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Executive
Committee
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Executive
Director
Chris Udall
Mesa, AZ |
Chris
Udall joined the Agri-Business Council of Arizona in November,
2004 after serving as a Congressional Aide to U.S. Representatives
J.D. Hayworth and Rick Renzi.
As an Agricultural Economics graduate of Brigham Young University,
Chris brings extensive experience in federal and state resource
issues to this position. He is especially aware of the importance
of secure water resources to rural Arizona families and agricultural
enterprises.
The Agri-Business Council of Arizona was incorporated in 1978.
Chris is the fifth Executive Director in the history of the organization
and only the third native Arizonan to hold the position.
Along with responsibilities as Executive Director, Chris also
serves in the following capacities:
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State Executive
and Federal Affairs Committee Member, National Water Resources
Association.
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Advisory
Council Member, Family Farm Alliance.
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State Technical
Committee Member, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
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Advisory
Council Member at A.S.U. Polytechnic Campus, Morrison School
of Management and Agribusiness.
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Member,
Central Arizona College Agricultural Advisory Council.
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External
Advisory Board Member, Arizona Water Institute.
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Agribusiness
Committee Member, Arizona Mexico Commission.
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President
N.W. "Bill" Plummer
Water Resources Consultant
Scottsdale, AZ |
Bill
Plummer retired as Manager of the Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage
District in Yuma , Arizona on December 31, 2007. Prior to being
Manager he provided consulting services to a number of irrigation
districts, cities and towns and served as an advisor for the World
Bank on various assignments in South and Southeast Asia . From
1988 to 1991 he served as the Director of Water Resources for
the State of Arizona . He was employed by the Bureau of Reclamation
and the Department of the Interior from 1960 to 1985 in various
positions from construction engineer in Yuma , Arizona , to Regional
Director in Salt Lake City , Utah , and later in Boulder City
, Nevada . As Regional Director he was responsible for all Reclamation
activities in both the Upper (1978-1981) and Lower (1981-1985)
Colorado River Basins.
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Vice-President
Jackie Meck
Buckeye, AZ |
Jackie
Meck has served as the General Manager of the Buckeye Water Conservation
and Drainage District since July, 1996. He is currently President
of the Agri-Business Council of Arizona. He is a native of Buckeye,
Arizona. He and his wife, Verlyne, have three children and one
granddaughter.
Other Professional Activities:
- President, Buckeye Valley Chamber
of Commerce
- Board Member, Buckeye Valley
Development, Inc.
- City Councilman, Town of Buckeye
- Community Advisory Board Member,
Mesquite Power (Sempra Energy); Redhawk/Palo Verde Nuclear (APS).
- Chairman, Decons-First Southern
Baptist Church, Buckeye
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Secretary
James Sweeney
Maricopa Water District
Surprise, AZ |
James
R. Sweeney joined Maricopa Water District (MWD) as its General
Manager in April 1997, and has worked in the irrigation and electrical
utility field for over 26 years. Since 1997, Mr. Sweeney implemented
Maricopa Water District’s first in-lieu recharge program
and has developed a policy and procedure to wheel non-district
water to cities and municipalities within the district boundaries.
He currently is responsible for a proposed 2,701-acre planned
community located on MWD owned property, which is being developed
to assure the continuation of economical water and power rates
for MWD landowners in the future.
Prior
to Mr. Sweeney’s employment with the MWD, he served joint
roles as the General Manager of the Central Arizona Irrigation
and Drainage District (CAIDD) and Electrical District No. 4 for
nearly 21 years. Mr. Sweeney holds a Bachelor of Science degree
in Agricultural Business from ASU, is married to Sheryl A. Sweeney
and has two children, Dublin, who is attending ASU and Erin, a
law student at Seattle University.
Other
Professional Activities
- Board
of Directors, Irrigation and Electrical Districts Association
- Co-Chairman,
Technical Advisory Committee to the Governor’s Water Management
Commission
- Chairman,
Governor’s Livestock and Agriculture Advisory Committee
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Treasurer
Dr. George Seperich
Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus
Mesa, AZ |
Dr.
George Seperich’s holds the position of Associate Dean and
Professor at the Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus.
His academic interests include identifying necessary conditions
for agribusiness economic development at the state level, corporate
strategy and the development of management, and marketing agribusiness
case studies as teaching tools.
Dr. Seperich received his M.S. and
Ph.D. degrees from Michigan State University. He has co-authored
a book, Introduction to Agribusiness Marketing, edited Case Studies
in Agribusiness Management with several authors, and authored
Food Science and Technology. |
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Wade Accomazzo
Accomazzo Company
Tolleson, AZ |
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Stan Ashby
Roosevelt Irrigation District
Buckeye, AZ |
Stan
Ashby lives on his family farm located west of Litchfield. After
graduating from Arizona State University in 1969, Stan farmed
in the Litchfield Area. He became Superintendent of Roosevelt
Irrigation District in 1986.
Stan has been married to
Judy Ashby for 29 years and has two children, Molly and Chuck.
He enjoys gardening, boating and camping and has been a member
of the Litchfield Kiwanis Club for many years. |
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Kenneth Baughman
Wellton-Mohawk IDD
Wellton, AZ |
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Cliff Cauthen
Hohokam I & DD
Coolidge, AZ |
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Tommy Caywood
West Pinal NRCD
Casa Grande, AZ |
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Michael Curtis
Attorney
Phoenix, AZ |
| Michael
A. Curtis was a charter member of the Agri-Business Council of
Arizona, Inc. and has been a continued supporter financially,
through his office, and has served as Secretary for several years.
Mr. Curtis is admitted to the Supreme Court of the United States,
the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Arizona District Court, the
Supreme Court of the State of Arizona and the Northern District
Federal Court of California.
Upon
graduation from law school, Mr. Curtis began working with Arizona
consumer-owned power entities. He has been Executive Secretary
of the Arizona Municipal Power User’s Association and has
served as a legislative consultant on electrical power matters
to the Grand Canyon State Electric Cooperative Association. In
1993, Mr. Curtis received the American Public Power Association’s
Kramer-Johnson Award in recognition of outstanding service.
Other Professional Activities
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Special Counsel, Wickenburg; Thatcher; Cortaro-Marana Irrigation
District; Electrical District No. 2, Pinal County, City of Mesa
and Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation & Drainage District
- Founder,
Martinez & Curtis
- Member,
State Bar of Arizona; Maricopa County Bar Association; American
Bar Association
- Member,
Utility; Natural Resources; Litigation Sections of the America
Bar Association
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Tom Davis
Yuma County Water Users Association
Yuma, AZ |
Tom
W. Davis joined the Yuma County Water Users' Association as manager
in January 2007. Prior to joining YCWUA, Tom was manager of the
Carlsbad Irrigation District, Carlsbad , NM . He was also employed
for fifteen years by the USDA-Forest Service. Tom is a graduate
of Oklahoma State University .
Member of:
- National Water Resources Association
- Family Farm Alliance
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James K. Henness
Henness Farms
Casa Grande, AZ |
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John Hetrick
Salt River Project
Phoenix, AZ |
John
Hetrick is currently a Principal Water Rights Analyst with the
Salt River Project. His primary duty is to preserve and protect
the rights of the Salt River Project (SRP) and its shareholders
to use water. Before coming to SRP, John was employed by the Arizona
Department of Water Resources in the Office of Colorado River
Management. John has a M.A. from Arizona State University and
a B.A. from the University of Maryland Baltimore County campus.
He is a recent graduate of Project CENTRL a 2-year rural leadership
program and is currently a class member of the Western Energy
Institutes Business Acumen for Emerging Leaders. He is an Executive
Committee Member of the Agri-Business Council of Arizona and is
a member of the Arizona-Mexico Commission.
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John R. Hoopes
Hoopes & Adams, PLC
Chandler, AZ |
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Robert E. Hurley
Hurley Land Company
Phoenix, AZ |
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DeWayne Justice
McMicken Irrigation District
Waddell, AZ |
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Joel Lorenzen
Farm Credit Services Southwest
Tempe, AZ |
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Douglas Mason
San Carlos, I&DD
Coolidge, AZ |
Douglas
Mason has been the General Manager for the San Carlos Irrigation
& Drainage District since 1988. His first job was working
for the Bureau of Reclamation in Bismarck, North Dakota and he
continued working for the Bureau for the next 19 years in five
different Project offices with increasing job responsibilities.
His last assignment with the Bureau was at the Willows Project
office as the Chief of Operation and Maintenance.
Mason
has been an Arizona resident on and off since 1959 when his father
transferred to the Bureau of Reclamation Phoenix Project office.
He attended both Glendale High School and Phoenix Junior College
and graduated from Arizona State University with a BS in Civil
Engineering in 1969. |
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Wade Noble
Attorney
Yuma, AZ |
Wade
Noble has been in private practice in the Yuma area for the past
26 years. Wade was a member of the Westover Law Firm until its
dissolution in 1996. His primary clients include: Wellton-Mohawk
Irrigation and Drainage District, Yuma Irrigation District, and
North Gila Valley Irrigation and Drainage District. He has participated
with the Yuma Area Water Resources Management Group since its
formation.
Wade
is a fifth-generation native Arizonan. Born in Safford, he grew
up in Wilcox and went to high school in Tempe. He received a Bachelor’s
Degree from the University of Arizona in 1973, followed by graduate
credits from Arizona State University and a Jurist Doctor from
St. Mary’s University of San Antonio in 1977. His wife Kathleen
is the mother of their five children. The youngest son will graduate
from Yuma High School in 2003.
Other
Professional Activities:
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Committee Member, Resolutions (now Policy Development) Committee
of the National Water Resources Association
- Vice
Chairman, Resolutions Committee of the Colorado River Water
Users’ Association
- Member,
Agri-Business Council of Arizona Executive Committee & the
Family Farm Alliance Advisory Committee
- Alternate
Member, Imperial Dam Advisory Board
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Michael Proctor
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ |
Mike
Proctor is Assistant Dean for External Relations for the College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at the University of Arizona.
He is involved in managing CALS external affairs, including public
policy and legislative issues, strategic initiatives for the College,
and relationships with industry and community contacts across
Arizona. He is also an extension specialist in Watershed Management
in the School of Natural Resources, and teaches Environmental
Law in the Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science.
Mr.
Proctor has a long affiliation with the University of Arizona
which includes a 1983 bachelor's degree in renewable natural resources
from CALS and a 1988 J.D. from the UA College of Law. He has worked
in natural resource positions in Arizona and New Mexico; practiced
law for 12 years, including 7 years as a UA attorney; and served
nearly five years as director and assistant vice president of
corporate relations for the UA. |
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Scott Riggins
Riggins Farms, Ltd.
Coolidge, AZ |
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Dean Eugene Sander
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ |
Eugene
G. Sander is currently Vice Provost and Dean of the College of
Agriculture at the University of Arizona. He has also concurrently
served as the director of the Agricultural Experiment Station
and the Acting Director of Cooperative Extension. As a biochemist,
Dr. Sander worked in the field of mechanisms by which enzymes
catalyze reactions. His extramurally funded research program resulted
in numerous publications, presentations and book chapters. It
also contributed to the education of five graduate and eighteen
post-doctoral students.
Dr.
Sander has held the rank of Professor at all of the institutions
with which he has been affiliated. He holds degrees from the University
of Minnesota (B.S.) and Cornell University (M.S., Ph.D.) with
post-doctoral study at Brandeis University. He is married to Dr.
Louise M. Canfield and has two children, Jay and Kathy, both of
who are graduates of the University of Arizona.
Other
Professional Activities
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Vice President and Board Member, Glyndon Farms
- Senior
Trustee, Consortium for International Development
- Board
of Directors, Arizona Farm Bureau
- Chairman,
1995 NASULGC Board on Agriculture Budget Committee
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C.L. "Bill"
Scott
Marathon Farms
Casa Grande, AZ |
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Charles Slocum
Wellton-Mohawk I&DD
Wellton, AZ |
Charlie
Slocum has been with the Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage
District (WMIDD) since 1968, currently serving as General Manager.
He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering, holds a Law
degree and a Masters in Water Resources all from the University
of Arizona.
Slocum
is a native-born Louisianan who moved to Arizona in 1949. His
father was an engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation on the Wellton-Mohawk
project. He served in the Navy for four years. His wife is Billie
and he has four children, 2 boys and 2 girls.
Other Professional Activities
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Member & Past President, Agri-Business Council, Inc., Finance
committee
- Yuma
County Flood Control Advisory Board
- Yuma
County Library Board of Trustees
- 12-year
member, local school board
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John Sullivan
Salt River Project
Phoenix, AZ |
John
F. Sullivan has been Salt River Project’s Associate General
Manager for the Water Group since May 1994. SRP, based in Tempe,
Arizona, is one of the largest public water and electric utilities.
Since joining SRP in 1971, Sullivan has served as Manager of Strategic
Planning, Manager of Water Customer Service and Resource Planning,
Manager of Contracts, Manager of System Planning, and Manager
of Special Projects.
Sullivan
received his baccalaureate degree in electrical engineering from
the University of Arizona. He was born in Arizona and is a resident
of Chandler. Sullivan and his wife, Pat, have three children:
Melissa, Brian and Rebekah.
Other
Professional Activities:
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President, Water for the West Foundation
- President,
National Water Resources Association
- Board
of Directors, Colorado River Water Users’ Association
- Board
of Directors, Desert Botanical Garden
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Reid Teeples
Consulting Engineer
Phoenix, AZ |
Reid
Teeples is a Self Employed Consulting Engineer and was a charter
member of the Executive Committee Board of the Agri-Business Council
of Arizona, Inc. He retired from the Salt River Project as Associate
General Manager – Water. His tenure with SRP was 39 years.
Other
Professional Activities
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Registered Professional Engineer in Arizona
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Former Member, Colorado River Water Users’ Assocation
- Former
Board Member, Citizens Advisory Committee of the Maricopa County
Flood Control District
- Former
Arizona Representative on Board of Directors, National Water
Resources Association
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Grant Ward
Santa Cruz Water and Power
Maricopa, AZ |
Mr. Ward joined Maricopa-Stanfield
Irrigation & Drainage District and Electrical District No. 3
as General Manager in July 1995. In 1997 was asked to also form
and serve as the General Manager of a new organization called the
Santa Cruz Water and Power Districts Association, which was for
the purpose of bringing together the two districts he represented
with two additional districts, the Central Arizona Irrigation and
Drainage District, serving water to 87,000 acres of farmland and
Electrical District No.4, serving electricity to irrigation, commercial,
and residential customers in a 48,000 acre area.
He was previously with the
Central Arizona Water Conservation District where he served as Assistant
General Manager, responsible for planning and environmental compliance.
Prior to that position, he was the Executive Director of the Agri-Business
Council of Arizona where he represented the Agricultural community,
including irrigation districts, before the Arizona Legislature and
State Regulatory Agencies, particularly on water issues. Previously
Mr. Ward was the General Manager of the Roosevelt Water Conservation
for nine years. Mr. Ward is a graduate of Brigham Young University.
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