It is that time of the year again, to celebrate the contributions of Latinos in the United States.

UC ANR joins the celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM), starting Sept. 15 and ending Oct. 15, with a series of events aimed at creating awareness of the struggles of Latinos, and celebrating their contributions to the U.S. and the world. 

As in previous years, UC ANR will hold several Zoom forums, with topics such as:

• How to stop the implicit bias towards Latinos and other ethnic groups
• What we need to know to better understand Latino communities
• Who are indigenous migrant workers; what are their most pressing needs; why have they been hit especially hard by COVID-19

All the webinar forums will be from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and moderated by Ricardo Vela, manager of News and Information Outreach in Spanish (NOS). On Sept. 29, we will celebrate three UC ANR professionals who were selected as HHM 2021 Honorees. The first three will be conducted in English and the community forums will be conducted in Spanish.

September 15 Zoom Forum

“One Size Does Not Fit All! – Myths, Stereotypes and Discrimination against Latinos”

Guest speaker: Victor Villegas, Oregon State University, Latino advocate

Testimonies from: Christian Gomez Wong, Beatriz Nobua-Behrmann and Bertha Teresa Felix-Simmons

September 22 Zoom Forum

“Indigenous Migrant Communities: The Forgotten Ones in the Age of COVID-19”

Guest speaker: Arcenio López, Executive Director, Mixtec Indígena Organization Project (MICOP) 

September 29 Zoom Forum

“Meet the HHM 2021 Honorees”

Guest speakers: Katherine E. Soule introducing Liliana Vega, 4-H; Tuline Baykal introducing Leticia Christian, CalFresh Healthy Living, UC; Jairo Diaz and Gilberto Magallon introducing Gersain Lopez, Desert REC.

Under the slogan “Celebrating Together Hispanic Heritage Month,” we have partnered with volunteers from UC Master Gardeners, 4-H Youth advisors and CalFresh Healthy Living, UC educators to bring these programs to the Latino community. We have three Zoom forums with topics that we learned are relevant to Spanish-speaking Latinos. 

October 6 Zoom Community Forum in Spanish

“Be Better Parents, How to Make Your Kid a Leader”

Guest speaker: Claudia Diaz, 4-H youth development advisor

October 13 Zoom Community Forum in Spanish

“How to Have a Successful Vegetable Garden”

Guest speakers: UC Master Gardener volunteers from UCCE Sonoma County 

October 15 Zoom Community Forum in Spanish

“The Power of a Nutritional Meal”

Guest speaker: Susana Matias Medrano, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in nutritional science and toxicology, UC Berkeley

Those interested in attending the September forums should register here.

For the Spanish community forums, please register here.

For more information, Zoom backgrounds and phone wallpapers

Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 (Main page) http://ucanr.edu/hhm-2021

Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 (Recursos, Resources) http://ucanr.edu/hhm-2021-recursos_resources

Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 (Recetas) http://ucanr.edu/hhm-2021-recetas 

UC ANR Honorees Page https://tinyurl.com/ycpcdufh

If you have any questions, please contact:

Ricardo Vela, rvela@ucanr.edu, (951) 660-9887

Thomas R. Gordon

Thomas R. Gordon, distinguished professor emeritus at UC Davis, died after an extended illness on June 27, 2021. Tom was born on Jan. 30, 1951, in Los Angeles to Hugh and Virginia Gordon. He was raised in Los Angeles and graduated from California State University – Northridge with degrees in biology (B.S., 1974) and botany (M.S., 1976). He received a Ph.D. in plant pathology in 1981 from UC Davis, where John Duniway mentored his doctoral research. He subsequently served as a postdoctoral researcher with Robert Webster at UC Davis, and then joined the UC Berkeley Plant Pathology Department in 1985 as an assistant professor. Following the college reorganization at Berkeley, Tom transferred to the Department of Plant Pathology at UC Davis in 1996, where he continued development of distinguished programs in teaching, research, administration and service.  

Tom's research focused on plant pathogenic fungi. His more than 160 publications reveal the exceptional quality and depth of his research, providing information germane to disease management while contributing to fundamental principles of plant pathology. He had a long-standing program on pitch canker of Monterey pine, caused by Fusarium circinatum, as well as projects on wilt diseases caused by Fusarium oxysporum and Verticillium dahliae. He was recognized nationally and internationally as an authority on these diseases and was especially regarded in the Fusarium research community. Gordon's leadership and international collaborations contributed to making pitch canker an important model for exotic pathogens.

The breadth of research topics associated with his lab included pathogen genetics and genomics, insect vectors, disease management, ecological implications of natural plant defenses, and many more. Especially noteworthy was his demonstration of systemic induced resistance (SIR), a first for a disease in a tree species, and the first documentation that SIR occurs in any plant species under natural conditions.

Tom and his colleagues also made important contributions to the biology and management of vascular wilt diseases in lettuce and strawberry, resulting in the development and deployment of disease resistant cultivars and information that filled gaps on disease etiology.

His ability to address fundamental questions and connect that information to production systems, and in a way accessible to stakeholder audiences, attested to his intellect, creativity and deep understanding of plant pathology principles. He mentored many students and postdocs who have gone on to have productive careers.  

Tom's ability to share his knowledge also was reflected in his extraordinary contributions to plant pathology and mycology education. He was an innovative and popular teacher, and his classes reached diverse undergraduate and graduate student audiences. His “signature” course, Mushrooms, Molds and Society (Science and Society 30) was an undergraduate general education class that introduced fungi and their societal roles, and eventually grew to over 500 students per offering, along with smaller honors sections to further explore lecture concepts. The high regard students had for Tom was reflected in his stellar teaching evaluations and, in one offering, the applause he received as he entered the lecture hall on the first day of class. He was accessible to his students, and many undergraduates had an opportunity to work in his lab to gain hands-on scientific experience and stimulate their curiosity. In 2013, he was awarded the UC Davis Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award for Undergraduate Education, one of the most prestigious campus awards.

Tom often used alternative media to promote plant pathology, as well as bring good cheer to the department at various gatherings. His video, “The role of recognition in host‐parasite interaction,” illustrated central concepts in plant pathology, and received the 2010 Judge's Choice Award from American Phytopathological Society (APS) and a first prize in the international competition sponsored by Chlorofilms of the American Society of Plant Biologists. The film exemplifies his philosophy that analogies and humor can render otherwise obscure concepts interesting and easy to understand. Other videos Tom produced included humor, often with playful critique of campus politics or other current events.

Throughout his career, Tom was deeply committed to the department, university, the agricultural industry and his profession. He served as an unselfish and extremely effective chair of the Plant Pathology Department for eight years. He was remarkable in steering the department to meet new challenges in research, teaching and outreach. He worked tirelessly to build an interactive, collegial atmosphere within the department while improving infrastructure, personnel, resources and teaching.  He was a leading force to double the department's engagement in undergraduate instruction, and contributed to numerous department, college, university, and statewide committees. He was elected American Phytopathological Society fellow in 2014 in recognition of his accomplishments in research, teaching and service.

Tom retired in 2019 and continued to remain active in research and writing papers until shortly before his death. He was very private about his illness and upon learning the news of his death, there was shock and an immediate outpouring from many of his colleagues who shared remembrances by email and other means. Tom was a beloved professor and colleague, and many spoke of his brilliance, creativity, and humor, and his thoughtful and caring manner. 

Tom was predeceased by his parents and his wife, Beverly McFarland (Ph.D., UC Davis, 1981), who passed away in 2017. He is survived by his son Steven, his sisters Julie Monson and Beatrice Reay, and several nieces and nephews. A celebration of Tom's life and career was held at UC Davis on July 24, 2021. 

Greg Gibbs

Greg Gibbs is UC ANR's new executive director of Development Services, effective July 1, 2021. He succeeds Lorna Krkich, who retired on April 2.

Gibbs has served as the director of major gifts at UC ANR since 2017. He brings more than 15 years of fund development expertise with 11 years at UC Davis before joining UC ANR. Over the past few years, the Development Services team has been generating approximately $3 million to $5 million annually through new endowments, capital campaigns, giving days and many other new donor relationships

Gibbs is based at the UC ANR building in Davis and can be reached at glgibbs@ucanr.edu and (530) 848-7860.

Murillo-Barrick named ag land coordinator in San Joaquin Valley

Cristina Murillo Barrick

Cristina Murillo-Barrick joined UC Cooperative Extension as an agricultural land acquisitions academic coordinator II on July 15, 2021. She will serve Fresno, Merced and Tulare counties.

In her new role with UCCE, Murillo-Barrick will support the mission of California's Sustainable Agricultural Land Conservation Program (SALC) to fight climate change by protecting productive farmland. Collaborating with the Strategic Growth Council and the Department of Conservation, she will provide local and regional planning agencies, land trusts, nonprofits, landowners and other stakeholders with input on critical land use issues, strategies and opportunities. This work will involve actively engaging partners, providing technical expertise and enhancing capacity of underserved communities.

Prior to joining UC ANR, Murillo-Barrick has been an environmental science educator at
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Yosemite National Park and Shenandoah National Park, trained ecotourism guides, and volunteered for programs in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Last year she and Clare Gupta, UC Cooperative Extension specialist, teamed up with California Institute for Rural Studies and the Community Water Center to produce the podcast Water is Gold: How Central Valley Communities are Still Fighting the Drought. This work was part of a National Science Foundation-funded multidisciplinary research project that examined the effects of groundwater, drought and climate change.

She earned an M.A. in geography, M.S. in community development, B.A. in international relations, and B.A. in Spanish, all from UC Davis. She is fluent in Spanish and trained in both translation and interpretation. Within this position, Murillo-Barrick said she hopes to “support, amplify and expand efforts to achieve agricultural sustainability and address climate change within California's most impacted communities. A fundamental piece of this work will involve providing sound technical assistance while centering on equity, antiracism and language justice.”

Murillo-Barrick is headquartered in Fresno and can be reached at (559) 458-6193 and cmurillo@ucanr.edu.

Gautam named area citrus IPM advisor

Sandipa Gautam

Sandipa Gautam joined UC Cooperative Extension as an area citrus integrated pest management advisor, on July 12, 2021.

Prior to accepting the UCCE advisor position, Gautam was an assistant research entomologist in the UC Riverside Department of Entomology. Since 2016 she had worked with UCCE specialist Beth Grafton-Cardwell at Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center leading a research group that works on IPM in citrus. She has studied fungal feeding mites Lorryia formosa and Tarsonemus bakeri, California red scale, Asian citrus psyllid and the efficacy of treatments against arthropod pests of export concern.

She earned a Ph.D. and M.S. both in entomology from Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, and a B.S. in agriculture from Tribhuvan University of Nepal.

Gautam is headquartered at Lindcove Research and Extension Center and can be reached at sangautam@ucanr.edu. Follow her on Twitter at @gautamsandipa.

After three years of limited hiring due to budget constraints, Vice President Glenda Humiston announced the release of 10 UC Cooperative Extension positions for recruitment.

The new UC Cooperative Extension positions include:

• #11 Plant Pathology Area Advisor, Santa Cruz County
• #13 Soils and Irrigation Advisor, Kern County
• #15 Urban Agriculture/Small Farms Area Advisor, San Bernardino County
• #27 Community Nutrition & Innovative Technologies Specialist, UC Davis
• #31 Forest and Fuels Management Specialist, UC Berkeley
• #37 Subtropical Crops Pathology Specialist, UC Riverside
• #45 Diversified Agricultural Systems Area Advisor, Lake County
• #55 Forestry and Natural Resources Area Advisor, Sutter-Yuba counties
• #59 4-H Youth Development Advisor, San Mateo-San Francisco counties
• #63 Integrated Vineyard Systems Area Advisor, at Hopland Research and Extension Center

The county listed beside the advisor title is where the office for the employee will be located. All of the UC Cooperative Extension Advisor positions will serve multiple counties.

A full description of each position is available at the corresponding position number at the bottom of https://ucanr.edu/sites/anrstaff/Divisionwide_Planning/2018_Call_for_Positions, with some modifications.

On July 12, the state restored UC ANR's budget to pre-COVID levels of FY 2019-20 and provided a 5% increase plus an additional $32 million in ongoing funding, bringing total state support to $107.9 million for the division.

“This budget increase is transformational,” Humiston said, “It will allow us to rebuild UC Cooperative Extension's boots-on-the-ground to help Californians cope with wildfire, drought, climate adaptation and economic development among other issues.”

Over the past 20 years, UC ANR had seen its budget decrease by almost 50% when adjusted for inflation. As a result, UC ANR was forced to reduce Cooperative Extension advisors and specialists – from 427 positions in 2001 down to only 269 in 2021 – creating vacancies in many critical positions.

Twenty UC Cooperative Extension positions have been designated as critically urgent to fill. To avoid overwhelming UC ANR's Human Resources staff, the other 10 positions of the 20 will be released in late September as they ramp up hiring for future recruitment. Seven to 10 positions will be released each of the next four months, with more positions to be released in 2022.

“We look forward to releasing additional positions for recruitment – both academic and program support members – throughout the next several months,” said Humiston. 

“We are extremely grateful to Governor Newsom, the Legislature and especially Senator John Laird, who championed the budget increase, and look forward to working with our community partners to leverage these resources.”

Visit UC ANR Jobs to see the current positions open for recruitment.