Beth Mitcham, director of the University of California, Davis, Postharvest Technology Center, will be retiring from at the end of June 2023.
What’s more, Mitcham has tapped UC Davis professors Irwin Donis-Gonzalez and Barbara Blanco-Ulate as the center’s new co-directors, according to a recent statement. The two will lead the center with a “revamped approach to serving the produce industry,” Mitcham said in the statement.
Donis-Gonzalez brings postharvest engineering expertise to the role, while Blanco-Ulate will contribute her knowledge of fruit quality and host-to-pathogen interactions.
Mitcham said both Donis-Gonzalez and Blanco-Ulate bring new ideas to enhance the center’s engagement with the produce industry and its stakeholders. Under the co-director’s guidance, the Postharvest Technology Center will build upon its achievements and further enhance its commitment to delivering exceptional programs, she added.
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While the end of June is just weeks away, Mitcham has a few additional courses to share with researchers and industry stakeholders.
“I am organizing one final course focused on small-scale operations, “Postharvest Solutions for Small and Evolving Operations,) on June 26-30,” Mitcham continued. “This virtual crash course will be offered in two-hour chunks each day, including a special session on Wednesday, June 28, that includes two industry panels discussing global trends in the produce industry and how research can advance the industry.”
Attendees can register on the UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center website.
Beginning in July, the professor and former UC Davis director is looking forward to taking things at a slower pace.
“For my retirement, I plan to continue consulting, travel more for leisure, visit my family more often, learn to play guitar and enjoy more mornings with no alarm set,” Mitcham said in the statement. “I will continue to attend a few professional conferences and hope to see many of you along the way! It has been a pleasure meeting and collaborating with many of you over the years.”
