FORT PIERCE, Fla.—An expert in postharvest technology for Florida’s fresh produce industry received two honors in a week.
IRREC Associate Director and American Society for Horticultural Science Fellow
Mark Ritenour’s professional colleagues with the American Society for Horticultural Science named him a Fellow at the society’s annual conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii recently, and Ritenour began his role as associate director for the University of Florida/IFAS’s Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC).
“Dr. Mark Ritenour reached the highest point of achievement with his professional association, and I selected him to join me as a co-leader for IRREC,” said Mark Kistler, IRREC director.
A well-run postharvest technology program with national impacts
Kistler notes Ritenour’s well-run postharvest program valued by statewide packinghouse owners as evidence of Ritenour’s ability to lead agricultural production, research, Extension, and higher education. Ritenour’s colleagues note his leadership for the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) as their factor for selection for the esteemed title.
Comments made by the honor nominators point to Ritenour’s devotion to the organization as a compelling reason for the achievement.
“Mark is known far and wide for his expertise and productivity in several areas of or related to horticulture,” wrote one unnamed committee member. “I strongly believe that Mark represents ASHS in the best possible light and exemplifies what an ASHS Fellow should be.”
Ritenour honed his skills since 1998 as the postharvest technology expert at the UF/IFAS IRREC, where he runs the postharvest facility and the fruit quality laboratory. A full professor, Ritenour’s team members include two biological scientists, visiting scientists, and scholars, many of whom arrive from international schools and businesses. Ritenour gained national acclaim for his leadership, along with UF professor Steven Sargent, for the annual Postharvest Tour. The weeklong tour, which attracted attendees from the Midwest United States and Puerto Rico in 2024, includes stops at large ports, packinghouses, the state’s oldest farmer’s market, and local businesses that produce and support Florida’s fresh fruit industry.
The American Society for Horticultural Science 60th Class of Fellows
Ritenour this year joins Sargent as an ASHS Fellow. The 2024 new inductees are the organization’s 60th class of fellows. The ASHS fellows program commenced in 1965 to recognize its members’ “outstanding contributions to horticulture in one or more of the following areas: research, teaching, administration, or extension on state, national, or international level.”
In his new role as an ASHS Fellow, Ritenour will be active on the National Issues Committee, represent the organization to legislative representatives, and recruit and mentor future fellows.
According to the online fellow description, “election as a fellow of the society is the highest honor that ASHS can bestow on its members, in recognition of truly outstanding contributions to horticulture and the society.”
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