Focus Agriculture has announced the 21 community leaders selected for Class 31 to learn about agriculture in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley.
Stephanie Connor Kent
The class includes: Raymon Cancino, Chief Executive Officer Community Bridges, Stephanie Connor Kent, Chief Nurse Executive, Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center/Sutter Health, Michelle Navarro, Business Development Officer, Santa Cruz County Bank, Anita Aguirre, Chief Compliance Officer & Deputy Director, Salud Para La Gente, John Bargetto, vice president, Bargetto Winery, Belinda Barr,Business Services Manager, Economic Development Coordinator, Workforce Board Development (County of Santa Cruz), Evan Benevento, senior Accountant, Wheeler Accountants, LLP, Chris Bley,entrepreneur, Insight Up Solutions, Edan Cassidy, managing member, Cassidy Insurance Agency, LLC, …
Michelle Navarro
Manu Koenig, platform partnership lead, Paystand, Mary Maselli, self employed financial advisor & financial planner, Michelle Montalvo, Legal Manager, Driscoll’s, Inc., Khalil Moutawakkil, founder & CEO, KindPeoples, Peter Nell, Government Affairs Manager, CCOF, Gilda Rall, parliamentarian & member of Governing Board of Directors, Pajaro Dunes North Association, Sergio Parra, attorney, Head of Labor & Employment Department, JRG Attorneys at Law, Joe Serrano, Executive Officer, LAFCO of Santa Cruz County, Jerry Souza, Director Cardiovascular Services, Dignity Health Dominican, Tiffany Turner, Director of Operations, Dientes Community Dental, Jessica Vaughan, Director of Operations & Grower Consulting, LumiGrow, Inc., Danielle Wong, Healthy Food for Seniors Program, Grey Bears.
Raymon Cancino
The program consists of once-a-month, daylong seminars, over a period of nine months. The first session was March 13.
Speakers ranging from farmers to elected officials to representatives from environmental groups will address the class. The sessions will cover such topics as ethnic groups in agriculture, new technology and diversity of commodities locally grown. There are many farm tours and hands on experiences, and participants spend one day working on a farm.
In announcing the participants, Agri-Culture President Steve Bontadelli, said, “Community leaders will find this program beneficial and, in turn, growers who present information to the class will learn the public’s current perspective of local agriculture. “
The Focus Agriculture program received a national award for its innovated approach to bringing the public and the agricultural community together.