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 Kochis, Portland, 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 Geyer, AgriBerry Farm & CSA, Hanover, VA
Past President
Jim Jedele, Berry 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
