IFPA Names 2022 Caplan Family Business Scholarship Winners

September 1, 2022

Newark, DE and Washington, DC – International Fresh Produce Association is pleased to announce the three recipients of the 2022 Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarships:

Mayra Vazquez, Partner/Director of Businesses Development & Sales, Latin Specialties LLC
Jesse Wiggins, COO & Sales, Wiggins Farms
Bianca Kaprielian, CEO & Co-founder, Fruit World

The Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship Program was founded in 2001 by sisters Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in honor of their mother, Frieda Rapoport Caplan. The program provides the opportunity for representatives from family-owned, IFPA member businesses to attend the IFPA Washington Conference. The three scholarship recipients receive complimentary airfare, hotel and registration to participate in the conference, September 26-28 in Washington, D.C., and will be recognized during the General Session Breakfast on Wednesday, September 28.

“We are immensely proud to host some of fresh produce’s most passionate and determined professionals in the nation’s capital for the only event that empowers hundreds to advocate for their businesses and shape the future of the industry,” said Jackie Caplan Wiggins, Vice President and COO of Frieda’s, Inc. “With the many challenges faced by our industry, it is critically important for these individuals and their companies to learn how to advocate for their business at the federal level.”

IFPA’s Washington Conference brings together hundreds of produce leaders from all sectors of the industry for education on critical industry issues and meetings with members of Congress, their staffs, top regulatory officials and Embassies. Scholarship recipients will have an opportunity to network with produce industry leaders from across the country, learn effective strategies for sharing the produce industry’s voice at the Produce Advocacy Bootcamp, as well as gain an understanding of the political process and how to advocate for their priority issues while in Washington and year-round back home. Explore the 2022 IFPA Washington Conference Schedule.

Each year, a scholarship committee reviews applicants for the program using several criteria, including each candidate’s interest in advocacy work and their commitment to the produce industry.

For more information on the Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarship Program, contact Nikki Wootten, Education & Programs Manager, Talent Development.

IFPA Names 2022 Caplan Family Business Scholarship Winners

Program Brings Family Business Representatives to Washington, DC to Engage in the Industry’s Premier Policy Event

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