Meet the 2026 U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council board members, new chair
A new slate from across the blueberry supply chain has been appointed to three-year terms. Find out who will help drive industry priorities.
Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the appointment of 23 members and alternate members to serve on the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) board, according to a USHBC press release.
The 2026 appointees will serve three-year terms, effective immediately, through Dec. 31, 2028.
The newly appointed members are:
California
- Doug LaCroix (member)
- Randy Grimm (alternate)
Florida
- Brittany H. Lee (member)
- Michael Hill (alternate)
Georgia
- Tammy P. Brannen (member)
- Brandon W. Wade (alternate)
Michigan
- Dennis Vander Kooi (member)
- George Fritz (alternate)
New Jersey
- Matthew Macrie (member)
North Carolina
- Kristen Brinkley (member)
- H. Neil Moore (alternate)
Oregon
- Ellie Norris (member)
- Anna K. Jesse (alternate)
Washington
- Michele Cherchi (member)
- Bryan S. Sakuma (alternate)
Importer members and alternates
- Guy P. Cotton, California
- Ian W. Grigg, Illinois
- Ryan Lockman, Michigan
- Harold F. Mongrut, Florida
- Joe Barsi, California
- Bo Slack, Washington
Exporter members
- Sunny Brar, Canada
- Humraj Kallu, Canada (alternate)
Ellie Norris named USHBC chair
Ellie Norris, owner of Norris Farms (Oregon), has been elected as chair of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) through Dec. 31, 2026. With the recent approval by Sec. Rollins, Norris will step into the role immediately.
Norris began her career on her family’s large-scale blueberry farm in Southern Oregon and today carries on its multigenerational farming legacy. She’s also the chair of the North American Blueberry Council’s (NABC) Government Affairs Committee, and will become chair of the NABC in 2027.