A food safety specialist has been tapped as the first full-time executive director of the Postharvest Technology Research and Information Center at the University of California, Davis.

James Gorny will assume the new position on Aug. 1. The center serves as a liaison with the fresh produce industry and provides research information to industry and the general public on how fresh fruits and vegetables should be handled after they are harvested in order to maximize quality, safety and marketability.

"James Gorny is one of the most respected technical leaders in the produce industry and postharvest academic community, and we are fortunate to add him to our team to significantly expand the center's established outreach programs," said Professor Jim Thompson, faculty director of the center.

Thompson noted that Gorny will work directly with Cooperative Extension specialists and faculty members from the University of California and with other leading academic institutions as well as with international, national and regional trade associations and boards. Gorny also will assist produce, retail and food-service companies in improving postharvest handling practices throughout the food distribution chain.

Thompson said the new executive director position was created at the suggestion of campus researchers participating in the center.

"Earlier this year, the center's faculty members all agreed that continued growth and success of the center would demand that we devote greater talent and resources in the form of a full-time executive director, and that's where Jim's leadership can take us," he said.

Gorny, who received a doctorate in plant biology from UC Davis in 1995, has been senior vice president of food safety and technology for the United Fresh Produce Association for the past two years, and previously served as vice president of technical and regulatory affairs for the International Fresh-cut Produce Association.

In his current position with the United Fresh Produce Association, Gorny serves as the chief food-safety officer, advocating the association members' interests before health and safety regulatory officials, federal administrators and Congress.

He was previously a principal in Davis Fresh Technologies, serving as a consultant and adviser to the produce industry in a wide range of postharvest technology applications.

Gorny, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., earned a bachelor's degree in food science from Louisiana State University, before going on to UC Davis for his doctoral studies in plant biology.

The center, located on campus in the Department of Plant Sciences, is focused on sharing information between industry and university researchers related to maintaining the quality, safety and marketability of fresh produce, and fostering collaboration among center members, the produce industry, academia and government.