News
AFE Chairman David Garcia’s Commitment to the Future of Floriculture
September 13, 2024
I am excited and honored to serve as Chairman of The American Floral Endowment. For more than 40 years, AFE has been an important way of giving back to our industry to both my family and our company. My uncle Ramon (Board of Trustees from 2009 to 2015), as well as my father Pete (Trustee from 1989-1993 to Chairman 1993-1995), instilled in me the importance of the Endowment and its work.
As I look forward to my term as Chairman, I am confident where we are and optimistic about how we will move forward. In 2021, the Board intensely reworked our Strategic Plan to align with our industry’s needs. Since then, we’ve also set aggressive goals in Budgeting and Fundraising to achieve our plan.
In concert with our Strategic Plan, we have broadened our collaboration with other industry organizations and companies to support our efforts in delivering what the industry wants and needs in Research, Internships, Scholarships, and Education. The cooperation has shown great success, and I’m confident it will continue progressing.
Our Board of Trustees is an incredible representation of the many different areas of what we know as the Floral Industry. The current Board is made up of retailers, wholesalers, breeders, educators, growers, manufacturers, importers, and other suppliers. This brain trust and experience is critical to ensuring we remain aligned with what our supporters want and need.
I am also looking forward to working with our Executive Director, Debi Chedester, and her team of talented professionals who run AFE’s day-to-day operations.
I want to thank our outgoing Chairman Ken Young. Ken set the bar high for me following his Chairmanship. Ken leads by example, and the Endowment has benefited from his leadership; I have personally gained knowledge from his mentorship.
As we embark on the next few years, I look forward to meeting and seeing many of you. Thank you to our current contributors for helping us support our important research and education programs. If you aren’t a donor, I encourage you to connect with us to get involved and to learn more about how your contribution can make a difference.
David Garcia
Chairman, American Floral Endowment
Pete Garcia Company/Garcia Group
