A historic board meeting for Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) was held at this year’s Seafood Expo North America (SENA) event in Boston on 7 March, wherein three new board members were approved.
New members Albert G.J. Tacon, Polly Legendre and Michael D. Lee joined the board at the meeting, while John Forster decided not to seek reelection for the AwF board – though he will remain engaged with the organization by leading its new Technical Advisory Group – and John Cooksey relinquished his treasurer and secretary duties to Dave Conley,
“All three new board members bring new skills and experience to AwF at an important time,” said AwF executive director Roy Palmer.
Tacon, who has spent 40 years in the aquaculture industry, has an extensive research and development background, specializing in aquatic feeds and nutrition, Palmer said.
Legendre, who is the founding principal of specialized marketing group Polished, was the first American to graduate from the Ecole Supérieure de Cuisine Française. She has 9 years of experience working and cooking in some of the top kitchens in Paris, several of which earned Michelin stars. Legendre brings her knowledge of branding strategy and communications to AwF.
Lee is the director of international studies at the California State University, East Bay campus, where he advises approximately 80 majors and teaches a capstone course on globalization and international development. He also serves as director of education and policy for CSU’s Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Aquaculture Center. Lee’s is currently studying the full life cycle costs of aquaculture production in California.
The three new members join existing board members Mary Larkin, Gorjan Nikolik, Cormac O’Sullivan, Dave Conley and Roy Palmer. At its March meeting, the board decided to continue to meet on a quarterly basis and discussed a partnership with Florida Atlantic University, Palmer said.
“The AwF board learned that through the new arrangements with Florida Atlantic University, we have been invited to submit a full application proposal for the 2016 Farmer-to-Farmer Small Grants competition following the approval of the concept paper,” Palmer said. “[Also], we have held meetings in Washington D.C recently establishing contact with many charity and NGO organizations ensuring that we build on collaborations through our arrangements with the Volunteers Economic Growth Alliance.”
The work of those involved with the organization's volunteer and women’s networks, offering new opportunities for supporters to engage and support AwF activities, was recognized by the board during its March meeting.
