President's Page
Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif was brought to the 75 year
old trade association representing 90% of the fresh fruits, vegetables
and nuts in California and Arizona in February of 2002. His diverse
leadership experience in addition to his background as a labor attorney
for the agricultural industry makes the Former U.S. Ambassador a
natural choice to lead the fresh produce industry into a new era
through coalition building and an aggressive approach to addressing the
key issues confronting the industry.
Thomas A. Nassif was part of the Reagan administration that came from
California to Washington in 1981. His first position was in the Office
of Protocol where he was Deputy and Chief of Protocol (A) for the White
House. He became Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East and
South Asian affairs in 1983 and in 1985 was named by President Reagan
as his ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco.
Prior to leaving California, Ambassador Nassif was a partner in the law
firm of Gray Cary Ames & Frye specializing in agricultural labor
law. He represented the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers association
and numerous growers and shippers in the Imperial Valley, Central
Valley and Arizona. He was one of the attorneys who tried the first
case before the Agricultural Labor Relations Board. He went on to
represent growers and shippers in their elections, contract
negotiations, arbitrations, unfair labor practice hearings and
multi-employer bargaining. He left his law practice in 1981 to join the
Reagan Administration.
Since returning from Morocco, he served as Chairman of Gulf Interstate
Engineering in Houston, Texas, an oil and gas pipeline company,
President of Los Alamos Land Company developing industrial and
commercial business parks on the U.S./Mexican border, and Managing
Partner of Aequitas International consulting, an international business
and political consulting company.
Ambassador Nassif received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business
Administration from California State University - Los Angeles and his
Juris Doctorate from California Western University, School of Law in
San Diego, California. He is a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of
Honor, the Distinguished Alumni award from the School of Business and
Economics, California State University, and honorary doctor of Law from
California Western University School of Law in San Diego. He was
decorated by the late King Hassan II of Morocco and the President of
Lebanon for his work on Middle East issues and currently serves as
Chairman and CEO of the American Task Force for Lebanon.
Tom has been an active Christian his entire life. He initiated two
bible studies at the Dept. of State in Washington D.C. and in the US
Embassy in Rabat, Morocco. He was involved in the National Prayer
Breakfast while in Washington and participated in bible studies at the
Pentagon, White House and in Congress. He founded the Antiochian
Orthodox Christian Church in La Jolla CA and was it's first Parish
Council Chairman. For the past several years he served as sub-deacon
and now as deacon in the church.
He is an ordained clergyman at St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Christian
Church and serves there on the Saturday evenings and Sunday. He was
honorably discharged from the United States Army in 1968, is married
and has two adult children.
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