New Members Appointed to NHB

Honey Variety 2

The National Honey Board (NHB) is pleased to announce and welcome our newly appointed board members and alternates. As a research and promotion board overseen by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), all board members and alternates are first nominated by qualified national organizations and then appointed by the USDA Agriculture Secretary. These members represent all areas of the honey industry including importers, handlers, producers and a marketing cooperative.

On January 9th, 2018 Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the appointment of the following board members and alternates:

  • Douglas M. Hauke, Marshfield, Wis.
  • Mark A. Jensen, Power, Mont.
  • Tim Burleson, Waxahachie, Texas
  • Gregory Brekke Olsen, Chaska, Minn.
  • Mathias Leitner, Gilbert, Ariz.
  • Eric S. Wenger, Peabody, Kan.

“The wide range of experience represented on the board is key to the success of the innovative research, education and promotional work they do to expand domestic markets for honey and honey products through consumer education,” said Perdue. “The board can count on USDA to continue to be a trusted partner to the honey industry.” You can read the full press release from the USDA here.

As a unit, our board works to address issues facing the honey industry and comes up with solutions to combat them through various marketing programs, crisis communications, and research. Speaking of research, the NHB allocates at least five percent of its annual budget to various types of research on topics including consumer markets, the health benefits of honey and honey bee health.

Collaboration is always the best way to work, and this is how our board operates, with each member contributing their years of experience, best practices, and ideas for other industry solutions. By working together, the NHB is finding solutions that further not only the goals of the board but the honey industry as a whole.

Please join us in welcoming our newest members.