MODESTO, Calif. — The Almond Board of California announced the Board of Directors election results on June 2, and the names of the following nominees have been submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for selection to terms of office beginning Aug. 1, 2025:
Grower Position #1, Member:
1-year term
Paul Ewing, Atwater
Grower Position #1, Alternate:
Tobin Barth, Esparto
Grower Position #2, Member:
3-year term
Brandon Rebiero, Modesto
Grower Position #2, Alternate:
Brad Klump, Escalon
Handler Position #1, Member:
3-year term (only one year of term remaining)
Chad DeRose, McFarland
Handler Position #3, Member:
1-year term
Darren Rigg, Le Grand
Handler Position #3, Alternate:
Dinesh Bajaj, Orland
Co-op Handler Position #1, Member:
3-year term
Laura Gerhard, Sacramento
Co-op Handler Position #1, Alternate:
Mel Machado, Modesto
The Independent Handler Position #1 is normally a 3-year seat but was vacated part way through the term. The elected candidate for the member seat will only serve the remaining one year of the term. This position will be up for election again in 2026. The alternate position was not up for election.
The ABC board is made up of five handler and five grower representatives, each with an alternate. It sets policy and recommends budgets in major areas, including marketing, production research, advertising, public relations, nutrition research, statistical reporting, quality control and food safety.
