Rain Bird Corporation Names Heidi Hanson as Board Chair
Rain Bird Corporation is pleased to introduce long-standing board member Heidi Hanson as the new Chair of Rain Bird’s Board of Directors. The granddaughter of Rain Bird’s founders, Clement and Mary La Fetra, Heidi has served on the Rain Bird Board since 2013. She was preceded as Board Chair by her father, Art Ludwick, who also served as Rain Bird’s President and Chief Executive Officer from 2021-2022.
Heidi joined Rain Bird in 2000 after completing her master’s in accounting with a concentration in tax from the University of Southern California and has since overseen multiple aspects of Rain Bird International, including establishing many of Rain Bird’s international subsidiaries and managing financial reporting, customer service, purchasing, inventory management, and logistics. Prior to assuming her role as Board Chair, Heidi continued to support Rain Bird’s international operations as part of the Finance team by coordinating international audits, managing transfer pricing reporting, and addressing accounting, tax, and legal compliance with Rain Bird’s subsidiary operations.
“Rain Bird has always been an integral part of Heidi’s life,” says Art Ludwick. “As a staff member and as a board member, she has seen first-hand the dedication and commitment of Rain Bird employees and has a deep appreciation for how our business thrives—now and into the future.”
As Board Chair, Heidi’s responsibilities will involve overseeing the Board’s activities as they relate to corporate governance and risk and long-term planning. Through a mix of inside and outside expertise, Rain Bird’s Board of Directors brings valuable and diverse perspectives to the company’s strategy and long-term visions.
“Because of Heidi’s roles as a Rain Bird board member and as a Rain Bird employee, she is uniquely positioned to provide alignment across board, staff, and leadership, creating an optimal dynamic for effective and strategic decision making,” says President and CEO Mike Donoghue. “On behalf of the entire company, I look forward to working with Heidi to sustain our growth into the future.”
From 2019-2024, Heidi served as Chair of the Board of Directors for Fairplex, Los Angeles County’s 487-acre nonprofit event venue, which hosts the annual LA County Fair. Under her leadership, the 100-year-old Fairplex weathered the disruption of COVID and emerged financially stable and in a good position to flourish for the next 100 years.
“The Rain Bird Board of Directors has already benefited tremendously from Heidi’s expertise and involvement, and we are lucky to have her as our next chair,” says Marilyn Edling, Rain Bird board member and retired vice president of Hewlett Packard. “It takes devoted board members and talented employees who believe in our mission to achieve the level of success we strive for. Her leadership is vital to sustain the growth and legacy her grandparents started.”
Heidi and her husband Dan are longtime supporters of Lafayette College, from which Heidi graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics and business. The Hansons provided the lead gifts to establish the Daniel and Heidi Hanson Center for Inclusive STEM Education and to expand and revitalize the Portluck Black Cultural Center. Heidi headed the college’s West Coast Advisory Council and was the youngest graduate inducted into Lafayette’s Société d'Honneur.
In addition to her degrees from Lafayette College and USC, Heidi holds an executive MBA from the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.