The Washington Apple Education Foundation says Tyler Price has been elected chairman of its board of directors duringits annual meeting held April 24 at Central Washington University.
Price is a fourth-generation tree fruit grower and the CEO of Price Cold Storage & Packing Co. in Yakima, Wash. He brings deep industry roots and a wealth of strategic leadership experience to the role, the foundation said.
Before returning to the family business, Price helped shape the global product strategy for Nike and Apple. He holds a business degree from the University of Washington and an MBA from Stanford University. In addition to leading Price Cold Storage, he serves on the University of Washington’s Consulting & Business Development Center board and was most recently the vice chairman of WAEF and has served on the board since 2020.
“We are honored to welcome Tyler as chairman,” WAEF outgoing chairman Rolando Martin said in a news release. “His blend of strategic thinking, industry knowledge and passion for supporting students makes him an ideal leader.”
WAEF said it thanked Martin for his dedicated leadership over the past year. A native of Prosser, Wash., Martin is an area manager at Washington Fruit & Produce and holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural and food systems and a masters of horticultural science from Washington State University.
Martin was first elected to the WAEF board of directors in 2018 and has served in multiple volunteer roles with foundation. Martin was recognized for his steady leadership and unwavering passion for the foundation’s mission. He will continue as an officer of the foundation.
Additional WAEF officers elected were:
- Vice chairman — Nate Fulton, Yakima, Marsh McLennan Agency.
- Secretary — Robin Hansen, Wenatchee, Columbia Fruit Packers.
- Treasurer — Ben Jensen, Yakima, CPA.
Committee chairs elected were:
- Investment Committee — Irene Birdsall, Wenatchee, McDougall & Sons.
- Resource Development Committee — Kailan Dunn, Yakima, HR Spinner.
- Scholarship and Student Success Committee — Emily Bautista-Herdt, Wenatchee, Northwest Wholesale.
- Strategic Planning Committee — Nate Fulton, Yakima, Marsh McLennan Agency.
- Finance Committee — Ben Jensen, Yakima, CPA.
WAEF’s board currently includes 20 members, each with personal ties to Washington’s tree fruit industry. A complete list of directors is available on the foundation’s website. The Washington Apple Education Foundation is the charity of Washington’s tree fruit industry, and its mission is to impact lives through access to educational opportunity.
