Mike Stuart

President

Mike Stuart has worked in the produce industry throughout his career. Beginning as a produce merchandiser for a large Southern California supermarket chain, Stuart has served for more than two decades as an association executive representing growers and shippers in California, Arizona and Florida. He has led FFVA as president since 1992.

Stuart holds leadership positions with numerous industry groups at the national and international level. In 2006, he was named to the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee and is vice chairman. Since 1995, he has served on the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee for Trade, a private-sector group that advises the Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative. He was appointed in 2008 to the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corp. In addition, he was a member of the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Fruits and Vegetables, and was chairman of the committee during the negotiation of both the Uruguay Round and the North American Free Trade Agreement. Stuart also has served on the United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association's board of directors and as chairman of the Produce for Better Health Foundation.


Dan Botts

Vice President, Industry Resources

Dan Botts is vice president of industry resources, overseeing FFVA’s pest management, water and natural resources, and food safety and sustainability activities. He represents grower interests on issues as diverse as pest management and crop production practices and their impact on the environment to food safety and international marketing access related to crop production needs. Botts also serves as president of Third Party Registrations Inc., an FFVA subsidiary that manages the registration process under liability limitation for specific pest management tools that would not otherwise be available to FFVA producer members.

He holds leadership roles in several industry coalitions, including the Crop Protection Coalition and the Minor Crop Farmer Alliance. He also serves as a representative to EPA's Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee and USDA's Specialty Crop Advisory Committee.

Walter Kates

Vice President, Labor Relations Division

Walter Kates is vice president of the Labor Relations Division. Kates leads the association's efforts to provide members with services that help growers find the workers they need and assists members with compliance with the numerous labor laws that affect agriculture: MSPA, OSHA, FLSA, IRCA and others. He also serves as an industry advocate for immigration policies that bolster U.S. national security while allowing growers access to a legal, stable workforce.

As a member of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, Kates provides guidance on farm labor concerns and national agriculture labor policy, most notably on H-2A guest-worker program reform and MSPA. In addition to assisting employers with regulatory compliance and general farm labor issues, Kates coordinates FFVA members' continued and growing use of the H-2A guest-worker program.

Mike Carlton

Director, Labor Relations Division  

 As director of FFVA's Labor Relations Division, Mike Carlton's primary responsibility is representing the association in labor related legislative efforts on the federal level.  Carlton also assists the vice president of Labor Relations in coordinating members’ use of the H-2A guest worker program and assisting with compliance efforts with labor laws affecting agriculture. In addition, Carlton serves as executive director of the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation, where he manages the foundation’s activities in funding research and in educational and philanthropic endeavors.

An industry veteran, Carlton held numerous management positions at Florida Citrus Mutual in Lakeland for 26 years before joining FFVA in 2007, including serving as director of production and labor affairs and director of grower relations. Among his numerous accomplishments was designing a $400 million hurricane relief program for the state's citrus growers in 2004 and successfully pushing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to adopt the program.

Butch Calhoun

Director, Government Relations Division

Mike Aerts

Director, Marketing and Membership Division

Mike Aerts directs the Marketing & Membership Division, assisting FFVA members on a broad range of marketing issues, including buyer relationships, shipping, packaging and promotion. Aerts also leads FFVA's Agricultural Exchange Management Group (consisting of the Florida Sweet Corn Exchange, the Sweet Corn Growers Exchange, the Florida Vegetable Exchange, the Florida Green Bean Exchange and the Quincy Tomato Growers Exchange). This group provides growers/shippers with critical market and harvest reports to help them maximize returns for their crops. Aerts also oversees FFVA's annual convention.

Mike served as assistant director of FFVA's Environmental and Pest Management Division for nine years before being named to his current position in August 2008. He also served as an extension faculty member at the University of Florida's Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. Aerts also worked for Shell International Chemical Co., headquartered in London, in regulatory, technical service and product development capacities.

Lisa Lochridge, APR

Director, Public Affairs Division

Lisa Lochridge serves as director of the Public Affairs Division, managing FFVA's communication with its members and the media on topics ranging from food safety to immigration reform. The division also is responsible for a variety of communication channels, including the association's Web site, monthly e-magazine, weekly newsletters and member bulletins.

Specializing in media relations and crisis communication, Lochridge came to FFVA in 2006 after serving as vice president of CBR Public Relations in Orlando. Prior to that, she was a veteran journalist, holding numerous local news editor positions at the Orlando Sentinel for 21 years. A Florida native, Lochridge holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in communication from the University of Central Florida. She is nationally accredited in public relations.