Danowski starts Sept. 1, ending a six-month leadership vacancy at the state’s largest citrus grower group

 

California Citrus Mutual has named Tom Danowski as its next chief executive officer, bringing in an outsider from the Pacific Northwest wine industry to lead the state’s largest citrus grower organization through a stretch of mounting disease and market pressure.

Danowski officially begins Sept. 1, filling a seat that has been empty since February, when Casey Creamer departed after roughly seven years at the head of the trade association. The board conducted a roughly six-month search before landing on Danowski.

He arrives with more than 30 years of executive experience across agriculture, trade association leadership, and consumer marketing. Most recently he spent 13 years as president and CEO of the Oregon Wine Board and the Oregon Winegrowers Association, a tenure during which that industry’s annual economic impact grew from $2.7 billion to $8 billion. Before Oregon, Danowski held senior roles at Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola, according to The Business Journal.

“Citrus is one of California’s most iconic agricultural industries,” Danowski said in the CCM announcement. “It’s an exciting opportunity to bring what I’ve learned from another premium specialty crop industry and apply it to helping California citrus continue to thrive.”

A search built around advocacy

CCM Board Chair Julia Inestroza framed the hire as a deliberate bet on advocacy experience over citrus-specific background.

“We are excited to welcome Tom to California Citrus Mutual,” Inestroza said. “The Board was looking for a leader with strong agricultural and advocacy experience who could help guide our organization into the future.” She also pointed to Danowski’s ability to build relationships with policymakers, a signal of where the board wants its next chapter of work focused, per the CCM release.

Ryan Young of Sun Pacific, who served on the CEO search committee, said the process was thorough. “After an extensive and thoughtful search process, it became clear that Tom possesses the qualities we are looking for,” Young said.

What he’s walking into

The timing puts Danowski in the chair at a demanding moment for California citrus. Growers are contending with an expanding regulatory footprint tied to citrus disease, including a Citrus Yellow Vein Clearing Virus quarantine established in San Joaquin County near Lodi this summer and an HLB quarantine expansion in San Diego County in early August, alongside continued water supply uncertainty and competitive pressure from imported fruit.

For a grower organization whose core function is representing citrus interests on economic, regulatory, and political issues, appointing a leader who spent more than a decade making the economic case for a different specialty crop is a notable strategic choice. Danowski has said he intends to focus in part on improving lawmakers’ understanding of the citrus industry’s economic significance to the state.

Danowski is the third person to lead CCM in recent memory. Creamer was appointed in January 2019, succeeding Joel Nelsen, who had run the organization for 37 years.

California Citrus Mutual is a voluntary, non-profit trade association representing California citrus growers on the economic, regulatory, and political issues affecting them.

Official press release: California Citrus Mutual Names Tom Danowski as New Chief Executive Officer — CCM, Aug. 5, 2026