IFPA Internship Supports Gender Diversity & Inclusion in the Fresh Produce, Floral Industry

April 5, 2024

By Doug Bohr, IFPA Chief Education & Programs Officer

As International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) prepares to host the 2024 Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference in Orlando, Florida, we wanted to share with you not only what we are doing to support the development of women in our industry, but also what we are doing to build awareness among young women about career opportunities in our industry.

In 2022, the first year of the new association, IFPA and the Foundation for Fresh Produce were awarded a five-year, $750,000 grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food & Agriculture’s (NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). The grant supports the creation of the Career Pathways Internships, a 10-week, paid internship for people from under-represented populations in our industry—with a focus on gender, racial and ethnic diversity.

The primary objectives of the Career Pathways Internship program are to engage women and people of color who are juniors and seniors in STEM-related studies that are relevant and much-needed in our industry. Twelve students are selected to intern in four of IFPA’s portfolios: Food Safety, Government Relations, SciTech and Sustainability, and Research and Analytics. During their 10-week immersive program, interns:

Apply their knowledge and skills to complete real-world projects in each of these four areas,

Build technical skills and competencies;

Get a unique, firsthand experience of the industry and the career opportunities within it, and

Develop a sense of belonging and professional networks to encourage them to persist and pursue careers in agriculture—preferably in our industry.

The 2022 inaugural class of Career Pathways Interns saw two young women, Julie Barber and Maddie Rennardson, thrive in the program and find career opportunities in our industry.

Julie was a senior at Michigan State University pursuing dual degrees in Environmental Economics and Management, as well as Animal Science, and a minor in Agribusiness Management. Originally an Animal Science major, Julie realized early in her academic career that she cared deeply about environmental sustainability. She was selected as a Career Pathways intern with IFPA’s Science, Technology and Sustainability portfolio. Her project assignment during the 10-week program was to research and develop case studies on the sustainability initiatives of two IFPA member companies, Local Bounti and Aero Farms, with the objective of offering a model for other members to follow and encouraging them to adopt sustainability initiatives.

Maddie was a senior at University of Florida pursuing a degree in Food and Resource Economics with a specialization in Food and Agribusiness Marketing and Management and a minor in Business Administration. Maddie interned with the IFPA Research and Analytics team. Her project assignments included research and analysis of a specific sector: the potted plant industry. Through the project, she gained insight into the potted plant supply chain, transportation logistics, market commerce and sales forecasting.

The experience of Career Pathways interns is all the more impactful thanks to the relationships they build with industry professionals. Throughout the program, interns like Julie and Maddie are paired with an Industry Mentors, who provide guidance and counsel to the students over the 10-week period. Julie worked closely with Louis DeMaso, Sustainability Program Manager at Measure to Improve, LLC, and also built relationships with Oppy’s Sydney Schutkowski, Business Development Representative, and Garland Perkins, Senior Manager, Innovation and Sustainability.

Likewise, Maddie worked with closely with Aidan Williams of Por La Mar Nursery in Santa Barbara, California, as well as Vern Kettler of Westerlay Orchids, Daniel Martone of Green Circle Growers, and Alexander van Hoekelen of Van Hoekelen Greenhouses, Inc. In the process, they develop the hard and soft skills, competencies, and gain valuable insights from leaders like these all of which will serve them well in their professional careers.

Most of all, they get a unique firsthand glimpse of our industry and build relationships that create a sense of belonging and encourage them to continue their studies and pursue opportunities in our industry. I am happy to share that Julie and Maddie now work in our industry. Julie joined Oppy as Sales and Marketing Associate. Maddie became part of the IFPA team, as Insights and Analytics Coordinator.

We are all the better when talented women like Julie and Maddie join our industry. It is well established that diversity—including and especially diversity of gender—and inclusion boosts creativity and innovation, improves team dynamics, powers productivity, boosts brand, and supports talent attraction, development, and retention. The IFPA Women’s Conference is designed by women for women to advance gender diversity, equity and inclusion in our industry for the better good of our members and our industry as a whole.

IFPA Internship Supports Gender Diversity & Inclusion in the Fresh Produce, Floral Industry

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