2022 Annual Meeting

Bob Desautel

GAPP Board of Directors Chairman

Bob Desautel is co-founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Global Seas and Nina Fisheries, Inc. In 1994, he co-founded Nina Fisheries, and proceeded to co-found Global Seas in 2001 as a subsidiary of Nina Fisheries. In 1978, while studying business at the University of Nevada, Desautel began his career as a deckhand fishing in the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Taking quickly to the industry and advancing to Captain in 1980, he went on to serve as Captain of various fishing vessels until 2002, when he retired from the ocean to focus solely on the expansion of Global Seas. Since making the transition from the wheelhouse, Desautel has worked tirelessly at promoting Wild Alaska Pollock and educating the public about the benefits and attributes of the fish. Desautel was instrumental in the reformation of the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP 2.0). Desautel has served as President and Member of the Board of the North Pacific Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association. Desautel also co-founded United Catcher Boats, serving as a Member of the Board and later as Vice President, all the while promoting the organization’s importance to the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and West Coast fisheries.

Craig Morris

GAPP CEO

Dr. Craig Morris is GAPP’s exuberant CEO. He’s been a lifelong passionate advocate and ambassador for the U.S. food and agriculture industry and has dedicated his entire professional career to advancing the interests of various U.S. agricultural commodities. He’s done it all, from pork to beef to poultry and everything in between working for the National Pork Board (NPB), United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service and Future Beef Operations, LLC, to name a few. Craig received his Bachelor of Science degree with a distinction in Animal Science from Iowa State University and served as a regent’s graduate fellow while earning his Doctorate in Animal Science from Texas A&M University.

Amanda Buckle

Managing Editor, SeafoodNews.com at Urner Barry

Amanda Buckle is the managing editor of Seafood News and Urner Barry’s Reporter, a quarterly food-industry focused newsmagazine. Amanda joined the team at Urner Barry in Toms River, New Jersey, in 2017 after working as a senior editor at the International Business Times and modern media brand Mic, both based in New York City. In addition to covering top-trending industry stories and leading a team of global contributors, Amanda also hosts the Seafood News weekly recap video and the Seafood News podcast. She also launched the popular YouTube series “Watch Us Eat!” with Urner Barry seafood market reporter and co-star Lorin Castiglione, where they sample new seafood products and menu items hitting the market to encourage and promote seafood consumption, all while injecting an element of fun for the viewers.

Master of Ceremonies

Session: Food Trends that Matter to Wild Alaska Pollock

Senator Lisa Murkowski

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska’s senior U.S. Senator, is a third generation Alaskan proudly serving as the first Alaskan born senator. Murkowski was born in Ketchikan and raised in towns across the state, including Wrangell, Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage. She is married to Verne Martell and they have two grown sons. Lisa loves spending time in the Alaska outdoors. She’s an avid skier, has hiked on glaciers, enjoys fall duck hunts, and has a pretty impressive King Salmon mounted on her off ice wall. Since joining the Senate in 2002, Senator Murkowski has worked tirelessly for Alaskans and earned a reputation in the Senate for her ability to work collaboratively and across the aisle to reach common sense solutions. Murkowski is well-known for her love and dedication to her state, which means putting Alaska first.

Senator Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan was sworn in as Alaska’s eighth United States Senator on January 6, 2015. Sullivan serves on four Senate committees vital to Alaska: the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Armed Services Committee; the Environment and Public Works Committee; and the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Sullivan served as Alaska’s Attorney General and Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. As Alaska's Attorney General, Sullivan’s number one priority was protecting Alaskans, their physical safety, financial well-being, and individual rights – particularly Alaska’s most vulnerable.Sullivan served in the Administration of President George W. Bush as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He focused on fighting terrorist financing, and implementing policies relating to international energy, economic, trade, finance, transportation, telecommunications, and Arctic issues. Sullivan also served as a Director in the International Economics Directorate of the National Security Council staff at the White House.

Jon Kurland

NOAA, Regional Administrator, Alaska Regional Office

Jon became Regional Administrator in March 2022. He previously served in three other senior leadership roles in the Alaska Region: Assistant Regional Administrator for Habitat Conservation, Acting Deputy Regional Administrator, and Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources. Before moving to Alaska, Jon was the national Essential Fish Habitat Coordinator based at NOAA Fisheries' headquarters office, and prior to that he worked in the habitat program in NOAA Fisheries' Northeast Region (now called the Greater Atlantic Region).

Session: The Importance of Industry Relationships and Common Goals

Jana Dombrowski

Jana Dombrowski joined Wells Fargo as a Senior Vice President in April 2017. She concentrates on enhancing the bank’s seafood focus throughout the West Coast, marketing to the multitude of food processors across the region, and furthering the bank’s presence in forest products. Her approach is providing general knowledge from “ocean or field, to plate”. Jana previously served as a Senior Relationship Manager at Rabobank International where she covered the Food and Agriculture sector in the Western States. Her sector focus encompassed global seafood, food processing, value added produce, branded consumer products, and farm inputs. Jana earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Economics from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts and completed the Capital Markets & Credit Training Program at Bank of Boston. Her prior experience includes positions at Bank of Boston, ABN AMRO Bank, and Silicon Valley Bank. In addition to Food and Agriculture, her specialty lending experience was in the transportation, aerospace and defense, and global technology industries.

Ron Rogness

GAPP Economic and Policy Advisor

Ron Rogness started his career nearly 30 years ago as a commercial fisherman in Washington State and later in Alaska. Rogness currently serves as an economic consultant to GAPP, assisting with fishery and trade reports, business-to-business sustainability efforts, and as a “technical” media expert. Previously, Rogness served as staff economist for the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, in purchasing roles at Long John Silvers and the Unified Foodservice Purchasing Co-op, LLC, and as the Vice President of Sustainability and Corporate Relations at American Seafoods. His extensive environmental advocacy, resource economics knowledge, and international trade experience lends GAPP a constant helping hand.

Session: Wild Alaska Pollock Fishery Update

Chris Rich

Vice President, Eat Well Global

Chris received his degree in Food Microbiology from The Ohio State University but like many college graduates, his professional career did not immediately follow his area of study. After several years in the health & wellness industry, Chris’s career path changed when his son was diagnosed with celiac disease. He immersed himself into helping the gluten-free community and worked for two different non-profit organizations, assisting with their branding, marketing strategies and business development. Chris has built multiple relationships with manufacturers, distributors and retailers and hecontinues his creative work in the food and nutrition space as a Vice President at Eat Well Global.

Kacy Cole

Kacy Cole is vice president of marketing and e-commerce for Holland America Line, a premium cruise line known for making travel personal for guests through expertly craed itineraries and extraordinary service. Cole is a creative and award-winning marketing executive with a proven track record in transforming businesses through digital innovation, brand leadership and integrated marketing. She has rich experience in bringing together strategic leadership with execution excellence to organizations including Tommy Bahama, Getty Images and T-Mobile. She received an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BA from the American University of Paris. Travel is a personal passion for Cole, and now a professional passion too, as evidenced by her two recent trips to Alaska where she enjoyed fly fishing, hiking and the incomparable Alaska seafood offerings on board Holland America Line.

Megan Rider

Rider joined ASMI in 2013, working with the international program, and most recently served as the Domestic Marketing Director. Prior to joining ASMI, the lifelong Alaskan worked in the Office of the Governor and for a lobbying firm. The domestic marketing program is responsible for executing strategic Alaska Seafood promotions with foodservice and retail partners across the United States. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family in the great outdoors, skiing, hiking, and of course, fishing.

Susan Marks

Susan is the Sustainability and Certification Advisor for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). In this role, she serves as the internal leader and subject matter expert on sustainability and certification in the seafood marketplace, represents Alaska at industry conferences and speaks to relevant issues that help leverage and expand ASMI's sustainability thought leadership. She also works on Alaska's Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) Certification Program for seafood sustainability and manages marketing, outreach and communications and implements strategies for global awareness and recognition. Prior to ASMI, she worked with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. In these roles she worked with major seafood buyers in the retail and foodservice sectors and consulted with corporate partners and their supply chains to develop and implement sustainable seafood programs, initiatives and commitments. A Seattle native, Susan has a BA in Communications from Washington State University.

Mary Elizabeth Germaine

Mary Elizabeth leads Ketchum’s research, measurement and analytics sector, Ketchum Analytics. Since joining in 2001, she has been instrumental in growing the business from a handful of team members to well over 60 in 12 cities globally today. With close to 20 years of experience as a marketing and communications researcher, she counsels clients on how to make the best use of data and analytics and derives insights to measure and optimize strategic communication programs. Her work spans all stages of the communications process – from planning to testing to evaluation. She is responsible for development of a variety of Ketchum’s proprietary tools, including those used for measurement, audience profiling, creative testing, optimization, as well as the agency’s strategic planning process. Her remit is to infuse data and analytics across all aspects of the Agency’s work.

Deborah Henderson

Deborah has extensive experience designing and managing integrated marketing solutions for food and ingredient companies across B2C and B2B channels, including GAPP, Kikkoman, Nestlé , and National Pork Board. On the GAPP business, Deborah leads a talented team of experts across influencer strategy, paid and earned media, and analytics to implement results-driven programming to raise awareness and demand for Wild Alaska Pollock. As a dedicated Client Director, Deborah helps food and ingredient companies discover how they can break through and engage target audiences in competitive categories to achieve tangible results. Deborah is also certified in nutrition and has a passion for helping clients bring powerful nutritional stories to light.

Chef Antonia

Chef Antonia Lofaso is the Executive Chef and Owner of three acclaimed Los Angeles restaurants - Black Market Liquor Bar (Studio City, California), Scopa Italian Roots (Venice, California), and DAMA (Downtown Los Angeles, California). Though diverse in cuisine and style, each of her restaurants combine deep-rooted, personal culinary traditions with the influence of her globetrotting adventures and formal French training. Antonia is widely recognized for her role as the host of Food Network's The Julia Child Challenge and Beachside Brawl, as well as her recurring roles on Guys Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions, and Supermarket Stakeout, to name a few, as well as Bravo’s Top Chef and CNBC’s Restaurant Startup. In addition to her thriving restaurant businesses and television career, Antonia is also an entrepreneur whose line, Chefletics, has redefined the traditional fit and function of kitchen apparel.

Ryan Calkins

Ryan Calkins was elected to the Port of Seattle Commission in 2017 and re-elected in 2021. Ryan works as a nonprofit professional at Ventures, a charitable organization that supports low-income entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses in the Puget Sound area. For more than a decade, Ryan ran an import and distribution company that was recognized for its industry-leading sustainability initiatives. In 2007, he formed Seattle Microfinance Organization, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to capital for entrepreneurs with limited economic resources. Ryan began his career in Central and South America, working for disaster relief and human rights nonprofits. He received his Master of Arts from Yale University in International Relations and his Bachelor of Arts from Willamette University in Religious Studies

Jason Cervone

Jason Cervone is a sourcing director within McDonald’s Corporation, managing the procurement of core Filet-o-Fish and pork products across the globe. In this role, he partners with MSC and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership to ensure the long term viability of the fisheries that McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish is sourced from. Jason began at McDonald’s in 2014 as a sourcing manager and director for Corporate Services prior to his current role. He started his career as a manufacturing engineer with Caterpillar. He subsequently spent time managingmanufacturing operations and collaborating with engineers and suppliers on design for manufacturability. Jason then moved into procurement and supply chain, working both in regional and global roles across several categories. Jason enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, hiking, travelling, and pursuing a multitude of other hobbies.

Kevin Lemme

An eight-year veteran with Alaska Airlines, Kevin leads long-term network planning.  In this function, he is responsible for airline growth capability and new destination development.  Prior to joining the passenger side, Kevin worked with Alaska Air Cargo overseeing alliances and postal affairs.  Of particular enjoyment over this time was his more than 100 trips traveling to/around the State of Alaska.  A Seattle native, Kevin enjoys all things outdoors: kayak camping in the summer and skiing in the winter.

Christine Durkin

GAPP Partnerships Advisor

Christine Durkin is a skilled marketing professional who officially joined the GAPP team in April 2021. Durkin will serve as a Marketing Consultant working part-time for GAPP, helping to manage its Partnership Programs around the world and identifying new marketing opportunities. Durkin spent much of her career at Unilever, championing as the North America Marketing Director for major brands in the food industry, before moving to start-up Yummly as Head of Strategic Partnerships. She then moved into consulting roles where she was then discovered from her unique, extensive experience by GAPP.

Session: 2023 Partnership Preview

Ana Gonzales

Analise Gonzales grew up in the seafood industry and started working for her family company, Trident Seafoods in April 2018 diligently focused on supporting training needs, as well as growing the nutritional department. She has since headed strategy and development for their specialty human and pet health brands as the Director of Specialty Brands. Gonzales has a background in sales, training and marketing from Allergan Pharmaceuticals and Target. She holds a MBA, along with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Business Administration, and Interpersonal and Organizational Communications. She currently serves on the communication committee for Global Organization of EPA and DHA, and is the Chair of the GAPP Marketing Committee.

Matt Mckay

Matt was born and raised in the suburbs of Massachusetts where he attended an open house for a vocational High School where we rolled out pie crust for a chicken pot pie, and from that moment he knew he wanted to cook and create. As he started understanding cooking more, he wanted more. From making burgers and rolling out pizzas to steak au poivre and seafood towers, he got to see it throughout his early years cooking. Aer High School, Matt attended The Culinary Institute of America where he received an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management. Aer graduation he continued to hone his skills in various kitchens before landing with Nordstrom Restaurant Division. For the past 13 years he has had multiple roles in Massachusetts, Southern California and now Utah. He supports both their restaurant operations as well as their Specialty Coffee units.

Jake Holbrook

Jake joined Gorton’s Marketing department in 2007 after graduating from Boston College. After departing to complete his MBA at the Kellogg School of Management Jake returned to Gorton’s in 2013 to work on the Walmart business before leading the Innovation group and ultimately landing in his current role as Marketing Director on the Established Business. In this role Jake and team work to drive the Gorton’s mission of Spreading the Goodness of the Sea by Making Quality Seafood Accessible to Everyone.

Marcus Lalario

A positive impact on Seattle's Nightlife for over two decades, accomplished entrepreneur Marcus Lalario has effectively transformed his passion for music, pop culture and community into a long and successful string of businesses and nightlife institutions. Lil Woodys started as a passion project 10 years ago. By using the same marketing strategy as he did for clothing and music it was quick to catch on and soon became a Seattle hotspot. Lil Woody’s is seen as an authentic brand with a larger purpose than just food.

Jay Gordon

Jay Gordon serves as Senior Director of Procurement for ARCOP, which is the purchasing cooperative for Arby’s Restaurant Group. Arby's operates over 3,500 restaurants globally and is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. As Senior Director of Procurement, Mr. Gordon leads the Direct Procurement team, which is responsible for overseeing the Brand’s purchasing requirements for food, beverage, paper, and dispos-ables. Mr. Gordon joined ARCOP as Manager of Inbound Logistics in 2010. Aer 6 years serving in that role, he transitioned over to the Direct Procure-ment and has directly managed several key categories including sauces, processed potatoes (fries), produce, and fish. Prior to joining ARCOP, Mr. Gordon served in several key roles for Hub Group Inc., a national Third Party Logistics (3PL) specializing in Intermodal and Truckload logistics solutions. Mr. Gordon is a Georgia native and attended The Ohio State University where he received a Bachelor of Science degrees in Marketing and Logistics.

Jim Johnson

CEO, Glacier Fish Company

Jim Johnson is President, Chief Executive Officer and a partner in Glacier Fish Company (Glacier), which owns and operates two American Fisheries Act catcher processors and Glacier is an owner in and manager of North Star Fishing Company which owns four multi-species ground fish catcher processors including a brand new state of the art vessel commissioned in 2021. Jim is a board member of Glacier Fish Company and North Star Fishing Company, is board President of the At-Sea Processors Association (APA), and is a board member of the Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative. Prior to his current Role at Glacier, Jim served as President of Glacier since 2011 and was Glacier’s Vice President of Corporate Finance and Development starting in 2009. Prior to his career at Glacier, Jim was a Managing Director and regional division head at KeyBanc Capital Markets with a focus on maritime industries and started his career in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at PNC Capital Markets Metals and Mining Division. Jim has a degree from the University of Rochester studying Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration and a master’s degree from the Joseph M. Katz School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh.

Doug Christensen

CEO, Arctic Storm

Doug Christensen joined Arctic Storm Holding Company LLC in October of 1986 and was promoted to president in 1992. Today, Doug holds the additional title of CEO. Doug attended the University of Washington and earned two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries and a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting. In addition to his GAPP board membership, Doug serves as chairman of the United States Surimi Commission, as president of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative, and as director of the At-Sea Processors Association.

Wally Pereyra

Wally Pereyra is Chairman and principal of the Arctic Storm Holding Companyin Seattle which operates two pollock catcher/processor trawlers in the North Pacific pollock and whiting fisheries. Wally has been in the seafood business for the past 45 years beginning in 1977 as general manager of a Soviet-American startup company US-USSR that initiated the Americanization of the North Pacific groundfish fisheries. In 1982 he formed ProFish International with three other partners. Wally served for nine years as a member and Vice Chairman of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. In 2003 he served as Chairman of the National Fisheries Institute. He also participated for six years as a member of the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee. He presently serves on the board of the NW Aquaculture Alliance. In partnership with his son and daughter Wally is also involved in a sustainable, integrated tilapia farm in Peten, Guatemala. Prior to his involvement in the fishing industry, Dr. Pereyra was a groundfish scientist for 15 years with NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, conducting and directing researchin resource assessment of the North Pacific groundfish resources and conservation engineering aimed at developing species-specific fishing gear. He was an affiliate professor at the University of Washington’s College of Fisheries andspent two years in Chile teaching and directing research at the Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso. Wally has a BA in Zoology from the University of Maine and earned his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Fisheries from the University of Washington.

Elizabeth Miller

VP of Development and Communications, Alaska Community Foundation

Elizabeth, a Certified Fundraising Executive, has dedicated her career to fund-raising for Alaska nonprofits. After a 30+ year career at United Way of Anchorage, she joined the team at The Alaska Community Foundation in July 2019 as the Vice President of Development and Communications.

A life-long Alaskan, Elizabeth grew up in Talkeetna. She attended college in Spokane, WA, where she graduated from Gonzaga University with a Bachelor’s degree in International Business.

She and her husband of over 20 years have one daughter and one dog. Elizabeth enjoys hiking and completed the Camino de Santiago in Spain in the spring/summer of 2019.

Christine Durkin

GAPP Partnerships Advisor

Christine Durkin is a skilled marketing professional who officially joined the GAPP team in April 2021. Durkin will serve as a Marketing Consultant working part-time for GAPP, helping to manage its Partnership Programs around the world and identifying new marketing opportunities. Durkin spent much of her career at Unilever, championing as the North America Marketing Director for major brands in the food industry, before moving to start-up Yummly as Head of Strategic Partnerships. She then moved into consulting roles where she was then discovered from her unique, extensive experience by GAPP.

Session: 2023 Partnership Preview