SEPC Committees
At the SEPC, our members are at the heart and soul of everything we do, from events to community outreach. As a member, we encourage you to get involved in our committees, not only to bring your skills to the table to help us build something great but also to see the full benefits of the networking opportunities we have to offer. We have a variety of committees from which to choose, so just let us know what interests you!
SEPC Committee Descriptions
APHC Committee
Committee Co-Chair: Amanda Keefer
Committee Co-Chair: Kevin Dunleavy
This committee works with Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children to help coordinate programs and events to aid children with life-threatening diseases. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Attendance/Membership Committee
Committee Chair: Daniel Klausner
This committee works to recruit all retail and foodservice members to attend our events. They also work to recruit new members for the council. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
CHOA Committee
Committee Co-Chair: John Williams
Committee Co-Chair: Blair Greenhill
This committee works with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on programs and events to fight childhood obesity, including the Strong4Life Superhero Sprint and All-Star Run each year in June and November in Atlanta. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Education Committee
Committee Chair: Harold Paivarinta
This committee works to brainstorm and implement industry-relevant educational workshops and speakers for our events. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Foodservice Committee
Committee Chair: Frank Swanson
This committee works on foodservice-related projects and programs to provide value-added services to the food service members. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
LINKS Committee
Committee Chair: Harold Paivarinta
This committee coordinates the annual LINKS Summit, held at Southern Exposure, which is designed to create a non-competitive environment to facilitate the exchange of ideas, learning, interaction, networking, and enhanced understanding of the retail supply chain to achieve the overall goals to better service consumers and drive consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in the Southeast. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Marketing Committee
Committee Chair: Amanda Keefer
This committee works on marketing aspects for each event and ways to bolster SEPC Membership. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Palmer Home for Children
Committee Co-Chair: Brandon Parker
Committee Co-Chair: Tim Edmonson
This committee work with PAYH to coordinate efforts with the Goodness Garden. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Paul Anderson Youth Home Committee
Committee Chair: Brandon Parker
This committee work with PAYH to coordinate efforts with the Goodness Garden. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Retail Committee
Committee Chair: Dave Lessard
This committee works on retail-related projects and programs to provide value-added services to retail membership. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Scholarship Committee
Committee Chair: John Schwalls
This committee works on the implementation and awarding of all SEPC Scholarship Funds, including Member Scholarship, Vorhees Vision Scholarship, and Nolan Foundation Scholarship. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
SoSA Committee
Committee Chair: David Sherrod
This committee works with Society of St. Andrew to help glean our food show and other projects to help feed the hungry. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Southern Roots Committee
Committee Chair: Stephanie Hilton
This committee works to create programs that promote women in the produce industry, including programs at both Southern Exposure and Southern Innovations. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
Sponsorship Committee
Committee Chair: Mike Roberts
This committee works to offer sponsorship opportunities to all of our members. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
STARS Committee
Committee Chair: Raina Nelson
This committee is in charge of the STARS Scholarship and works to accommodate the STARS students at Southern Exposure. Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.
STEP-UPP Commmittee
Committee Chair: Faye Westfall
This committee works on setting up field tours and team-building events with each STEP-UPP class.Please email info@seproducecouncil.com for more information.