Charles D. Ahlem
Charles D. Ahlem is the owner/operator of Charles Ahlem Ranch in Turlock with 4,000 Jersey milking cows and farming 1,100 acres. In addition, he is a founding partner of Hilmar Cheese Company, which annually produces more cheese from its Hilmar, California site than any other facility in the world. He serves as member on the USDA Trade Policy Committee (APAC), the California Milk Advisory Board and the UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security. Ahlem has served as Undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture in the Schwarzenegger administration. Other positions of leadership have included serving as dairy industry representative on the State Board of Food and Agriculture and memberships on the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board and the UC President’s Advisory Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. A lifetime resident of the Central Valley, Ahlem graduated with a degree in dairy science from California State University, Fresno.
Karen Caplan
Caplan is president and CEO of Los Angeles-based Frieda's Inc.
The daughter of entrepreneur Frieda Caplan, she has developed
the corporation to an annual sales level approaching $23 million,
pioneering in quality control and merchandising of exotic fruit
and vegetable products. A leader in the produce industry, she
was the first female president of the Fresh Produce Council.
She has served on the boards of the UC Davis Institute of Governmental
Affairs, the UCD Cal Aggie Alumni Association and was recently
appointed to a 3 year term as director of the Federal Reserve
Bank Board in San Francisco. She earned her BS degree in agricultural
economics and business management at UC Davis
Cornelius L. (Corny) Gallagher
Cornelius L. (Corny) Gallagher is senior vice president and
agribusiness executive for Bank of America's Consumer and Commercial
Banking Credit Risk Management Administration. Gallagher chairs
the Risk Management Association's National Agricultural Lending
Committee and is on the California Bankers Association Agricultural
Lending Committee. He also chairs the Bank's California Political
Action Committee. Gallagher is treasurer of the California 4-H
Foundation Board, a member of the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo School
of Agriculture Advisory Council and the Santa Clara University
Advisory Board of the Institute of Agribusiness. He serves on
the California Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee, the
California Agricultural Roundtable, and is on the board of directors
of The Agricultural Network, the California State Fair Agricultural
Advisory Council, and the California Food and Fiber Future Advisory
Board. Gallagher graduated from Iowa State University with a
B.S. degree in animal science.
Betsy Marchand
Marchand served six terms on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors
retiring in 1996. Her special interests and activities include
water, land use, and transportation issues as well as criminal
justice and health issues. Currently, Mrs. Marchand is President
of the State Board of Reclamation appointed by the Governor
in 2001. She is also a Tribal Gaming Commissioner for the Cache
Creek Indian Bingo and Casino and a founding board member of
the Yolo Basin Foundation. A member of a pioneer California
family, she received a B.A. from Pomona College (Phi Beta Kappa)
and an M.A. degree from Vanderbilt University, where she studied
as a Ford Foundation Fellow. Mrs. Marchand has taught high school
English and social studies in both Southern California and Northern
California
Milenda Meders
A native Californian and a lifelong rancher, Meders manages
a family field/row crop and almond operation and, with her husband,
a cow-calf operation in the Central Valley. She graduated from
California State University, Fresno, after majoring in dairy
husbandry with minors in biology and journalism. She is active
in numerous farm and community organizations and advisory groups,
is director of the Madera County Cattlemen's Association, and
has been livestock director of the Chowchilla County Fair and
a board member of the Chowchilla Water District. A founder of
Friends of Agricultural Extension, she continues to lead this
nonpolitical support group in Fresno and Madera Counties
Steven D. Rystrom
Rystrom is from Chico, is a rice grower in Butte County, and
has been an agricultural leader in his community and in the
national rice industry. Rystrom graduated from UC Davis and
did graduate work at Whitworth College in Washington. He began
his farming career in 1976. Over the years, he has served as
chair of the Butte County Rice Growers Association, Richvale
Seed Growers Association, Northern California Production Credit
Association, and the U.S. Rice Producers Group, California.
Rystrom has recently served as director of the California Rice
Commission, and in various capacities with the USA Rice Federation.
Rystrom's interest and expertise concentrate in the area of
farm program issues.
Peter K. Thor
Peter K. Thor is president of Bellissimo Foods, a national foodservice buying and marketing group. He has served as managing director and CEO for Pak Tech, a venture capital funded packaging (plastic) technology company and for SPC LIMITED, an Australian based processor and international marketer of vegetable and fruit products. He was executive vice president of Tri Valley Growers from 1989 - 1994 and has served on the faculty of the University of Santa Clara. Thor graduated with a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of California, Davis specializing in econometrics, with interests in marketing and finance.
Joe Zanger (Chair)
Zanger is a general partner of Casa de Fruta. Zanger is a graduate
of UC Davis. The family business was founded in 1908 and has
an agricultural history of growing, processing, and packaging
apricots, cherries, pears, prunes, walnuts, wine grapes, lettuce
and asparagus. Today, the retail location on Highway 152 includes
a fruit stand, restaurant, wine tasting/deli, motel and other
destination type activities. In addition to his work with the
family farming and value added activities, Zanger has been active
in the public policy arena for agriculture and business. He
serves on the Farm Service Agency California State Committee,
the U.S. Trade Representative’s Technical Advisory Committee
for fruits and vegetables and is the chairman of the international
trade committee for the California Farm Bureau. He has served
on the California Farm Bureau board of directors and on many
of its policy committees.
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William F. Allewelt (chair)
Jean Auer
Arnold Barcellos
Dan Dooley (chair)
Richard Douglas
Robert M. Eberhardt
Tom Graff
Ralph Grossi
Alfoonso A. Guilin
Less Guthrie
George Hickman |
Jyrl James-Massengale
Luther J. Khachigian
Arthur Littleworth
Howard Margueleas
Dorcas Thille McFarlane
Michael J. Mendes
Peggy Mesinger
Graydon Nichols
Jack Pandol |
Victor Pankey
Richard E. Rominger
Lois Salisbury
Henry Schacht
Terry Scranton
Brenda Jahns Southwick
Henry Voss
Richard Zacky
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