OFAC and AGCare Announce New Joint Staff Position
January 26, 2010
News Release For Immediate Release
OFAC and AGCare Announce New Joint Staff Position
Crystal Mackay to serve as Interim Executive Director for AGCare
January 26, 2010 (Guelph, ON) – The Ontario Farm Animal Council (OFAC) and AGCare are embarking on a new shared staffing arrangement for 2010. Crystal Mackay, Executive Director of OFAC, will take on the responsibility as Executive Director for AGCare for the duration of 2010.
Crystal Mackay has served as OFAC’s Executive Director since 2004 and will be replacing Jackie Fraser as AGCare’s Executive Director while Fraser is on maternity leave. Mackay has an extensive background in communications, project building and issue management which will serve both groups well.
“OFAC and AGCare already work very closely together on many projects and share an office and many projects,” said John Maaskant, OFAC Chair. “This new joint management arrangement is a logical step forward and should serve as a good pilot project to see if we can gain more efficiency.”
Both groups have similar mandates, focusing on communications initiatives and providing leadership on issues identified by their respective members. 2010 will serve as a good year for both groups to plan some proactive projects to work on on behalf of both plant and animal agriculture.
Richard Blyleven, Chair of AGCare, said, "As a board, we are very pleased with this new job-sharing arrangement. AGCare sees the value in reaching consumers and the media with one targeted approach, while keeping our respective Boards involved with the issues that are important to our membership.”
The Ontario Farm Animal Council is the voice for animal agriculture, representing over 40,000 livestock and poultry farmers, associations and businesses on issues such as farm animal care, food safety, biotechnology and the environment. Visit www.ofac.org for more information.
AGCare (Agricultural Groups Concerned about Resources and the Environment) is the voice of Ontario's 45,000 crop and horticulture farmers on environmental issues. Visit www.agcare.org
for more information.
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For more information:
John Maaskant, Chair, OFAC (519) 524-9081
Richard Blyleven, Chair, AGCare (905) 779-3817
Crystal Mackay, Executive Director, OFAC & AGCare (519) 837-1326, ext. 223