The California Strawberry Commission has hired two key leaders to advance the state-chartered agency through research and communications.
William “Bill” Turechek is joining the CSC as vice president of research. Turechek joins the CSC after serving since 2006 as a research plant pathologist at the USDA-ARS Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Fla. There, he worked on epidemiology and management of strawberry and vegetable diseases, according to a news release.
“We are excited to have Dr. Turechek join the California Strawberry Commission and utilize his expertise to aid the 400-plus family-owned strawberry farming operations in California,” Rick Tomlinson, California Strawberry Commission president, said in the release.
Among his accomplishments, Turechek has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters, raised tens of millions of dollars in extramural funding and has served as senior editor for the journals, Plant Disease and Phytopathology. His areas of expertise include plant disease epidemiology, disease management and statistics, with an emphasis on diseases that occur in strawberry and annual vegetable production, according to the release.
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“I am honored to join the California Strawberry Commission and I am looking forward to meeting and getting to know the many growers, shippers and processors in the California strawberry industry. As the vice president of research, one of my primary goals is to work closely with the industry to identify key research needs, and then make it happen,” Turechek said in the release. “In leading the Commission’s research efforts, I hope to empower California strawberry growers with the latest research and data to help them make the informed decisions that will advance strawberry farming in California.”
What’s more, the California Strawberry Commission also recently named Jeff Cardinale as its director of communications.
“We are delighted to have Jeff on board. He brings nearly 10 years of agriculture communications experience as well as extensive work in proactive and crisis communications. The commission is confident Jeff will serve the industry well,” Tomlinson said in the release.
Among his duties, Cardinale will lead positive marketing message campaigns highlighting the importance of California strawberries and the industry itself to the local communities where strawberries are grown, as well as to local, state and national stakeholders. Having led the commission’s response to January and March flooding events, Cardinale will oversee media relations and crisis communications, according to the release.
“On behalf of the 400-plus California strawberry growers, shippers, and processors, I am excited to join the California Strawberry Commission. There are incredible stories to tell about the California strawberry industry, from the remarkable opportunities for field workers becoming farm owners, to the fact that 97 cents of every California strawberry dollar goes right back into the community. These are just a few of the many great things happening in the California strawberry industry and I look forward to showcasing those stories,” Cardinale said in the release.
Prior to his work in agricultural communications, Cardinale served as the public information officer for the Fresno Police Department. Cardinale also brings more than 15 years’ experience in television news management where he won six Emmy Awards for Best Newscast, according to the release.
As part of the marketing and media relations campaigns, Cardinale plans to introduce new ways of reaching the media, as well as the local strawberry farming communities to stay engaged with the industry, said the release.
