Grower-Shipper Association Foundation

05/17/2026

AgKnowledge Class XVIII spent the day in the shoes of farm workers. Thank you to ALBA - Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association Center for Community Advocacy Simon Salinas, RAMCO and Darby Marshall.

05/09/2026

Congratulations to Liz Silva our 30th Annual Ag Woman of the Year. It’s an honor to award such an outstanding leader!

05/09/2026

Congratulations to Liz Silva our 30th Annual Ag Woman of the Year. Outstanding service honoring an outstanding woman! Grateful to see Liz and her Mother share this moment! Cheers to the esteemed winners of this award. Liz Silva McIntyre Vineyards

04/27/2026

AgKnowledge Class XVIII learned about Heritage in Ag. Thank you to Monterey County Historical Society Asian Cultural Experience - ACE California Welcome Center Salinas The Farm in Salinas Meg Clovis, Chris Bunn Sr. and Marylou Shockley.

03/23/2026

Big Welcome to the AgKnowledge Class XVII for 2026. We had a great first day setting the stage for what is to come. Thank you to: County of Monterey Agricultural Commissioner's Office Grower-Shipper Association of Central California Coastal Grower Magazine Ag Land Trust Dorrance Family, Scott Violini, Mary Grace Perry, Nadia Ochoa, Jim Bogart and Lorri Nucci Koster for your time, talent and treasure!

02/26/2026

Proud to announce the AgKnowledge 2026 Co-hort. Welcome to these leaders in our community.

2026 AgKnowledge Class XVIII - Fellows

• Veronica Arroyo, Deputy Sealer Weights & Measures, Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office
• Colleen Bailey, President & CEO, Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce
• Jonathan Bagley-Rowe, Operations Manager, Institute for Innovation & Economic Development, CSUMB
• Dylan Beal, Integrated Pest Management Advisor, University of California, Agriculture & Natural Resources
• Paige Callaghan, Energy Programs Analyst, Central Coast Community Energy
• JP Dundore-Arias, Associate Professor, California State University Monterey Bay, College of Science
• Erika Escalona-Barragan, Research Program Manager, California Strawberry Commission
• Belen Gonzales, Career Hub Director, Hartnell College
• Bazillia Gutierrez, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Salinas Valley Health Foundation
• Sandra Guzman, Vice President, Hartnell College
• Emily Hickok, Chief Deputy District Attorney, Consumer & Environmental Unit, Monterey County DA’s Office
• Brooke Hoffman, Conservation Program Coordinator, Central Coast Wetland Group
• Jacob Houle, Facility Supervisor, D’Arrigo Brothers of California
• Jay Jannise, Information Security Officer, Monterey County Bank
• Nicholas Kite, Corporate Account Manager, Montage Health
• Vanessa Lopez, Educational Pathway Advisor – Mechatronics Engineering Department, CSUMB College of Science
• Jake Martinez-Parry, Project Manager, CHISPA
• Charles Mullaney, Attorney, Noland, Hamerly, Etienne & Hoss
• Lisa Murphy, Assistant City Manager, City of Salinas
• Hector Neri, Quality Assurance Supervisor, Driscoll’s
• Tina Nieto, Sheriff-Coroner, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office
• Cora Panturad, Sustainability Program Manager, County of Monterey
• James Perry, Executive Director & Curator, Monterey County Historical Society
• Wade Pyron, President & CEO, Monterey Credit Union
• Paramveer Singh, UC Cooperative Ext. Farm Advisor, University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources
• Sapna Thottathil, Deputy Director of Sustainable Pest Management, California Department of Pesticide Regulation
• Andrea Tinajero, Program Coordinator, Hartnell College
• Gabriel Torres, Quality Systems Manager, Driscoll’s
• Taylor Van Rossum, Agriculture Water Quality Program Coordinator, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation
• Paige Viren, Executive Director Sustainable Hospitality & Tourism, California State University Monterey Bay
• Charise Walters, Management Analyst III, County of Monterey Health Department, Environmental Health Bureau
• Christina Watson, Director of Planning, Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC)
• Sarah Wikle, Principal Planner, Monterey County Housing & Community Development
• Adrian Zavala, Director, CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)
• Suzanne Zivnuska, Dean, College of Business, California State University Monterey Bay

02/19/2026

One more day to nominate an Ag Woman of the Year for 2026. Deadline February 20, 2026

Save the Date: Friday, May 8, 2026 at McIntyre Vineyards.

Sharan Lanini, 1994Claudia Smith, 1995Karen Miller, 1996Susan Gill, 1997Betty Ichikawa, 1998Mary Hansen, 1999Elia Vasquez, 2000Connie Quinlan, 2001Kay Filice, 2002Dorothy Errea, 2003Nita Gizdich, 2004Mary Orradre, 2005Lorri Koster, 2006Margaret D’Arrigo-Martin, 2007Celeste Settrini, 2008Darlene Di...

02/05/2026

Save the Date for our 30th Annual Ag Woman of the Year Recognition Luncheon - Friday, May 8, 2026 at McIntrye Vineyards.

Nominations are now open for a woman leader serving our Monterey Bay Area Agriculture!

Sharan Lanini, 1994Claudia Smith, 1995Karen Miller, 1996Susan Gill, 1997Betty Ichikawa, 1998Mary Hansen, 1999Elia Vasquez, 2000Connie Quinlan, 2001Kay Filice, 2002Dorothy Errea, 2003Nita Gizdich, 2004Mary Orradre, 2005Lorri Koster, 2006Margaret D’Arrigo-Martin, 2007Celeste Settrini, 2008Darlene Di...

01/06/2026

Looking for a fun and engaging way to learn about local agriculture? Apply for the 2026 AgKnowledge Class Co-hort!

Contact:Lisa Dobbins, Executive DirectorGrower-Shipper Foundation16 W. Gabilan St.Salinas, CA [email protected]

12/11/2025

Applications for 2026 AgKnowledge Class XVIII are open!

Contact:Lisa Dobbins, Executive DirectorGrower-Shipper Foundation16 W. Gabilan St.Salinas, CA [email protected]