Purpose
The President’s Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources (PAC) brings together senior leaders from the University of California and the agricultural, natural resources, and related human resources sectors twice a year. Participants share information and ideas, surface emerging issues facing agriculture, the environment, the food system, and human nutrition in California, and gain exposure to the breadth and range of UC research and Cooperative Extension programs. The Commission works to increase awareness of priority areas and issues where the University can make a difference through research, instruction, and public service, and to strengthen private-sector support and appreciation for the University.
Membership
Commissioners are appointed by the President of the University of California. Commissioners receive no compensation but are reimbursed for reasonable travel costs associated with meetings.
Members
Chuck Ahlem
Owner and Operator
Charles Ahlem Ranch
Manpreet Bains
Partner
Manseena Orchards
Ashley Boren
Board Member
California Trout, California Water Data Consortium, Watershed Solutions Network
Jaron Brandon
Supervisor, District 5
Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors
Don Bransford
Owner and Operator
Bransford Farms
Celeste Cantú
Vice Chair
San Diego Water Quality Control Board
Patricia Carrillo
Executive Director
Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA)
Carol Chandler
Partner
Chandler Farms, L.P.
Paula Daniels
Executive Director
LA County Office of Food Systems
Grant Davis
General Manager
Sonoma County Water Agency
John De Luca, Ph.D.
Senior Advisor to UC President
Matt Dias
President and CEO
California Forestry Association
Lucas Frerichs
Supervisor, District 2
Yolo County Board of Supervisors
Bill Frost
UC Cooperative Extension Advisor Emeritus and Former Associate Vice President
UC ANR
Luawanna Hallstrom
Principal
Collaborative Communications
Jack Hanson
President and Owner
Willow Creek Ranch
Lon Hatamiya
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Hatamiya Group
Ismael (Ish) Herrera
Co-Executive Director
Rural Prosperity Center
Eric Holst
Associate Vice President, Ecosystems Program
Environmental Defense Fund
Luna Latimer
Director
Mid Klamath Watershed Council
Jerry Lohr
Founder
J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines
Juliet Maestas
Consultant
Red Sky Education
Corinne Martinez
President and Chief Operations Officer
Berryessa Gap Vineyards
Mike Mellano
Chairman of the Board and Vice President of Farming
Mellano & Company
Ex-Officio Members
Wade Crowfoot, Secretary
California Natural Resources Agency
Glenda Humiston, Vice President
UC ANR
Karen Ross, Secretary
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Cynthia Larive, Chair, UC ANR Governing Council and Chancellor
UC Santa Cruz
Academic Advisors
David Ackerly, Dean
Rausser College of Natural Resources, UC Berkeley
Peter Atkinson, Dean
College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences, UC Riverside
Rakesh Goel, Dean
College of Engineering, UC Merced
Stacy Philpott, Professor, Environmental Studies Department
Ruth & Alfred Heller Endowed Chair in Agroecology
Faculty Director, Center for Agroecology
Executive Associate Dean, Agriculture Experiment Station
College of Social Sciences, UC Santa Cruz
Mark D. Stetter, Dean
School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis
Ashley Stokes, Dean
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, UC Davis
Background
UC President Richard C. Atkinson established the President’s Advisory Commission on Agriculture and Natural Resources in 1998 to strengthen communication with California’s agricultural interests, reinvigorate the University’s land-grant mission, and build greater understanding and support for UC research, Cooperative Extension, and teaching programs.
The first PAC meeting was held in Oakland in September 1998.