Pacific Nut Producer Magazine

Tag: Almond Leadership Program

  • Almond Board Announces Exceptional 2025 Almond Leadership Class

    The Almond Board of California is proud to announce the Almond Leadership Program class of 2025, a group of 18 exceptional professionals expected to help lead the industry into the future.

    Bayer Crop Science has sponsored the Almond Leadership Program (ALP) for a number of years and is again the sponsor of this 2025 class of next-generation leaders who were chosen from more than 40 highly qualified applicants. They come from diverse backgrounds across the full range of the industry and include growers and processors, sales representatives, agronomists, pest control advisors, supply chain analysts, ag realtors and more.

    ALP began in 2009 and has graduated 244 industry members. Dozens now serve on ABC workgroups, committees and even the Board of Directors.

    “This 2025 class is outstanding. They are bright, accomplished and they care about our industry,” said Rebecca Bailey, the ABC senior specialist who oversees ALP. “This program helps great people become great leaders and our industry continues to see the huge benefits from 16 years of this program. We are certain these 18 people will continue to be great assets and advocates for the almond industry.”

    Members of this 16th class – while still working at their jobs – will be immersed in every aspect of the industry, including ABC activities in global marketing, production, nutrition research, food safety and more. They’ll sharpen their communication skills and build lasting relationships with industry leaders, ABC staff and each other.

    “The Almond Leadership Program brings together passionate people from all parts of the industry to learn, collaborate and grow,” said Katie Driver, a class member and technical service manager with UPL. “Through this experience, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the almond industry so that I can better support the growers, who make it all happen.”

    Class members are guided by volunteer mentors – many of them ALP graduates – who will help them develop the skills, knowledge and perspective to improve their industry and their communities.

    “Being a mentor gives me the chance to pass along not just what I’ve learned in the last 25 years as a farmer and a conservation biologist but the new challenges we face every year,” said mentor Christine Gemperle, a grower and member of ABC’s Board of Directors. “I believe this next generation of industry leaders has the ability to take that knowledge and grow an even better future for California almonds.”

    The leadership program will also offer class members thorough looks at the impacts on the industry of social, economic, environmental and regulatory issues. In addition,

    participants will take on a yearlong, self-directed project focused on improving the California almond industry. Some past projects have led to important breakthroughs for the industry.

    Leadership class members kicked off their training with a two-day orientation at the ABC offices in Modesto, which included one-on-one talks with their mentors and hearing from ABC CEO Clarice Turner.

    Once again, class members will raise money for California FFA, pledging to raise more than $25,000 in scholarships for high school students interested in pursuing agriculture in college. Through the years, ALP has raised more than $320,000 for FFA.

    The 2025 Almond Leadership class members are:

    • Arik Bains of Turlock, a pest control advisor with Wilbur Ellis.
    • Cristal Da Silveria of Modesto, a plant and food safety supervisor with Grizzly Nut.
    • Katie Driver of Woodland, a technical service manager with UPL.
    • Raquel Gomez of Atwater, a technical agronomist with Brandt.
    • Zach Harcksen of Ballico, a pest control advisor with Mid Valley Agricultural Services.
    • Evan Koftinow of Los Banos, an operations manager with RPAC.
    • Laine LaGrande of Colusa, a product and system specialist of high value crops with John Deere.
    • Brenden Lusk of Modesto, an ag realtor with Real Broker.
    • Joseph McManus of Shafter, a farm manager with Wilson Ag.
    • Luis Mendoza of Denair, a sales representative with Syngenta.
    • Rajan Nagra of Yuba City, a sales representative with Flory Industries/COE Orchard Equipment.
    • Crystal Nay of Manteca, the managing editor of Modern Ag Media.
    • Ricky Robledo of Colusa, a sales manager with TRECE Inc.
    • Kiki Sandrini of Bakersfield, a regional sales manager with Chandler Automation.
    • Ranvir Tung of Selma, the general manager of Tung Corporation.
    • Elizabeth Vander Weide of Sacramento, a supply chain analyst for Blue Diamond Growers.
    • Jake Wiley of Chico, a sales manager with ProFarm Group.
    • Bobbie Williams of Tracy, a clinical dietitian and almond grower with Sutter Memorial Medical Center in Modesto and WMD Farms.

  • Almond Industry Golf Tournament to Benefit California FFA

    Almond Board of California — Almond industry members who enjoy golf are invited to tee it up again this year as part of an effort to support students who intend to pursue careers in agriculture. The Almond Board of California’s Almond Leadership Program (ALP) Class of 2023 will host its fifth annual golf tournament May 4 at Dragonfly Golf Course in Madera.

    Money raised from the event will be donated to the California FFA Foundation and awarded in the form of scholarships to FFA members, a cause hits home with tournament co-chair Darryl Hadlich. “Being an FFA alumni and an American FFA Degree recipient, it means everything to me to be able to help this organization,” he said.

    The cost is $700 per foursome. That includes golf fees and cart as well as breakfast and lunch. There will be prizes for best score in the scramble format, long drive and closest to the pin. Registration and breakfast will begin at 6:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. There are also sponsorship opportunities ranging from $250 to $2,350 that include a foursome as well as advertising as part of event promotions.

    “This event is important because the students who benefit from the scholarships are important,” said Rebecca Bailey, specialist in industry relations for the Almond Board. “These current ag students are the future leaders of the California ag industry and within their local communities. College is expensive, so being able to support students as they pursue higher education will help to ease financial and stress-related burdens.”

    The goal of the event is to raise $15,000 from the tournament, which is one of two major fundraising efforts organized each year by the members of the Almond Leadership Program. The second is a silent auction conducted during the annual Almond Conference in December.

    “I was once one of those kids wearing that blue corduroy jacket and I fully understand what this money can do to help the organization’s education efforts,” Hadlich added. “It’ll be a great day full of food, sunshine and golf; all while supporting the future of the agriculture industry. What more can you ask for?”

    The leadership program seeks to engage members of the almond community in creating a culture of lifelong leadership development, networking, education and service.

    To see a flyer with information about the tournament, click here. To register, please fill out this entry form. Questions should be sent to event co-chairs Darryl Hadlich at dhadlich@wiseconn.com or Vance Millwee at vance@treehousealmonds.com.

  • Future Industry Leaders Begin Yearlong Almond Experience: Almond Leadership Program Welcomes its 11th Class

    The Almond Board of California (ABC) today announced its 2019 Almond Leadership Program class. These 19 promising leaders represent diverse backgrounds across multiple industries, from almond growers, processors and food safety specialists to marketing experts, sales representatives and even a dentist who has a passion for farming.
    Almond Leadership Program participants will spend the next year growing in their roles as the future generation of California almond industry leaders. They will learn from volunteer mentors who will help equip program participants with the knowledge and experience necessary to improve their leadership skills, the industry and their communities.
    The class will complete specialized training in a wide variety of topic areas, many of which are tied to ABC activities in marketing, trade stewardship, scientific research, food safety and more.
    As a kickoff to the program, Leadership class members participated in a two-day orientation, which included a State of the Industry address from ABC President and CEO Richard Waycott and Chair of the Board of Directors Holly King. Waycott and King highlighted the Almond Orchard 2025 Goals and the almond community’s commitment to continuous improvement, which are cornerstones of this year’s Almond Leadership Program.
    As they progress through the program, Leadership members will gain a stronger understanding of how the social, economic and scientific issues facing our world today — combined with the current political climate — affect the almond industry. They’ll also learn how all sectors in the almond supply chain work together to provide a safe, sustainable product. Through monthly seminars that span topics reaching all aspects of the industry, Leadership members will sharpen their communication skills while building relationships that will span their careers.
    Each participant will also select an area of interest to explore as part of a yearlong self-directed project. These projects will all focus on ways to help advance industry knowledge, andsome past projects even led to important breakthroughs for the industry.At the end of the year, one participant will be selected to present their project at The Almond Conference 2019, held this year at Cal Expo in Sacramento.
    “This program helps mold great people into even greater leaders — the leaders we will one day look toward to shape the future of the almond industry,” said Jenny Nicolau, senior manager, Industry Relations and Communications, ABC. “Each graduate from the Almond Leadership Program has gone on to be a leader of change in the industry or their community in some capacity, and this group will be no different. They are bright and talented, and obviously problem-solvers, and we are honored to be partners on this yearlong journey.”
    Over the past ten years, the Almond Leadership Program has graduated more than 150 participants and supported many key initiatives benefiting the industry. This year’s class will continue the tradition of raising funds for California Future Farmers of America (FFA) and has pledged to raise more than $20,000 in scholarships for high school students interested in pursuing agriculture in college.
    Members of this year’s class include: Maria Gabriela Chavarria, Harris Woolf California Almonds; Louis Brichetto, L.F. Brichetto Farming; Dominique Camou, Famoso Nut Company; Rocky Dhaliwal, Valley Pride Farming; Brian Erickson, Erickson Orchards; Haley Fields, Ali Cox & Company Marketing; Purnima Gupta, K&G Ranches; Joseph Jackson, Hillside Orchards; Falastine “Fill” Munoz, Grizzly Nut, LLC; April Nuckles, HarvestPort; Kristina Qualls, South Valley Almond Company, LLC; Brett Richesin, Alliant Insurance Services, Inc.; Dylan Rogers, AgroLiquid; Lucas Schmidt, Grow West; Victor Thao, Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Jerrett Thomason, Wells Fargo Food and Agribusiness; Chris VanderStoel, VanderStoel Farm; Connor Wagner, Wagner Land Company; and Chandler Wilson, NutriAg Group Ltd.