AgKnowledge Program Welcomes Class X 2016
Grower-Shipper Association Foundation Announces AgKnowledge Program Class X 2016
Salinas, CA (March 1, 2016) The Grower-Shipper Association Foundation and their co-sponsoring partners, the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner and the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California is pleased to announce the 2016 AgKnowledge Program Class X Fellows.
These 20 community members have been accepted into the program and will participate in a nine-month executive leadership program. AgKnowledge educates participating fellows about the heritage, diversity, stewardship and complexity of Monterey County agriculture and the interdependencies of agriculture, local government and the community.
Class X 2016 AgKnowledge
Allison Barrientos, Advisor, Integris Wealth Management
Shannon Bliss, Dean of Academic Affairs, Hartnell College
Gail Borkowski, Clerk of the Board, County of Monterey
Jesse Cuevas, Director of Legislation & Policy, CA Dept. of Pesticide Regulation
Lisa Dobbins, Consulting Manager, Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology
Dan Dobrilovic, Deputy Building Official, County of Monterey
Marni Flagg, Supervising Environmental Health Specialist, County of Monterey
Regina Gage, Executive Director, Meals on Wheels
John Guertin, Deputy RMA Director, County of Monterey
Abigail Hart, Agriculture Project Director, Nature Conservancy
Tami Hill, Administrative Assistant, Monterey County Farm Bureau
Iris Medina, Programs Assistant II, Hartnell College
Forest Melton, Senior Research Scientist, CSUMB
Rich Ordonez, Chief Deputy Ag Commissioner, County of Monterey
Aljantro Rayburn, Organizer, Teamsters 890
Juan Rodriguez, Deputy County Counsel, County of Monterey
Tom Rolander, AgSoft Consulting, CSUMB College of Business
Cheryl Sandoval, Environmental Health Supervisor, County of Monterey
Jacob Shafer, Marketing & Communication Coordinator, Mann Packing
Christina Zhang, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Finance, CSUMB
The AgKnowledge Program focuses on issues and public policies affecting and influencing the local Monterey County agricultural industry. The issues include but are not limited to food safety, food security, labor, immigration, technology, agri-marketing, conservation and the environment, urban-agriculture interface, air, and water.
The Fellows will spend nine (9) Fridays between March and November attending scientific and policy forums, visiting farms and processing facilities along with meeting key leaders and innovators within the fresh produce industry. One of the program’s most popular facets is the “Boots on the Ground Day,” spending time with a local grower becoming immersed in agriculture from a hands-on perspective.