MOFGA hires new executive director -- from California (Waterville, Hope: buy, organic)

[Coaster]

MOFGA has announced that it is hiring Ted Quaday, whose main expertise seems to be in communications, as its new executive director after the obligatory "national search." Quaday comes from California. Apparently no one in Maine is capable of leading the organization, except, oh wait, the last five executive directors.

New MOFGA leader filling mentor's shoes | The Morning Sentinel, Waterville, ME

[IHeartMaine]

He should get along well with all of the out-of-state yuppies at the Common Ground Fair this year..............

[Submariner]

They say he was selected because of "... his experience that includes organic agriculture, food system movements and communication work with Farm Aid, Organic Farming Research Foundation and as an independent consultant."

That is not bad.

[mainebrokerman]

buy local- but hire from away

the new mofga motto

[Coaster]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

buy local- but hire from away

the new mofga motto

LOL. Not bad. Hope he sees this job as a destination and not a stepping stone. The article was a blatantly obvious (and failed) desperate attempt to tie the new guy to Russ Libby.

ETA: I didn't see anything in the info about him that says he's actually been an organic grower. Sounds like he's a manager. MOFGA needs someone who knows Maine, and OJT isn't part of the job description.

[Maineguy04654]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

buy local- but hire from away

the new mofga motto

Bingo. Sad..

[maureenb]

Normally I wouldn't bother to respond to such juvenile parsing, but this thread begs for it. I can't imagine that any of the speculative criticism is worthwhile reading for anyone bothering to visit the Maine forum. If you don't appreciate MOFGA as an organization, if you don't support the Association's choice of its new Director, let's hear some well founded facts to support your indifference.

Submariner, you are not my target...

[Coaster]

The problem is that I do support MOFGA and have since its founding. It has become the largest and most successful organic agriculture organization in the country by finding leaders who know Maine, know the Maine political and social scene, and most of all know organic agriculture by being growers themselves. The new director meets none of those qualifications, according to the information currently available. His only link seems to be a pathetic attempt to play on Russ Libby's memory.

This is yet another example of a Maine organization that feels it can only be credible if it hires leaders from outside Maine -- especially those that were built from the ground up by Mainers. It's an insult to the many excellent Mainers who are more than qualified to lead MOFGA.

ETA: And before you ask, no, I was not a candidate for the position, nor was anyone I know.

[Maineguy04654]

Originally Posted by maureenb

Normally I wouldn't bother to respond to such juvenile parsing, but this thread begs for it. I can't imagine that any of the speculative criticism is worthwhile reading for anyone bothering to visit the Maine forum. If you don't appreciate MOFGA as an organization, if you don't support the Association's choice of its new Director, let's hear some well founded facts to support your indifference.

Submariner, you are not my target...

Well first and foremost the M is for Maine! After that I live up here in Maine.

I raise my own Chickens, pigs, goats and 3 cows down the road. I also have a good size garden where I raise everything from taters to tomatoes I even have several acres of blueberries. While I am no organic nut I do like the idea and what I grow is done so a la natural I even use the poop from my critters for fertilizer. The milk my family drinks comes form our cows and goes from cow to fridge.

That all said it is a MAINE association for Mainers and thus should be staffed and overseen by Mainers. Not some guy from CA or anywhere that is not Maine. Do not tell me we do not have a list of Mainers just as qualified educationally plus being a Mainer more familiar with Maine and our unique ways.

Comprende migo??

[maureenb]

If there had been a suitable candidate from Maine, I highly doubt MOFGA would have simply passed them over.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm reading a degree of provinciality in the previous comments that is just plain curious to me. The notion that someone needs to "be" from Maine to be adequate to the task of acting Director of any Maine based organisation is closed minded to me. That's all.