Grower-Shipper Association Foundation Announces AgKnowledge Program Class IX
Salinas, CA (March 12, 2015) ¾ The Grower-Shipper Association Foundation and their co-sponsoring partners, the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California and the County of Monterey Agricultural Commissioner. announces the 2015 AgKnowledge Program Class IX Fellows. These 23 community members have been accepted into the program and will participate in an eight-month executive leadership program. The program will focus on educating participants about the heritage, diversity, stewardship and complexity of Monterey County agriculture and the interdependencies of agriculture, local government and the community.
The AgKnowledge program focuses on issues affecting and influencing the local agricultural industry. The issues include food safety, security, labor, immigration, technology, marketing, conservation, urban/agriculture interfacing, air, water and much more. The Fellows will spend nine (9) Fridays between March and November attending forums and visiting farms and processing facilities while meeting leaders and innovators in the produce industry. One of the program’s most popular facets is “Day with a Farmer”, a day spent with a local grower becoming immersed in agriculture from a boots on the ground perspective.
2015 AgKnowledge Class IX- Fellows
Bob Abrams, Ph.D., P.G., C.Hg. Consulting Hydrogeologist
Roberto Avila, Director of Innovation, Mann Packing Co. Inc.
Mari Beraz, Deputy Treasurer-Tax Collector, Monterey County
Joanne Bravo, Vice President, Pinnacle Bank
Tim Burns, Code Compliance Manager, Monterey County Resource Management Agency
Freda Escobar, Permit Coordinator Manager, Monterey County Resource Management Agency
Angel Garibaldo, Business & Marketing/Communications Strategist, Avenue 831 Consulting Group
Lina Gomez, CFO, Genesis Freight Lines
Teo Gonzalez, Chief Deputy, Monterey County Ag Commissioner
Jerry Hernandez, Analyst, Monterey County Economic Development Department
Kiely Holcomb, CPA, Manager, Hayashi & Wayland
Elsa Mendoza Jimenez, MPH, Assistant Director of Health, Monterey County Health Department
Greg Long, Regional Sales Manager, Central Coast Commercial Banking, Wells Fargo Commercial Banking
Justin Magaleno, Senior Sales Representative, C.H. Robinson Company
Brad Mansager, Professor, Naval Postgraduate School
Mary Grace Perry, Deputy County Counsel, County of Monterey, Office of the County Counsel
Jessica Potts, Executive Director, Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum
Susan Rimando, Environmental Health Specialist, Monterey County Health Department
Marissa Ritter, Director of Marketing & Communications, Grower-Shipper Association
Sumadhur Shakya, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, California State University Monterey Bay College of Business
Josh Stratton, Chief of Staff, Monterey County Supervisor John Phillips
Thomas Truszkowski, Deputy City Manager & Community, Development Director, City of Gonzales
Sarah Wood, Editor and Publisher, Edible Magazine of Monterey Bay
Grower-Shipper Association Foundation: www.growerahipperfoundation.org
The Grower-Shipper Association Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and educate about the health, social and cultural benefits of agriculture to the community and society as a whole.