USLGA Committees

The United States Lavender Growers Association (USLGA) has various standing committees, as well as numerous members who volunteer their time as committee members, to help get ideas off the ground. Volunteering is the lifeblood of the USLGA. We invite you to participate as a committee member for any committee in which you have an interest. You may contact the committee chairs directly, or send an email to [email protected].

For those who volunteer, thank you for your invaluable time! With gratitude!

 
 
 

Advocacy Committee

Committee Chair: Christian Pilat
Email: [email protected]

The Advocacy Committee shall be a working committee under the USLGA President, reporting to the USLGA President and the USLGA Executive Director:

• Unify the Standards of Measurement for consistent communication with members and state/federal agencies.
• Develop and maintain relationships with state/federal agencies for developing appropriate legislation pertaining to the Commercial Lavender Growers industry.
• Review pending legislation to recommend USLGA position and prepare appropriate communication for USLGA members of ‘Action Items’ as well as general information.

This work is geared to fostering increased engagement of USLGA membership resulting in enhanced advocacy that promotes innovative Commercial Lavender Growers.

Education & Research Committee

Committee Chairs: Mary Pilotte and Barbara Cesiro
Email: [email protected]

The Education and Research Committee gathers and maintains statistics and data on domestic and foreign lavender production, research domestic and foreign demand for lavender, and develops and collates surveys/questionnaires/studies to help focus United States lavender industry on the most valuable cultivars and products for market. The Committee is also involved in leading the development of a USLGA certification program for lavender and lavender products, searching/creating educational materials on general, business and marketing (i.e., studies and reports) topics to members, conducting farm studies and gathering data beyond cultivars and products, and developing Lavender 101 topics for the website.

Event Committee

Committee Chair: TBD
Email: [email protected]

The Event Committee will manage and produce the United States Lavender Conference (USLC). The next conference is USLC 2027 (location is to be determined)

Finance Committee

Committee Chair: TBD
Email: [email protected]

The Finance Committee provides an oversight function of all the financial activities within and on behalf of the United States Lavender Growers Association.

• The committee oversees the financial tasks of the Executive Director and aides the Treasurer.
• The committee is to assist (in concert with the Executive Director and/or Treasurer on any purchases exceeding $300) in making recommendations to the Board of Directors on any major financial undertakings.
• The Finance Committee will provide guidance and support for any fund-raising activities the organization may undertake.
• The Finance Committee reviews any and all contracts entered into on behalf of USLGA.

Membership Committee

Committee Chairs: Rebecca Ralston
Email: [email protected]

The Membership Committee works with other USLGA committees to initiate new ideas and concepts for additional membership benefits. They are responsible for the annual review of membership dues and will make recommendations for adjustments as necessary. They also oversee the welcoming and initial orientation of new members and answering membership specific questions. A major focus is membership retention. This committee works in collaboration with the Public Relations and Communications Committee to recruit and inform membership about benefits. The Membership Committee works closely with the Regional Leaders Committee to ensure new members have transitioned to participation in their geographical USLGA region.

Regional Leaders Sub-Committee

Regions Information
Meet Our Regional Leaders

The Regional Leaders Sub-Committee oversees the communication, development and ongoing educational experiences for members in their geographical USLGA region. They will hold quarterly meetings via Teams or in person when appropriate. Regional Leaders will oversee a regional team of 3-5 members from their region that will help provide greater support and services the members in their region. They will use the regional private Facebook group to communicate regularly with the members. The Regional Leaders will work closely with the Education & Research Committee and the Internet Committee to facilitate educational programming in a regional context.

Nominating Committee

Committee Chair: Alice Marrin
Email: [email protected]

Nominating Committee is a standing committee consisting of at least 3 members from the current or past Board (at least one current or past officer). Their role will include seeking out appropriate members to run for board, answering questions regarding board activities, approving member names to be on the ballot, and managing the voting process. The nominating committee will be chaired by a member of the Board of Directors (not an officer), who will be identified during the annual Board meeting in March. The Board can also appoint Ad Hoc committees when deemed advisable to affect the work of the Association and when the assignment falls outside the normal activities handled by the Standing Committees.

Public Relations & Communications Committee

Committee Chair: Tina Schooler
Email: [email protected]

Newsletter Chair: Regina Hammett
Email: [email protected]

The Public Relations and Communications Committee promotes USLGA's interests and events to the membership and to the public.

PR to members includes: newsletter content (routine features plus articles on current events), social media schedules and posts, mailings, Wholesale Vendor Directory of USLGA members who wholesale to maintain membership in USLGA to add value to USLGA membership, improve attendance/activity at USLGA events/businesses, and increase interaction with USLGA website.

PR to the public includes: public outreach, social media schedules and posts, the public (non-member) newsletter, and other traditional media formats to increase interaction with the public and promote membership in USLGA, attendance at USLGA events, and interaction with the USLGA website. In coordination with the Press Schedule to be set-up by the Executive Director, the committee helps write all official press releases, news announcements, responses.

Sponsorship Committee

Committee Chair: TBD
Email: [email protected]

The Sponsorship Committee shall:

• Research, review, and recommend Sponsorship opportunities to the Board.
• Solicit Sponsorship opportunities in conjunction with the Executive Director.
• Perform annual reviews of all Sponsorship activities to determine effectiveness, profitability, and relevance to members.

Technology Committee

Committee Chair: Joanne Voelcker
Email: [email protected]

The Technology Committee will review and establish policies for activities performed by and in the name of the organization that take place digitally. The committee works in concert with the Executive Director in setting these policies and making sure the required work is performed accordingly. The Technology Committee provides representation to other committees as requested by the Executive Director and monitors consistency of content across website and online documents.