Sep 22, 2023World Potato Congress adds Potatoes USA CEO to board
The World Potato Congress has added Potatoes USA CEO Blair Richardson as the newest member of its board of directors.
“We warmly welcome Blair Richardson as a new member of our Board of Directors,” Dr. Peter VanderZaag, president at WPC, said. “Blair Richardson has played a pivotal role as an International Advisor to WPC over the past year. We are pleased that he has accepted the nomination to be part of the board of directors. As CEO of Potatoes USA, Blair brings a depth of knowledge and a global perspective which will bring significant value to the organization.”
Richardson has fulfilled the responsibilities as CEO and president of Potatoes USA since 2013. On behalf of Potatoes USA and the potato industry, Richardson sits on several produce and potato industry boards including the Alliance for Potato Research and Education, the Potato Leadership, Education, and Advancement Foundation, the Alliance for Food and Farming and others.
Richardson actively engages in issues of importance to the potato industry and is passionate about the need to proactively protect and defend the reputation of the potato. He is a strong proponent of aggressive advocacy and marketing tactics.
Prior to this, Richardson served in similar positions with other private and industry organizations in California and has been an active farmer of both almonds and cherries while he was CEO and partner of a large grower, packer and sales company specializing in fresh stone fruit, grapes and citrus.
Richardson sold his last farm in California in 2021, which capped 32 years of working and/or farming in the state that began in 1989 with a ten-year career in the California cotton industry.
The WPC community looks forward to working with Richardson as it plans for the 12th World Potato Congress to be held in Adelaide, Australia in June 2024. For information, visit potatocongress.org.
