PMA’s Nancy Tucker announces retirement
Leaving a decades-long legacy of expanding the global footprint of the Produce Marketing Association, Nancy Tucker is retiring at the end of the year.
Tucker, vice president of PMA, announced her retirement at the Fresh Summit.
“It’s been both a lifetime and the blink of an eye,” Tucker said during the 2020 Global Community Reception on Oct. 13. “I’m looking forward to doing a lot more, but on my own schedule.”
Tucker has been traveling extensively for PMA since the early 1990s, and global produce leaders praised her contributions in a news release.
“She has been a wonderful advocate for our industry, first and foremost,” Michael Simonetta, CEO of Perfection Fresh Australia, said in a news release. “Her love for the industry knows no bounds and her passion and her love for PMA and the members has been instrumental in all the success that we’ve had on the international stage.”
Tucker joined PMA in 1980, having previously worked for ARA (now Aramark).
Her service to the association also includes marketing, communications, membership, training and consumer education programs.
Simonetta worked with Tucker and others to grow PMA’s presence in Australia and New Zealand, according to the release. That established the Australia, New Zealand Country council, with a successful Fresh Connections event and in 2009 and the formation of PMA Australia/New Zealand.
Her efforts established groups in South Africa and South America, he said.
“If I needed to be any more impressed with Nancy, I was blown away in Santiago,” Simonetta said in the release. “When she led Fresh Connections Chile and spoke in Spanish the whole time. I thought ‘is there anything this woman can’t do?’”
Duane Eaton, former senior vice president at PMA, worked with Nancy for 35 years. Eaton said Tucker made the transition into PMA’s Global Ambassador after PMA retired its consumer affairs and nutrition programs in the 1980s.
“The bottom line is there is simply no way PMA could have the global position it enjoys today without Nancy’s tireless efforts,” Eaton said in the release. “On top of everything she’s accomplished, she’s a genuinely nice person.”
Former PMA CEO Bryan Silbermann said Tucker immersed herself in the role, learning new languages and becoming fluent in cultural norms.
“Her charm, with and her energy made her perfect for this new role,” Silbermann said in the release. “As Nancy crisscrossed the globe, PMA status and credibility grew and grew. She spoke skillfully and fluidly to audiences all over the world. She really paved the way for much of our global success during the past two decades.”
PMA CEO Cathy Burns said Tucker is known by produce leaders all over the world.
“In my travels, it seems I always run into someone who knows Nancy and knows about PMA because of her,” Burns said in the release.”It has been an incredible pleasure to partner with her in my time at PMA and I wish Nancy a well-earned and deserved healthy and happy retirement.”
Create extraordinary produce future PMA's Burns says
