Mary Coppola Heslep, MFA, has nearly two decades of experience developing and supporting brands as a design and marketing professional. As the Vice President of Marketing & Communications for United Fresh Produce Association, she develops initiatives that advance the fresh produce industry by growing consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. As the liaison to United Fresh’s Produce Marketing & Merchandising Council, she has spearheaded the produce marketing event BrandStorm™ for five consecutive years. The event explores top strategies for brand promotion and allows fresh produce marketers to gather annually to adopt new tools and tactics that will advance their brands, and the industry as a whole. Her association career began in 2008 when she joined Healthcare Distribution Association (HDA) as their Manager of Creative Services and was quickly promoted to Director of Marketing & Communications before joining United Fresh in 2014 as Sr. Director of Marketing Communications. Prior to 2008, Mary consulted, working with small businesses to develop their brand identities and marketing strategies. She has years of brand and design experience having worked for F&B agencies, start-ups and universities since 2001. Mary is a former collegiate soccer coach at the Savannah College of Art and Design where she earned her MFA in graphic design in 2005. She’s been a teacher, mentor, coach and now step-mom to three boys, ages 10, 12 and 13. She lives in Manassas, Virginia with her husband Robert Heslep and their three boys.