agricultural practices and good management practices
- Generating research findings on the health benefits associated with blueberries and collaborating with the industry to ensure they are continually communicated to consumers
The USHBC’s mission is to serve growers and handlers by growing a healthy highbush blueberry industry. The Council supports farms like yours through promotion, research, and education while increasing awareness and consumption of blueberries. The USHBC supports the blueberry industry in a variety of critical ways, including:
- Improving grower and handler participation in pursuit of the USHBC’s and the blueberry industry’s goals
- Initiating activities that will increase demand for highbush blueberries in all the varied forms and settings in which they are offered, and encouraging the expansion of these forms and settings.
The NABC
While the USHBC is a federal research and promotion program, the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) is a voluntary organization that serves as the voice of the highbush blueberry industry. While the audiences the NABC and the USHBC serve overlap, their missions are very different. The NABC’s duties include legislative, executive, and regulatory interface and liaison on behalf of the blueberry industry.
Officers, Members, and Staff
The USHBC exists thanks to the dedication and passion of members throughout the blueberry industry. To ensure that the Council is always a diverse representation of our industry, the USHBC has adopted a diversity outreach plan.
USHBC Executive Officers
Chairman: Chris Barnhill
Vice Chairman: Shelly Hartmann
Treasurer: Brittany Lee
Secretary: George Fritz, Jr.
Member at Large: Bill Steed
Past Chairman: Art Galletta
USHBC Staff
President: Kasey Cronquist
Vice President: Alicia Adler
Vice President, Marketing & Communications: Jennifer Sparks
Director of Operations: Julie Fogarty
Executive Liaison: Andrea Walters
Finance Controller: Adam Winland
Meetings & Events Coordinator: Mandy Boarman
States
Member - William Steed
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Young Kwun
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Member - Bill Braswell
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Brittany Lee
First Term Ends - 12/31/22
Member - John Bennett
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Michael Railey
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Member - George Fritz, Jr.
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Bob Carini
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Member - Paul Macrie, III
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Matthew Macrie
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Member - Chris Barnhill
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Neil Moore
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Member - Doug Krahmer
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate -
Member - Bryan Sakuma
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Brenton Roy
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Handler, Importers, Exporters & Public Members
Member - Risa Bakker
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate -
Member - John Johnston
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Alternate - Bonnie Lundblad
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Member - JC Clinard, Jr.
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Guy Cotton
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Member - Janice Honigberg
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Ryan Lockman
First Term Ends 12/31/22
Member - Bo Slack
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Tom Bodtke
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Member - Jorge Andres Varela
Second Term Ends 12/31/21
Alternate - Carlos Abujatum
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Member - Ray Biln
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Alternate - Jesse Brar
Second Term Ends 12/31/22
Member - Amy Howell
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Alternate - Bill Cline
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Regions
Member - Verne Gingerich
Second Term Ends 12/31/21
Alternate - Ellie Norris
Second Term Ends 12/31/21
Member - Shelly Hartmann
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Alternate - Pat Goin
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Member - Dave Arena
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Alternate - Art Galletta
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Member - Ryan Atwood
Second Term Ends 12/31/21
Alternate - Stacy Spivey
First Term Ends 12/31/21
Committees
Assigned committee members are not-elected USHBC members, but are assigned to committees because of special expertise (denoted by "*")
Chris Barnhill (NC) - Chairman
Shelly Hartmann (MI) - Vice Chairman
Brittany Lee (FL) - Treasurer
George Fritz, Jr. (MI) - Secretary
Bill Steed (CA) - Member at Large
Art Galletta (NJ) - Past Chairman
George Fritz, Jr. (MI) - Chairman
Brittany Lee (FL) - Vice Chair
Risa Bakker (CA) - Handler
John Bennett (GA)
Art Galletta (NJ) - Region 3
Janice Honigberg (IL) - Importer 3
Mark Hurst* (OR)
John Johnston (CA) - Importer 1
Doug Krahmer (OR)
Lorrie Merker* (MI)
Neil Moore (NC)
Bill Steed (CA)
Chris Barnhill (NC) - USHBC Chairman
Dave Brazelton (OR) - Chairman
Karen Avinelis* (CA)
Amy Howell, Ph.D. (NJ) - Public Member
Mike Mainland, Ph.D.* (NC)
Adair Peterson* (GA)
Mark Sweeney, Ph.D.* (Canada)
Dave Trinka* (MI)
Leslie Wada, Ph.D.* (CA)
Dave Wyckoff* (WA)
Chris Barnhill (NC) - USHBC Chairman
Denny Doyle (NJ) - Chairman
Cecilia Allende* (PA)
Cort Brazelton* (OR)
Christy Butler* (OR)
Brian Caster (CA) - Importer 2
Bill Cline - Public Member
Verne Gingerich (OR) - Region 1
Pat Goin (IN) - Region 2
Carlos Abujatum (Chile) - Exporter 1
Paul Macrie (NJ)
Ellie Norris (OR) - Region 1
Bryan Sakuma (WA)
Jason Smith* (B.C., Canada)
Chris Barnhill (NC) - USHBC Chairman
Bo Slack (WA) - Chairman
Dave Arena (NJ) - Region 3
Ryan Atwood (FL) - Region 4
Tom Bodtke (MI) - Importer 4
Jesse Brar (Canada) - Exporter 2
Guy Cotton (CA) - Handler
Jerome Crosby (GA)
Rob Dhaliwal (WA)
Steve Erickson (OR)
Young Kwun (CA)
Andrew Maiman (FL) - Importer 3
Stacy Spivey (FL) - Region 4
Janet Swilley (FL)
Jorge Varela (Chile) - Exporter 1
Chris Barnhill (NC) - USHBC Chairman
Bob Carini (MI) - Chairman
CarrieAnn Arias* (CA)
Andres Armstrong* (Chile)
Ray Biln (Canada) - Exporter 2
Brian Bocock (MI) - Importer 2
Denny Doyle (NJ)
Shelly Hartmann (MI) - Region 2
John Johnston (CA) -
Zack Kuster* (MI)
Bonnie Lundblad (NJ) - Importer 1
Jeff Malensky* (OR)
Ken Patterson* (FL)
Nathan Sakuma* (WA)
John Shelford* (FL)
Amanda Steele* (OR)
Chris Barnhill (NC) - USHBC Chairman
Dave Arena (NJ) - Chairman
Bob Carini (MI)
Mark Hurst* (OR)
Jeff Malensky* (OR)
David Munger* (CA)
Ellie Norris (OR)
Nathan Sakuma* (WA)
Don Van De Werken* (MS)
Chris Barnhill (NC) - USHBC Chairman
Rod Cook* (WA) - Chairman
Andres Armstrong* (Chile)
Christy Butler* (OR)
Michael Christensen* (CA)
Mark Hurst* (OR)
Paul Macrie (NJ)
Mike Mainland, Ph.D.* (NC)
Mike Makara* (B.C., Canada)
Rex Schultz* (MI)
Chris Barnhill (NC) - USHBC Chairman