USDA Announces Appointments to the Softwood Lumber Board
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the appointment of six members to serve on the Softwood Lumber Board. The appointees will serve three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025, and ending Dec. 31, 2027.
Newly appointed members are:
- Trey Hankins, Ripley, Miss. (U.S. South, flex seat/small company)
- Kimberli C. Scott, Allendale, S.C. (U.S. South, flex seat/small company)
- Marc Brinkmeyer, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (U.S. West, large company)
- Vaughn Emmerson, Anderson, Calif. (U.S. West, large company)
- Susan Yurkovich, Vancouver, BC, Canada (Canada West, large company)
- Jerome Pelletier, Saint John, NB, Canada (Canada East, flex seat)
The Softwood Lumber Board has 14 members, including 10 domestic manufacturers and four importers. Members can serve up to two consecutive three-year terms.
“The Softwood Lumber Board would like to thank Secretary Vilsack for appointing a dynamic group of directors who reflect the diversity of the industry and the people that work in it, each bringing valuable insights from their respective regions,” said Cees de Jager, SLB President and CEO. “The SLB looks forward to working with the new Board to grow and diversify demand for softwood lumber products in the United States.”
More information about the board is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Softwood Lumber Board webpage.
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.
Source: Softwood Lumber Board