NCAE’s 61st Annual Meeting
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Please review the competition guidelines and use the button below to submit your nomination for these awards.
The deadline for submissions is February 2, 2024.
We invite you to join the national association focusing exclusively on agricultural labor issues from the agricultural employer’s point of view.
Jamie Fussell is the Director of Labor Relations at the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association. He represents the association in federal labor related legislative efforts, coordinates members’ use of the H-2A guest worker program, and assists with compliance efforts involving labor laws affecting agriculture. Fussell also leads the Agricultural Labor Relations Forum held annually in Orlando.
Prior to joining FFVA, Fussell practiced law at various governmental agencies, including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and most recently the Southwest Florida Water Management District. He’s also worked for Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Gary Black. Fussell received his Bachelor’s degree in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Fussell is a sixth generation Floridian and remains involved at his family’s ranch in Arcadia.
Daniel Ross was born and raised in rural Linden, Texas, where he grew up working seasonal jobs – loading trucks at a commercial greenhouse in the Spring, baling hay in the Summer, and Christmas tree farming in the Fall and Winter. He first became interested in immigration law while teaching English in Mexico before ultimately attending Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee, Florida, where he graduated cum laude in 2012. He is a member of the Florida Bar and American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Over the course of his almost ten year career in private practice, Daniel has represented clients across all areas of immigration law, with a primary focus on employment-based immigration and serving employers in blue collar industries. In March of 2022, he joined Seso, Inc. as in-house counsel, focused on H-2A compliance and agricultural labor-related matters.
Outside of work, Daniel enjoys being outdoors, fishing, duck hunting, watching all sports (especially the Florida State University Seminoles), his dogs, and spending time with his family. He splits time between Tampa, Florida, and his hometown in East Texas.
Daniel Ross was born and raised in rural Linden, Texas, where he grew up working seasonal jobs – loading trucks at a commercial greenhouse in the Spring, baling hay in the Summer, and Christmas tree farming in the Fall and Winter. He first became interested in immigration law while teaching English in Mexico before ultimately attending Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee, Florida, where he graduated cum laude in 2012. He is a member of the Florida Bar and American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Over the course of his almost ten year career in private practice, Daniel has represented clients across all areas of immigration law, with a primary focus on employment-based immigration and serving employers in blue collar industries. In March of 2022, he joined Seso, Inc. as in-house counsel, focused on H-2A compliance and agricultural labor-related matters.
Outside of work, Daniel enjoys being outdoors, fishing, duck hunting, watching all sports (especially the Florida State University Seminoles), his dogs, and spending time with his family. He splits time between Tampa, Florida, and his hometown in East Texas.
Michael Lalich is the President of Low Country Labor, a growing H-2A and B agency located in
Charleston, SC. Michael is a longtime, active NCAE Member. Prior to starting Low Country Labor Company in 2004, Michael majored in Language and International Trade at Clemson University. Besides being an active NCAE Member, Michael is also involved with the South Carolina Ag Labor Advisory Board and the Language and International Trade Advisory Board at Clemson. Michael is continually engaged with all levels of government officials from the DOL, OFLC, USCIS, and DOS advocating on behalf of agricultural employers. He resides in Charleston, SC with his wife and two children.
Maureen is a member of a 12th generation family farm located in Western New York which encompasses fresh market and processing vegetables, grain farm, and dairy operations. She also operates a trucking company with her husband Paul Marshall.
She has served and participates in numerous organizations. She is past chairperson of United Fresh, past director of the Produce Marketing Association, first chairperson of the USDA Fruit and Vegetable Advisory Committee, and former seven year Director of NY Federal Reserve – Buffalo. Currently she is a trustee at Genesee Community College. She serves as Director on the Executive Committee of the National Council of Agricultural Employers, Erie Niagara Insurance, Summit Insurance, NYS Vegetable Growers, Ag Affiliates, and NYS Agri Business Child Care Board; and numerous other community Organizations. She participates in many local, state and national conferences as a speaker and information education source every year.
Craig Regelbrugge is senior vice president for AmericanHort, where he is responsible for industry advocacy and research programs. AmericanHort is the national trade organization representing the horticulture industry, including nursery and greenhouse growing, garden retail, landscape design and installation, and suppliers.
Regelbrugge serves in national leadership positions representing the horticulture industry on matters relating to the labor force, plant health, and trade. He is active in the leadership of the Agriculture Workforce Coalition and its partner, the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform. In 2016, he served on a binational U.S./Mexico working group that developed the Shared Border, Shared Future report, a blueprint for modernization of labor mobility programs between the U.S. and our friend and neighbor to the south. Craig is a longtime friend of NCAE and a WORKHORSE on Immigration.
Joseph Young grew up on his parents’ apple orchard in New Boston, NH. In January of 1993, after receiving his degree in business, he went to work for the New England Apple Council. In October of 2005, he was promoted to Executive Director. He is currently the Chairman for the National Council of Agricultural Employers. He is also the very proud father of 2 great kids: Hannah and Ben.
Bob Naerebout has spent the entirety of his career within the dairy industry in different capacities after graduating from Michigan State University in 1975. In 1979 he became manager of Michigan State’s Dairy Research facility until 1981. In the spring of 1981 he took his first steps into the private sector and purchased a dairy in McBain, Michigan, which he owned until the spring of 1999.
During his 18 years as a dairy owner he served on many board of directors. The most notable were his terms serving as President of both the marketing co-op and processing operations for Independent Cooperative Milk Producers Association (ICMPA). He held this position until the Board of Directors of ICMPA negotiated the successful merger of the co-op with Dairy Farmers of America in 1999.
After the merger, Bob took up employment with Dairy Farmers of America as the Manager of Marketing and Member Relations for the Mountain Area Council, an area that spanned eight states from Washington to Colorado. Managing the marketing operations of the council aided Bob in developing relationships with all of the major processors in the eight state regions. Since the fall of 2002 Bob has served as the Executive Director of the Idaho Dairymen’s Association, Inc. (IDA) which represent all dairy producers of Idaho in the area of government relations both in Idaho and in Washington DC.
As Executive Director of the IDA Bob builds and maintains positive relations with state, regional and national dairy industry leaders, with dairy processors and with the membership of the Association. IDA works at the local, state, regional and federal levels to protect and promote the legislative, regulatory and legal interests of its members.
Everglades Harvesting & Hauling, Inc. and its family of companies is based in LaBelle, Florida and was established in 1990.
Everglades harvests labor intense agricultural acres throughout the United States, transports raw agricultural crops from the farm to the first point of process or packing, and manages citrus and specialty crops all over Florida. Each of these tasks are accomplished with a significant number of H2A guest seasonal workers supported by many full-time employees. Paul is well versed in working with leaders in government and industry to create a positive outcome.
Paul is a fourth generation Florida Citrus and Vegetable Grower. Executive Board Member of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, Vice President /Board Member of Florida Citrus Mutual, and Executive Board member of the National Council of Agricultural Employers. Past President of the Hendry/Glades County Farm Bureau. Past Vice President Gulf Citrus Growers Association, also a Broker/Salesman specializing in large tracts of Agricultural Property in Florida.
Married for more than thirty years, Paul and his family reside in Southwest Florida.
Tom Bortnyk is the Vice President and General Counsel for másLabor, the nation’s largest provider of comprehensive H-2A and H-2B services. He advises másLabor’s clients on regulatory compliance issues and best practices, in addition to overseeing the company’s quality assurance program and client service processes. Tom has a B.S. in International Affairs from Florida State University and a J.D. from Washington & Lee University School of Law. Prior to law school, he was a project manager at a Florida-based software development firm.
Mrs. Tracy Duda Chapman was appointed Senior Vice President/Chief Legal & Administrative Officer of A. Duda & Sons, Inc. in June 2016. In this role, Tracy is responsible for the Corporate Legal, Viera Legal, Human Resources, Safety, Purchasing and Fleet, Risk Management/Insurance and the Government Relations functions of DUDA. She also serves as Assistant Corporate Secretary. A fourth generation member of the Duda family, Mrs. Chapman joined DUDA in 1992 as Associate Counsel at the corporate headquarters in Oviedo, Florida. She was promoted to General Counsel in 2000. In 2005 she was appointed Corporate Vice President of Corporate Services, with oversight responsibility for Corporate Communications, Governmental Relations, Risk Management, Food Safety and Technical Services. In 2007, she was appointed a Senior Vice President of DUDA and Chief Executive Officer of The Viera Company, DUDA’s real estate subsidiary and the developer of the master planned community of Viera in Brevard County, Florida. She held that position until being appointed to her current position.
Before joining DUDA, Mrs. Chapman practiced law in the real estate department of the Dean Mead law firm in Orlando. Mrs. Chapman holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida College of Law. She is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel. Mrs. Chapman serves on the board of the Florida Land Council, The Florida Chamber of Commerce, Shands Teaching Hospital & Clinics, Inc. and the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation, Inc. She is a former Chairman of both the Florida Land Council and The Florida Chamber. Mrs. Chapman also serves on the Executive Committee of the National Council of Agricultural Employers and previously served on the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association’s Labor Committee and Environmental and Pest Management Committee, and the Board of the Brevard Zoo. In 1999, Mrs. Chapman was appointed by Florida Governor Jeb Bush as a Commissioner on Florida’s Environmental Regulation Commission, and served two consecutive four-year terms. She is a graduate of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources and is a Past President of its Alumni Association.
A Florida native, Mrs. Chapman was born in West Palm Beach, and attended high school in Oviedo, Florida. She and her husband, Marc, also an attorney, have two daughters, Amanda and Emma. The family lives in Oviedo and is active in St. Luke’s Lutheran Church.
Troy Frostad is the General Manager of Mid-Columbia AG SVS, LLC a farm labor contracting company supplying H2A labor for fruit growers in Washington and Oregon. Troy also serves as the Director of Human Resources for Underwood Fruit and Warehouse, Mt. Adams Orchards and The Dalles Fruit Company. Troy has served in multiple production operations management roles and was the Director of Quality Assurance at Independent Foods until January of 2013. Prior to Underwood Fruit, Troy worked 8 years for Con Agra Foods in Production, Operations Management and Quality Assurance. He is a member of the National Council of Agricultural Employers and is the chair of the H2A strategy committee and a United States Air Force veteran of 6 years having served in combat roles during Operation Desert Storm. Troy is also a certified mediator and past board president for the dispute resolution center in Yakima Washington.
Kelli Griffith serves as the Executive Director of Mountain Plains Agricultural Service in Casper, Wyoming. Mountain Plains is a national association of livestock producers utilizing the H-2A visa program for labor needs. She has been involved with National Council of Ag Employers for eight years, prior to her appointment to the Executive Committee she served as co-chair of the Membership committee.
Kelli comes from an agricultural background in rural Wyoming and is still active in the industry, raising hay and sheep with her family along with her work advocating for Mountain Plains members on labor issues. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness from Texas A&M and a Master of Science degree in Agriculture from Colorado State University.
Michael earned bachelor’s degrees in history and accounting from the University of Wyoming where he also studied law. He is a certified public accountant.
Although Michael started his career in public accounting in Casper, Wyoming working for a CPA firm that had many farm and ranch clients, his career changed dramatically when he began to focus in the areas of forensic accounting and fraud investigation. In fact, it was a fraud he uncovered at the National Potato Promotion Board in Denver that ended up tying him inextricably to agriculture. He was subsequently hired to be the Director of Finance for the Almond Board of California and later became the CEO of the largest dairy producer trade association in the US at Western United Dairymen in Modesto. After consulting for a few years in the areas of litigation support and complex financial transactions in Federal District Court, Michael returned to his true passion advocating on behalf of America’s farmers and ranchers at NCAE.