When the National Potato Council (NPC) opted to move its headquarters to Washington, D.C. in 2001, its first move was to hire John Keeling as chief executive officer. The first person Keeling hired to fill out the NPC staff was Hollee Alexander. It proved to be a sage personnel move, writes Spudman magazine’s Editorial Director Zeke Jennings in this article.
For 14 years, National Potato Council staffer Hollee Alexander has been the driving force behind Potato Expo — the biggest event of the year for the U.S. potato industry. She’s helped successfully steer the event through the pandemic, which required a lot of on-the-go flexibility and changes. For her longtime commitment to the industry, Alexander is Spudman’s 2022 Spudwoman of the Year.
“Her creativity has been on display over the entirety of the life of the Potato Expo, but none more than the past two years,” said NPC CEO Kam Quarles.
“I’m fortunate, over the past 20 years, to have developed a lot of friendships with the growers. A lot of them I first met when I was part of the Potato Industry Leadership Institute and went on those programs,” Alexander said.
Read the full story on Spudman magazine here. Also available as cover story on the Spudman’s digital edition May/June.
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Cover photo: Holee Alexander at a previous Potato Expo. Credit and courtesy Spudman magazine.
