About the FDOC
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) is an executive agency of Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry.
Its activities are funded by an assessment paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels. The industry employs more than 45,000 people, provides an annual economic impact of $8.6 billion to the state, and contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues that help support Florida’s schools, roads and health care services.
The FDOC also has extensive regulatory responsibilities, covering every aspect of the industry, including research, production, maturity standards, licensing, transportation, labeling, packing and processing.
The FDOC is governed by the Florida Citrus Commission, a nine-member board appointed by the Governor of Florida to represent citrus growers, processors and packers.
Our Team of Directors
Shannon Shepp
Executive Director
Christine Marion
Deputy Executive Director of Administration & Finance
As Deputy Executive Director of Administration and Finance for the Florida Department of Citrus, Christine Marion is responsible for all financial operations including the oversight of revenue collections and expenditures, compliance with state and federal regulations and the annual budget process. Marion also oversees information technology, human resources, purchasing, support services and building operations for the Department.
She has 26 years of governmental accounting experience. Prior to joining FDOC, Marion served as Utilities Controller with the City of Gainesville and in various positions with Lakeland Electric.
She holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Florida Southern College and has been a Certified Management Accountant since 2004.
Dr. Rosa Walsh
Director of Scientific Research
The Florida Department of Citrus’s Scientific Research Department is housed on the campus of the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. As director, Dr. Rosa Walsh oversees current FDOC research efforts which focus on:
- Sponsoring health and wellness medical research on the benefits of citrus
- Performing chemical analysis of citrus/byproducts components to maintain independent verification of quality, consistency and nutritional benefits associated with high quality Florida citrus products
- Monitoring threats to the industry and responds with appropriate analytical and health and wellness research programs.
- Collaborating with researchers from UF/IFAS, USDA, and FDACS to enhance the disease research programs around the state
New to the citrus industry, Walsh joined the DOC team in January 2015 with over 10 years in the Florida university and college system as a chemistry professor and researcher. While teaching chemistry at USF and Polk State College, she also had administrative duties, which included university data and faculty activity reporting, maintaining departmental and grant budgets, supporting the accreditation process, and overseeing a research program for undergraduates.
Walsh holds both B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from Clemson University.
As Deputy Executive Director of Administration and Finance for the Florida Department of Citrus, Christine Marion is responsible for all financial operations including the oversight of revenue collections and expenditures, compliance with state and federal regulations and the annual budget process. Marion also oversees information technology, human resources, purchasing, support services and building operations for the Department.
She has 26 years of governmental accounting experience. Prior to joining FDOC, Marion served as Utilities Controller with the City of Gainesville and in various positions with Lakeland Electric.
She holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Florida Southern College and has been a Certified Management Accountant since 2004.
The Florida Department of Citrus’s Scientific Research Department is housed on the campus of the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. As director, Dr. Rosa Walsh oversees current FDOC research efforts which focus on:
- Sponsoring health and wellness medical research on the benefits of citrus
- Performing chemical analysis of citrus/byproducts components to maintain independent verification of quality, consistency and nutritional benefits associated with high quality Florida citrus products
- Monitoring threats to the industry and responds with appropriate analytical and health and wellness research programs.
- Collaborating with researchers from UF/IFAS, USDA, and FDACS to enhance the disease research programs around the state
New to the citrus industry, Walsh joined the DOC team in January 2015 with over 10 years in the Florida university and college system as a chemistry professor and researcher. While teaching chemistry at USF and Polk State College, she also had administrative duties, which included university data and faculty activity reporting, maintaining departmental and grant budgets, supporting the accreditation process, and overseeing a research program for undergraduates.
Walsh holds both B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from Clemson University.
Dr. Marisa Zansler
Director of Economic & Market Research
Dr. Marisa Zansler is the Director of Economic and Market Research Department at the Florida Department of Citrus with nearly 20 years experience in conducting and managing economic research and policy analysis of plant health management programs and regulations. She is responsible for implementing and overseeing the collection, analysis and reporting of economic and market research data, and also manages research activities and relationships between the FDOC and the UF’s Florida Agricultural Marketing Research Center.
Prior to joining FDOC in September 2014, Dr. Zansler served 10 years as a senior staff economist at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, where she collaborated among a multidisciplinary team of scientists to analyze the economic impacts of policies designed to control the spread of pests and diseases that posed a threat to U.S. agricultural industries, including the Florida Citrus industry. During her time at APHIS she conducted an economic analysis in support of regulations allowing the interstate movement of Florida citrus nursery stock from citrus greening and the Asian citrus psyllid quarantined areas under a systems approach.
Dr. Zansler earned a Ph.D. in Food and Resource Economics from the University of Florida in 2004. She also holds a B.A. in Political Science, a B.S. in Agricultural Business, and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Louisiana State University.
Katelynn Long
Director of Global Marketing
As Global Marketing Director at the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), Katelynn Long is responsible for the shaping and execution of FDOC’s marketing campaigns that promote Florida Citrus both domestically and internationally. Since joining the FDOC marketing team in the spring of 2021, Long has played a pivotal role in driving marketing initiatives that generate consumer awareness for Florida Citrus and drive purchase. Before her tenure at the FDOC, she gained valuable experience through internships in the financial and food and beverage industries, where she contributed to the development of impactful, result-driven campaigns.
Long holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Robert Morris University.
Adam Patton
General Counsel
Garrett Pearn
Inspector General
As Inspector General for the Florida Department of Citrus, Garrett Pearn is responsible for all audits, investigations and management reviews relating to programs and operations. The position reports directly to the Chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission and the Executive Director of the Department of Citrus.
Prior to joining the Department of Citrus, Pearn worked with Publix Super Markets, Inc. as a Senior Internal Auditor as well as Raymond James Financial, Inc. as a Senior Advisor in Internal Audit.
He holds a Master of Business Administration from Warner University and has been a Certified Internal Auditor since 2020.
Under the authority of the Florida Citrus Commission, and in accordance with Section 20.055 Florida Statutes, the responsibilities of the Inspector General’s office are to:
- Direct and coordinate audits, investigations and management reviews, both internal and external
- Promote economy and efficiency
- Prevent and/or detect fraud, waste, and abuse
- Advise in the development of performance measures and assess the reliability and validity of information provided by Department on performance measures and standards
- Develop an annual audit plan based on a risk assessment conducted with management and Citrus Commission input
