NARBA Officers and Board of Directors

NARBA’s Board of Directors is called the “Executive Council” and is made up of eight Regional Representatives, two At-large Representatives, and the officers (who may or may not also be Regional Representatives). Executive Council members serve three-year terms and are elected by the membership. Shown are the officers and board for 2022. 

Officers

President –Tom O’Brien, O’Brien Family Farms, Coats, NC

Vice President – Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR  

Treasurer – Ben Butler, Butler’s Orchards, Germantown, MD  

Executive Secretary – Darcy KochisPortland, OR 

Regional Representatives

Region 1: (Canada and Europe) 
David Mutz, Berryhaven Farm, Abbotsford, BC Canada

Region 2 (CT, NH, NY, MA, ME, RI, VT)  
Courtney Weber, Cornell AgriTech, NYSAES, Geneva, NY

Region 3  (DC, DE, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV)
Ben Butler, Butler’s Orchard, Germantown, MD

Region 4 (IN, KY, MI, OH, WI)
Monica Schafer, Schafer Raspberries, Williamston, MI

Region 5 (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN)
Tom O’Brien, O’Brien Family Farms, Coats, NC

Region 6 (AR, IA, IL, KS, MO, MN, ND, NE, OK)
Amanda McWhirt, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, AR  

Region 7 (AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, HI, MT, NM, OR, TX, UT, WA, WY)  
Darren Sinn, Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission, Portland, OR

Region 8 (Mexico and Central & South America)
Juan Pablo Molina Baranzini, Reiter Affiliated Companies, Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico

At-Large Representatives

Karen Blaedow, NC State University Extension, Hendersonville, NC

Ken Hopps, Sun Belle, Schiller Park, IL

Whitney Phillips, PhyllaTech, LLC, Farmville, NC

Pierson GeyerAgriBerry Farm & CSA, Hanover, VA

Past President

Jim JedeleBerry Hill Farm, Dexter, MI

North American Bramble Growers Research Foundation (NABGRF)

The NARBA Executive Committee also serves as the Board of Trustees for the NABG Research Foundation.

President: Courtney Weber

Vice President: Darren Sinn

Secretary-Treasurer: Darcy Kochis

Research Committee Co-Chairs: Patrick Byers, University of Missouri, Springfield, MO,  and Jeff Chandler, Mt. Hort. Crops Research & Extension Center, Mills River, NC

NARBA Office: PO Box 56587, Portland, OR 97238 – Phone: (503) 208-5589