The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking nominations for the Paper and Packing Board to fill three member seats with terms expiring on Dec. 31, 2024. Appointed members will serve three-year terms. Nomination applications are due by May 24, 2024.
The board is seeking nominees for one member seat representing the South Region and two member seats representing the remainder of the U.S. region. Nominees must manufacture or import 100,000 short tons or more of paper and paper-based packaging in a marketing year.
Applications are available on the board’s website or by contacting Patti Boerger, Executive Director, Communications and Industry Outreach, Paper and Packaging Board, at (703) 935-5386 or by email at pboerger@paperandpackaging.org. You may also contact USDA Marketing Specialist Samantha Mareno at (720) 827-4907 or by email at samantha.mareno@usda.gov.
The U.S. South Region consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The eight-member board consists of seven manufacturers from two regions and one importer. More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Paper and Packaging Board webpage and on the board’s website at paperandpackaging.org.
Since 1966, Congress has authorized the development of industry-funded research and promotion boards to provide a framework for agricultural industries to pool their resources and combine efforts to develop new markets, strengthen existing markets and conduct important research and promotion activities. AMS provides oversight of 22 boards, paid for by industry assessments, which helps ensure fiscal accountability and program integrity.
AMS policy is that diversity of the boards, councils and committees it oversees should reflect the diversity of their industries in terms of the experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies, and other distinguishing factors, including but not limited to individuals from historically underserved communities, that will bring different perspectives and ideas to the table. Throughout the full nomination process, the industry must conduct extensive outreach, paying particular attention to reaching underserved communities, and consider the diversity of the population served and the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the members to serve a diverse population.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender