Board, Staff & Core Faculty

Michael Young

Chair

Mike Young (Class 35) is principal of Wegis & Young and a fourth generation agricultural entrepreneur. He manages the family operations with his father, uncle, brother and cousin. Wegis & Young has several ag-related businesses under its umbrella. The diversified farming operation grows a variety of tree and row crops and manages more than 100,000 acres of agricultural property for individual and institutional investors. Along with the agricultural interests, Mike is a partner in Water Associates, the only OEM (original equipment manufacturer) dealer of Cummins industrial engines in Kern County. Water Associates was named to the Inc. 500/5000 list. In addition, he successfully launched REDtrac systems, an assets management company. Young serves on numerous industry and community boards and is a graduate of University of the Pacific. He resides in Bakersfield with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children, Emma, Halle and Jake.

Cameron Boswell

Vice Chair

Cameron Boswell (Class 42) is a fourth generation member of J.G. Boswell Company, which farms and processes in the Central Valley. It is primarily known for pima cotton, processing tomatoes, pistachios and safflower. Cameron is the grandson of James G. Boswell II, co-founder of the California Ag Leadership Foundation. Cameron currently serves as the vice president of administration for the company. Cameron earned his bachelor’s degree at Prescott College in 2004 with a double major in political economy and human development. Cameron and his wife, Cherilyn, met in college and were married in 2005. Originally from the Detroit/Ann Arbor area, Cherilyn has a master’s degree in counseling psychology and has worked as a child and family therapist. They live in Santa Clarita with their two sons.

Emily Rooney

Secretary-Treasurer

Emily Rooney (Class 39) joined Ag Council in 2008 and became president in 2010. Ag Council represents approximately 15,000 farmers across California, ranging from small, farmer-owned businesses to some of the world’s best-known brands. Ag Council manages legislative and regulatory matters for its members in Sacramento. Emily has been involved in public policy for 20 years, including time spent at California Farm Bureau and working for two members of Congress in Washington, D.C. Emily’s family owns a livestock operation in San Joaquin County. She also serves on the statewide FFA Foundation board and the executive council for National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. Emily is a graduate of UC Davis, and she and her husband, Pat, have one son.

Yissel Barajas

Yissel Barajas (Class 40) is the chief human resources officer for Reiter Affiliated Companies (RAC), the world’s largest fresh multi-berry producer. Prior to her current role, she managed RAC’s philanthropy program, where she launched an initiative designed to prevent obesity and diabetes in the farm worker community. The program was developed in partnership with UC Davis and UC Berkeley, creating a successful model for public-private partnerships for the benefit of public health. She has served on the boards of the California Coalition for Rural Housing, the Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition and the American Red Cross of Ventura County. She currently serves on the Ventura County Farmworker Resource Program committee, the Museum of Ventura County board, the Ventura County Agricultural Museum board and the Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety’s external advisory board. Yissel earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in urban planning from UCLA. She and her husband, Jaime, have two children. They live in Camarillo, where they enjoy hikes, bike trails and participating in community events.

Nikki Cossio

Cossio is the founder and CEO of Measure to Improve LLC, which supports fresh produce industry producers and processors in measuring, improving and building credible sustainability programs that generate environmental, social and financial benefits. Part of a multigenerational California farming family, she has served on boards and committees for organizations such as International Fresh Produce Association, Specialty Crops Coordinating Council, the former Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Center for Global Produce Sustainability. Cossio founded the Monterey County Sustainability Working Group in 2011 and was recognized in the 2019 Packer 25, an annual tribute highlighting leaders in the fresh produce industry.

Correen Davis

Correen Davis (Class 45) is the managing partner and chairman of The Gorrill Ranch, her family’s diversified fourth-generation farming operation in Butte County. The farm primarily produces premium California rice, but also grows almonds, pecans and walnuts. The Gorrill Ranch, which celebrated its centennial in 2018, has a long history of successful habitat conservation projects and partnerships. Correen served on Ag Leadership’s Alumni Council as a CALF Education Team liaison prior to joining the CALF board of directors. She currently serves on the boards of the California Rice Commission and the California Foundation for Ag in the Classroom, and on the Northern California Water Association’s communications committee. She is a graduate of the Clark D. Honors College at the University of Oregon. She and her husband, Bradley, who is head coach of the women’s basketball program at University of the Pacific, live in Stockton with their two daughters.

Rob Goff

Rob Goff (Class 45) manages the farming operations on approximately 21,000 acres of almonds, pistachios and pomegranates, the harvest of 30,000 acres of pistachios and the research and development department for Wonderful Orchards. His academic background and early career were focused in forestry and natural resources management, however, for the past 13+ years, he has enjoyed a career in the Kern County ag industry. A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Rob earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry and natural resources management. He stays involved with multiple industry and community related boards and committees. He is a certified arborist/utility specialist, pest control advisor, qualified applicator and certified crop advisor. Rob and his wife, Joyel, enjoy spending time with their children, Katie and Thomas. They like to visit Central Coast beaches, backpack the Sierra Nevada Mountains and visit family in upstate New York.

Fidela Irigoyen

Fidela Irigoyen (Class 21) has extensive financial services experience, including more than 35 years with Wells Fargo Bank. She has held numerous management positions and individual contributor roles within the company's commercial banking, international banking and retail banking areas. In her current role with Wells Fargo, Irigoyen is the agribusiness market executive for the Southern and Coastal California, Southwest and Mountain States region, where she leads a team of relationship managers focused on agribusiness companies. Her lending experiences include consumer, agricultural, international, real estate and middle market/commercial lending. Irigoyen has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Santa Clara University and remains involved in her family’s agribusiness ventures.

Joel Kimmelshue

Dr. Joel Kimmelshue (Class 37) is a founding partner and principal agricultural scientist with Land IQ. He has over 27 years of experience focusing on practical and applied solutions for the development and management of agricultural-based soil/water/plant systems. Kimmelshue also has firsthand production agriculture experience from growing up and continuing to participate in a diversified tree and row crop farming operation in Northern California. He holds a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and Ph.D. in soil science with concentrations in agricultural engineering and water resources from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and North Carolina State University, respectively. Kimmelshue is also registered as a certified professional soil scientist.

Sal Parra Jr.

Parra Jr. (46) is the director of farming for Burford Ranch, a multigenerational family operation that grows nuts, vegetables and row crops. He is also an owner and partner of Coyula Farms, a family-owned operation that grows almonds, pistachios, wheat, alfalfa, corn and Angus beef cattle. Parra serves on boards for the Fresno County Farm Bureau and James Groundwater Sustainability Agency. He is a member of Class VII of the Western Growers Future Volunteer Leaders Program. Parra Jr. earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural business in 2008 and MBA in 2015, both from Fresno State. He is a member of Class 46 of the California Agricultural Leadership Program and previously served as a CALF Education Team liaison on the Ag Leadership Alumni Council. He lives on the farm with his wife Ramona, and their daughter, Linda.

Paul Parreira

Paul Parreira (Class 44) is a third-generation agriculturalist with more than 40 years of experience in almond farming, hulling, shelling, processing and marketing and byproduct market development and sales. He is a partner in Parreira Almond Processing Co. LLC, an almond hulling and shelling business which serves more than 24,000 acres of almonds for outside growers, in addition to 1,800 acres of their own trees. He is also a partner in RPAC, LLC, an almond processing and marketing company which supplies quality California almonds to customers in the United States and to more than 75 countries. He manages strategic planning, business development, sustainability and innovation for both Los Banos-based companies. Additionally, he is co-founder of HermetiaPro, a Black Soldier Fly vertical farming company, which converts agriculture waste products into high protein livestock feed. Paul serves as vice chair of CDFA’s feed inspection advisory board, vice chair of the Almond Board of California’s biomass working group and chair of the Almond Alliance of California’s co-products committee. He is a longtime member of the Merced County Spring Fair Board and helped found the Spring Fair Heritage Foundation.

Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire

Dr. Rolston St. Hilaire serves as the Dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (JCAST) at California State University, Fresno. He provides leadership to JCAST’s six academic departments, four research centers and institutes, and 18 farm enterprises. Dr. St. Hilaire advocates for food security and serves as the California State University, Fresno principal investigator for the Southwest USDA Regional Food Business Center. Among his 190 published articles are 55 peer-reviewed journal articles and one book. Dr. St. Hilaire holds the patent on the Mesa Glow bigtooth maple, an ornamental maple plant that is sold in 22 states and two provinces in Canada. In 2022, he was received the Intellectual Award from New Mexico State University for intellectual property development and for work that provided societal, industrial, and commercial benefits. As a leader, his peers have recognized him as an honest, strategic, and inclusive leader. Over the years, he has received several awards for his leadership including the Distinguished Leadership Award from the New Mexico Chapter of the American Society for Landscape Architects. Before joining Jordan College, he was a Regents Professor and Head of the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences and the Department of Extension Plant Sciences at New Mexico State University. He is a fellow and president-elect of the American Society for Horticultural Science. He received his doctoral degree from Iowa State University and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez.

Dwight Ferguson

President & CEO

Dwight Ferguson joined the foundation as president/CEO in October 2020, following 30-plus years in senior leadership positions at top produce and floral companies (both domestic and international). He was most recently the president and CEO of Naturipe Farms, LLC in Salinas. He has also been active with several industry and trade associations, most notably the Produce Marketing Association, where he served as board chairman for 2020-21. Dwight is the ninth president to serve CALF. As president, he is responsible for directing all foundation activities and guiding its widely recognized and highly respected leadership program. Dwight holds a BS degree from Ohio University and a MM degree from Aquinas College. He and his wife, Nancy, have two grown children.

Abby Taylor-Silva

Executive Vice President

Abby Taylor-Silva (Class 45) joined the foundation as executive vice president in November 2020. In the newly created role, she will apply her industry and alumni experiences to advance the foundation’s mission. She comes to Ag Leadership after 10 years as vice president of policy and communications for the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California. She is a native of Monterey and San Benito counties and serves on the boards of the Salinas Rotary Club (current president) and the Community Foundation for Monterey County. Abby earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science with a minor in agricultural and managerial economics from UC Davis. She lives in Salinas with her husband, Paul, and their daughters.

Dane White

Director of Education

Dane joined the foundation in November 2022 as the new director of education. He is responsible for CALF’s curriculum – in coordination with the four partner university deans – and for delivery of the leadership content presented in the campus and travel seminars. He works closely with the core faculty from the four campuses, as well as CALF's president and CEO. He will also support other CALF educational programs. Dane has a background in empowering leadership, learning design and instructional practice. A former high school agriculture teacher, he developed curricula that are used in more than 200 California schools. He previously consulted to the California Department of Education and worked for Vivayic, Inc., a learning solutions company. Dane earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural education from California State University, Chico. He is a self-described student of learning philosophy, leadership principles and educational theory who seeks to learn from and leverage unique experiences in order to do good in the world.

Maria Angulo

Financial Controller

Maria began her role as CALF’s financial controller in August 2024. Her responsibilities include oversight of the foundation’s accounting and clerical functions, including coordination of the fiscal year-end audit and tax returns. Maria previously served as the controller for The Club at Pasadera and the accounting manager at Troon Privé Club of Distinction. Prior to these roles, she was the office manager and assistant controller at the Del Mesa Carmel Community Association. Maria earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Guadalajara and studied accounting at Monterey Peninsula College. She also holds certificates in accounting and HOA community management and has taken courses on California human resources law and ethics.

Jodi Litz

Development Manager

Jodi joined the Ag Leadership staff in May 2023. She is responsible for setting fundraising targets; engaging current and new donors; collaborating with alumni, staff and board committees to cultivate stakeholder relationships; and maintaining the donor database and customer relationship management tools. Jodi most recently worked as the development director for Community Human Services in Monterey and previously served in the same role for Meals on Wheels of Western South Dakota. Born and raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota, she followed her family’s mining legacy by attending South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, earning her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary sciences. Later in her career, she joined a statewide cohort of nonprofit development professionals who trained at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy – Purdue University Indianapolis. Litz received her certificate in fundraising management by completing the courses Principles and Techniques of Fundraising, Developing Annual Sustainability, Developing Major Gifts and Engaging Women as Donors.

Raven Mariani

Alumni Engagement Manager

Raven Mariani (formerly Castro) is deeply rooted in the agriculture industry, drawing from her family's six-generation farming heritage in Yolo County. Growing up, her family tended to diverse crops - from rice ranches to walnut orchards - instilling in her a profound commitment to land preservation and sustainable farming practices. From 2016 to 2024, Raven dedicated herself to educating future generations as an agriculture instructor and FFA program advisor. Her role not only involved teaching but also nurturing young minds and promoting career technical education. Previously, she was the member relations and marketing coordinator at the Sonoma County Farm Bureau. Raven earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural communication from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a master's degree in agriculture education from UC Davis, shaping her career as both an educator and mentor. Throughout her journey, she remains a steadfast advocate for agriculture, driven by her family's legacy and her unwavering dedication to preserving our natural resources for future generations.

Judy Sparacino

Programs Manager

Judy supports the fellowship program, the fellow selection process and the domestic and international seminars, as well as serving as the foundation’s archivist. Judy also assists with efforts to sustain and expand the D.C. Exchange, California Exchange and County Exchange. She grew up in Sacramento and currently resides in Monterey. In her free time she can be found in a dance studio either teaching or taking class. From an early age, Judy has been very passionate about dance and it continues to play an important part of her life. She also enjoys traveling and spending quality time with her amazing friends and family.

Meredith Rehrman Ritchie

Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Meredith Rehrman Ritchie (Class 28) joined the foundation as marketing and communications coordinator in October 2021. She works with staff to plan, develop and execute the foundation’s marketing and communications strategies, and ensures strategies are infused in all organizational efforts. Meredith has 30 years of communications experience in food and agriculture, including positions with the California Association of Winegrape Growers, Western Crop Protection Association and International Food Information Council. She also served as Ag Leadership’s writer/editor from 2003 to 2015. Meredith grew up on a farm in Dixon, Calif. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in agriculture from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She and her husband, Brian, live in Folsom. Their children, Marisa and Brandon, attend Cal Poly SLO.

Mia Mirassou

Administrative Assistant

Mia joined the foundation staff as administrative assistant in February 2022. Her role is providing office support for the foundation team. Mia’s duties include implementation of development activities as well as helping illustrate the vision, mission and values of the foundation. Her previous work includes over 25 years of administrative support in the ag industry. In addition, over the last eight years, Mia was active and coordinated local, national and international service and advocacy programs for Palma School in Salinas. She enjoys hiking, traveling and exploring new walking trails. Mia and her husband, Greg, recently moved to Monterey and they have three grown sons, Caisen, Henry and Oliver.

Liza Teixeira Robertson

Writer/Editor

Liza works in a freelance writing and editing role for the foundation. Her responsibilities include writing and editing Horizons magazine, In Touch e-newsletter, impact report, news releases, website content, media relations and other projects. Her previous work experience includes serving as director of communications for the International Agri-Center and public relations specialist for the California Strawberry Commission. She studied agricultural communications at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and graduated with a degree in agricultural science and a minor in agricultural business. Liza and her husband, Kevin, live in Hanford with their three children.

Dr. Athanasios "Alex" Alexandrou

Dr. Athanasios "Alex" Alexandrou teaches undergraduate courses in mechanized agriculture. His research focuses on mechanical weed control as part of organic farming, tractor-implement interaction, soil mechanics with particular interest in soil compaction and its assessment. His research interests also include assistive technology for people with disabilities so that they will remain engaged in agriculture, technology into the classroom and ancient Greek technology. Alexandrou joined the department in 2006.

Dr. Amanda Crump

Dr. Amanda Crump is a lecturer and researcher in international agricultural development at University of California, Davis. She has over 10 years of university teaching experience and currently teach courses for undergraduate and graduate students in international agricultural development theory and practice, program management and evaluation and social change. Her research focuses on improving educational outcomes for women and other underserved adults. She has managed over $40 million in international and domestic agricultural research projects and her mentees now work as gender equity specialists, program managers and evaluators in Mali, Rome, Chile, El Salvador and many other places. She earned a Ph.D. in education from UC Davis, a master's degree in plant pathology and weed science from Colorado State University and a bachelor's degree in agricultural education from the University of Idaho. Crump grew up on a farm and likes to spend her free time in her garden.

Dr. Erin Gorter

Dr. Erin Gorter (Class 50) is third-generation born and raised in San Luis Obispo. She attended San Luis Obispo High School, where she was an active member of the FFA, graduating in 1999. Gorter earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science from Texas Tech University in 2004. She then spent time in the telecommunications industry prior to returning to school to complete her teaching credential at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She obtained her master’s degree in agriculture education from Cal Poly in 2011. She recently earned an Ed.D. in agricultural education in the Texas Tech University and Texas A&M University Doc @ Distance Program. Gorter taught agriculture and leadership courses at San Luis Obispo High School (2008-2010) and Templeton High School (2010-2014). She is a part-time lecturer teaching some classes and supervising student teachers. She currently serves as the president-elect for the California Agricultural Teachers' Association. Gorter was influenced by her high school agriculture teachers to choose agriculture education as a career and hopes to instill the same passion in others. She and her husband, Travis, live in Atascadero with their two dogs TJ and Lady. She enjoys gardening and has recently started an extensive home brew operation with her husband, where they are looking forward to brewing with their home-grown hops.

Dr. Peggy Sears Perry

Dr. Peggy Perry (Class 9) is a professor emeritus at Cal Poly Pomona and has spent her career teaching in the fields of plant science and leadership. Her teaching specialties have included California native plant materials, culinary produce, women in agriculture, leadership development and various issues related to agricultural literacy. Her research has focused on faculty vitality and institutional leadership and adult development. Dr. Perry has been a member of the CALF Education Team since 1986. She has also led the coaching element of the program for the past 10 years. Her role as co-interim director of education began in May 2021 and is expected to last until February 2023 to coincide with the commencement of Class 51.

Joyce Jong