IFPA hires political affairs and action director

The International Fresh Produce Association has added an experienced policy advocate as its new political affairs and action director.

Mica Hider will lead planning and management of IFPA’s political activity in Washington and will manage FreshPAC, IFPA’s political action committee, according to a news release.

Hider most recently served as the American Chemistry Council’s senior director of coalitions and PAC. She currently serves on the board of directors for BIPAC, a political organization founded in 1963 to support business-friendly candidates, and GlobalWIN, a forum for women leaders and innovators.

“I am excited to join the International Fresh Produce Association and help boost our political influence in the industry,” Hider said in the release. “I look forward to working with our members and leaders to strengthen our political influence and build upon IFPA’s success in expanding our political engagement through FreshPAC, ensuring that the voices of our industry are heard and valued in Washington and beyond.”

Hider’s experience also includes PAC management, fundraising and political activity leadership at the National Associations of Realtors, the Credit Union National Association, and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America.

Hider earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Tennessee and is a graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University.

“We hear from our members that one of the most important things we can do as an association is to build our influence to advocate and act on behalf of the industry in a way where individuals and companies cannot,” Rebeckah Adcock, IFPA vice president of U.S. Government Relations, said in the release. “Mica will bring immediate energy to these efforts, focusing on strengthening our political standing, expanding opportunities for members to be engaged in political activity, and increasing resources in FreshPAC.

“She brings years of experience building associations’ political capital, and I am thrilled that she is bringing her talent to the fresh produce and floral industry.”