01/18/06 New staff member at the Hort Council

01/18/06 New staff member at the Hort Council

The position of Technical Issues Manager at the Northwest Horticultural Council has been on the books for years, but vacant since Jon DeVaney, the current Washington State Director for Rural Development at U.S.D.A., departed. SCHLECT: When John left our place a couple of years ago, we left that position vacant because it was right in the middle of all the turmoil surrounding the Apple Commission and that's a major funding source for us so we ratcheted down our staff. Hort Council President Chris Schlect says that funding for the Technical Issues Manager position became available when the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission joined the Council last October. And this week is the first week on the job for new Technical Issues Manager Deborah Carter. Carter's background includes work with Batelle and Monsanto including lobbying efforts in Washington D.C. SCHLECT: She has some public policy background. She has a deep understanding of chemicals and she's a good communicator. But according to Schlect, Carter's primary role with the Hort Council will be dealing with technical and chemical related issues on a state level. SCHLECT: There could be mainly technical work done mainly directed at the state level and Washington State but there would be overlap of course with either international issues or federal issues. For example, working with E.P.A. on a Section Eighteen process for a chemical that our growers might need might require both state activity and some work in Washington D.C.
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