Daniel Hartwig has been selected to serve as the new president of the California Fresh Fruit Association, board of directors Chairman Wayde Kirschenman announced in a news release.
Hartwig will succeed Ian LeMay, who has held the position since 2019 and will depart CFFA to become president and CEO of the California Table Grape Commission, the release said. Hartwig will begin his tenure as CFFA president Dec. 4.
“We are excited to welcome Daniel to the CFFA team and look forward to him continuing the long legacy of strong leadership on behalf of the California fresh fruit industry,” Kirschenman said in the release. “Our board engaged in a thorough search process to fill this important role, and we are confident that Daniel’s experience in both association management and within the private agriculture sector have prepared him to serve our membership well.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Ian for his leadership and the positive impact he has made over the nine years as a CFFA team member,” Kirschenman continued. “Ian’s service is greatly appreciated by our entire membership, and we are glad to know that he will remain within the fresh fruit family while he serves at the commission.”
Hartwig has experience in both the private sector and within agriculture associations, according to the release. He has been employed by Woolf Enterprises since 2014, first as a procurement manager and most recently as the firm’s director of sustainability, the release said.
Hartwig served as the vice president of grower relations for the Nisei Farmers League from 2008 to 2014.
Beyond work, he has also served on the Fresno County Farm Bureau board, including as board president from 2020 to 2022, the release said.
Hartwig is a recent graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program (Class 49), the release said.
“I could not be more thrilled to join the great team at CFFA,” Hartwig said in the release. “I have always had a deep admiration for the work done by the association’s staff and the leadership of the board. I also look forward to working with our partners in the industry to continue to protect agriculture from the many threats before us.”
Hartwig and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Fresno with their two children, Brooke and Colby.
