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Rex Calloway elected Potato Commission chair

CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 years, 6 months AGO
by CHERYL SCHWEIZERStaff Writer
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | July 1, 2016 6:00 AM

MOSES LAKE — Rex Calloway, Quincy, was elected as the new chair of the Washington State Potato Commission’s executive committee. He was elected during the commission’s annual meeting last week.

Calloway will begin his term July 1. He serves a one-year term.

Stacy Kniveton, Pasco, was elected as first vice-chair of the WSPC. Roger Hawley, Burlington, was elected second-vice chair, and Mike Madsen, Plymouth, was elected secretary. Derek Davenport, Pasco, is the treasurer, and Mike Dodds, Moses Lake, stays on the board as past chair.

Commissioners recognized the service of retiring commissioners Nelson Cox, Warden, and Darrin Morrison, Mt. Vernon. Cox was a commissioner for eight years, Morrison for 12 years. Both are past commission chairs.

The potato commission is governed by 15 commissioners, including nine elected by potato growers. Five are appointed by the commissioners, and one is a representative of the Washington Department of Agriculture. The commissioners elect a new chair and executive committee every year.

Calloway said it’s important for the commission and its employees to “continue to take a proactive role on key issues that impact our industry,” and said he’s ready to continue building on the work of previous commissioners. “We want to do what we can as a commission to continue to serve the industry and help growers throughout the state focus on producing and marketing their crops.”

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].

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