Mar 14, 2022

PA vegetable growers group eyes transition and retirement of executive director

With great appreciation for his leadership and vision, the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association (PVGA) has officially announced the planned retirement of its executive director, William Troxell.

While Troxell’s impending retirement has been publicly known for some time, no official announcement and job posting have been published previously. Troxell’s plan to retire at the end of 2023 will complete 40 years of service to PVGA.

“Family farms across Pennsylvania and surrounding states that grow vegetables, potatoes, and berries have benefited from Bill Troxell’s leadership in keeping our issues and concerns before lawmakers, his involvement in supporting vegetable and berry research, and his efforts to keep us informed with his monthly newsletters and weekly email updates about all issues related to growing – legislative actions, grant opportunities, food safety and other training, best growing methods, and pest alerts and controls developed both at Penn State and by regional suppliers.” said Rita Resick, PVGA President.

Bill Reynolds, PVGA Secretary-Treasurer, added, “PVGA Board is especially grateful for Mr. Troxell’s guidance that maintained membership and financial stability over the years despite the loss of farms to retirement and development and, over the past two years, during the pandemic.”

roxell devoted much of his time to the two events for which PVGA is known. In January at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, he oversaw the planning, setup, management and teardown of the popular PVGA Food Booth staffed by over 200 members and friends.

He is also a key player in co-producing one of the premier events designed for fruit and vegetable growers in eastern United States – the Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Growers Convention in late January or early February. PVGA co-sponsors this event with four other grower organizations. Working with Maureen Irvin, Executive Secretary of State Horticulture Association of Pennsylvania and the overall convention coordinator, these two executives work to fill the Hershey Lodge with over 2,000 attendees to learn about growing and marketing their products – from presentations of university experts from Penn State and across the country, from suppliers, buyers and other growers.

These events enable PVGA to not only support itself, but also to contribute over 1.3 million dollars to various vegetable and small fruit research over the past 33 years.

PVGA’s Board of Directors has appointed a Succession Planning Committee to plan for this transition and to organize the recruiting of Troxell’s successor. To promote a smooth transition, PVGA plans for the successful candidate to serve for a transition period of six to 12 months working with Troxell.

For those who may be interested, a job posting for the position is available here or by requesting it at [email protected].