<p>Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Vice President of Food Safety and Technology, Dr. Jim Gorny, has been appointed as chair of the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) Technical Committee. He will replace Dr. Bob Whitaker, who has chaired the committee since 2008 and will retain his position on CPS’s board.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Whitaker steps away from his chairmanship well accomplished, having helped CPS establish a framework for annual grant-funded research that has resulted to date in CPS’s awarding more than $10.6 million to fund 70 projects at 26 institutions in 17 U.S. states and three countries.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The transition allows CPS to continue to benefit from Gorny’s extensive knowledge of food safety, while providing Whitaker the opportunity to dedicate more time identifying and translating existing and emerging science and technology into useable industry solutions for PMA members.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“PMA’s members are so well served by the unmatched insight and experience brought to food safety by Drs. Bob Whitaker and Jim Gorny on our staff team. With Jim running the committee, Bob will increase the added value we deliver to our members as translator and educator – a role in which he excels,” said Bryan Silberman, PMA President and CEO.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“Jim has built a career around pushing the ball forward on produce safety by strongly advocating for and developing science and risk-based food safety industry programs and public policy, a commitment shared by PMA,” said Whitaker.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">As Technical Committee chair, Gorny will work extensively with the CPS executive director and the committee to identify, fund, translate and provide industry with high priority, impactful produce safety research solutions that enhance produce safety for industry and consumers alike.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“Jim has served as a CPS board and Technical Committee member since our founding, providing extensive knowledge of food safety, industry practices and produce safety public policy,” said Bonnie Fernandez-Fenaroli, CPS executive director.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Gorny is an alumnus of the University of California, Davis, and previously served as the executive director of UC Davis’ Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center. Before recently joining PMA, Gorny worked as senior advisor for U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Food Safety where he advised on policies and programs affecting the safety of fresh produce.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="https://cps.ucdavis.edu/" target="_new">CSP </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
