Light joins UCCE as agronomy advisor
Sarah Light joined UCCE on July 5, 2017, as an area agronomy advisor in Sutter, Yuba and Colusa counties.
Light earned a dual M.S. in soil science & botany and plant pathology from Oregon State University and conducted her graduate research in potato production at the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Eastern Oregon. Light, who speaks Spanish, also holds a B.A. in Latin American studies with a minor in Spanish literature from Brandeis University.
Prior to joining UCCE, Light was working as a Biological Science Technician for the USDA Agricultural Research Service on a project that evaluated the impact of biochar application on soil water properties. Light volunteered with the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program in Malawi and worked for several years in small-scale farms and gardens in the Bay Area.
Light is based in Yuba City and can be reached at (530) 822-7515 and selight@ucanr.edu.
Milliron named UCCE orchards advisor
Luke Milliron joined UCCE on June 12, 2017, as an area sustainable orchard systems advisor in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties.
Prior to joining UCCE, Milliron worked as an agronomy technician at Dellavalle Laboratory, Inc. since April 2016. He was responsible for soil and plant tissue sampling in almond, walnut, grapevine and processing tomato systems. He also supported grower irrigation management with neutron probe, pressure chamber and watermark readings.
From January 2015 to March 2016, Milliron was a UC Cooperative Extension horticulture intern, funded by the Almond Board of California and the California Dried Plum Board. During his internship, he was based in UCCE Sutter-Yuba and San Joaquin counties where he worked on 20 UCCE trials in almond, prune, walnut, processing tomato and landscape horticulture. Milliron also assisted UCCE farm advisors on visits with almond, prune, walnut and tomato growers, wrote newsletter articles and delivered talks to growers and pest control advisers.
Milliron earned an M.S. in horticulture and agronomy from UC Davis. His research focused on the measurement of almond tree water stress during winter dormancy. He earned a B.S. in agricultural science, with an option in crops and horticulture from California State University, Chico.
Milliron is based in Oroville and can be reached at (530) 828-9666 and lkmilliron@ucanr.edu and on Twitter @MillironLuke.
Satomi joins UCCE as forestry advisor
Ricky Satomi joined UCCE on May 15, 2017, as an Area Forestry and Natural Resources Advisor in Shasta, Trinity and Siskiyou counties.
Satomi earned an M.S. in forestry from UC Berkeley and a B.S. in forestry & natural resources and society & environment from UC Berkeley.
Prior to joining UCCE, Satomi worked as a research associate with the UC Wood Biomass Utilization Group, analyzing wood utilization capacity in California. His master's thesis focused on productivity and cost tracking of forest fuel mastication treatments using open source geospatial analysis. He also developed interactive web and audiovisual platforms to enhance delivery of forest management practices to the public. From 2009 to 2013, Satomi was a field forester working on inventory and management plans for land ownerships throughout Northern California.
Satomi is based in Redding and can be reached at (530) 224-4900 and rpsatomi@ucanr.edu.
Montazar joins UCCE as water management advisor
Aliasghar Montazar joined UCCE on June 1, 2017, as an area irrigation and water management advisor in Imperial and Riverside counties.
Prior to joining UCCE, Montazar was a project scientist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis for three years. From 2011 to 2014, he was a research associate in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC Davis. He is also a former associate professor at the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering at the University of Tehran, Iran. Montazar has more than 15 years of research, extension, teaching and technical consulting experience and has served in several leadership positions in agricultural water management and irrigation engineering in California and abroad.
Montazar, who is fluent in Persian and Arabic, earned a Ph.D. in irrigation and drainage from University of Tehran, Iran; an M.S. in irrigation structures from Tarbiat Modares University, Iran; and a B.S. in irrigation engineering from Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran.
Montazaris is based in Holtville and can be reached at (442) 265-7707 and amontazar@ucanr.edu.
Chen named nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor
Wei-ting Chen joined UCCE on Aug. 29, 2016, as the area nutrition, family and consumer sciences advisor in San Mateo, Santa Clara and San Francisco counties.
Prior to joining UCCE, Chen worked for a health communications firm based in Atlanta, Ga., where she managed health communication projects for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and led user research and evaluation efforts for web-based health communication products.
At Johns Hopkins University, she developed an urban agriculture summer training program for low-income inner-city teens, led the founding and operations of the university's first community garden, conducted a literature review on the topics of community food security and farm-to-school through the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and surveyed SNAP recipients at farmers markets about their experience with fruit and vegetable incentives. Her dissertation combined her interest in poverty, social policy, and food system issues and examined public assistance-dependent mothers experience as consumers in the food system and how they made food decisions for their households. From 2005 to 2008, Chen, who is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, worked for the California Charter Schools Association coordinating its board and leadership development program.
She earned a Ph.D. and an M.A. in sociology at Johns Hopkins University and her B.A. in political science and sociology at UC Davis.
Chen is based in Half Moon Bay and can be reached at (650) 276-7429 and wtgchen@ucanr.edu.
Megaro joins ANR as government and community relations director
Anne Megaro joined UC ANR as government and community relations director on Aug. 28. In her new role, Megaro will guide UC ANR employees in nurturing relationships with government officials and will monitor legislation that could affect UC ANR. She will also develop programs to promote community awareness of UC ANR.
Megaro, who earned a Ph.D. in animal science from Cornell University and a B.S. in animal science and management from UC Davis, brings a solid understanding of agriculture, science and the UC system along with knowledge of California's legislative processes.
“We're absolutely thrilled to have someone of Anne's caliber and credentials on board at UC ANR,” said Vice President Glenda Humiston. “Her hiring is a real coup for us and couldn't come at a more critical time. Educating our elected officials about the value of ANR research and outreach is always important, but especially as we try to increase investment in research infrastructure to address issues such as water, wildfire, invasive pests, food insecurity and other challenges facing the state.”
For the past five years, Megaro has been the California State Senate Committee on Agriculture's consultant. As the sole agriculture committee consultant for the Senate, Megaro planned legislative hearings, conducted independent research and analyzed agricultural bills to advise senators and staff on policy and legislative issues. She collaborated with senators, assembly members, governor's staff, legislative staff, government agencies, stakeholders and members of the public to resolve issues related to specific bills or policies.
“With the goodwill she's developed and contacts she's made in the state Senate, coupled with her ability to work with UC Cooperative Extension county directors and Research and Extension Center directors on effectively engaging policymakers at the local level, Anne will elevate UC ANR's ability to connect people with the data they need to make informed policy decisions,” Humiston said.
Megaro is based at the ANR building in Davis in Room 178 and can be reached at (530) 750-1218 and ammegaro@ucanr.edu.
Haver named interim associate director of REC system
Darren Haver has agreed to serve as the interim associate director of the Research and Extension Center system, effective Oct. 1, 2017. Haver has served as the UC Cooperative Extension water resources advisor in Orange County since 2002, director of South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine since 2009 and director of UC Cooperative Extension in Orange County beginning in 2011.
“Darren brings a wealth of experience to this position,” said Wendy Powers, associate vice president and interim REC director. “We continue to develop a plan to address administrative vacancies and look forward to working with him in this interim role.”
Haver will serve in this capacity until June 30, 2018, or until a new director is appointed. He will succeed Lisa Fischer, who plans to retire from UC ANR in September after five years as associate director of the REC system.
“Under her direction, each REC has developed a strategic plan to set the course for the future and numerous capital improvements have been made to the RECs, including new office and conference spaces,” said Powers. “We wish Lisa the very best as she takes on new adventures.”
Harper honored by California Wool Growers
John Harper, UCCE livestock advisor for Mendocino and Lake counties, received the California Wool Growers Association's Golden Fleece Award at their annual meeting Aug. 19 in Cambria.
The Golden Fleece Award is presented each year to a living and active member of the California Wool Growers Association or a public official who through his or her position has made a lasting contribution to the California sheep industry. This is the “un-sung hero” award. Recipients are intended to be those individuals who have given unremitting support and service to the California sheep industry and received little recognition for their efforts.
“John Harper was honored with the California Wool Growers Association Golden Fleece Award for his unrecognized contributions as livestock/natural resources advisor for Mendocino and Lake counties to the California sheep industry over the years,” said Erica Sanko, CWGA executive director. “John is known statewide and nationally for his sheep shearing and wool grading schools, which provides a much-needed resource of qualified sheep shearers for the California sheep industry.”
Since 1990, Harper has been hosting the UC Cooperative Extension Sheep Shearing School, which is the only program of its kind in California. At the five-day intensive course, more than 300 students from California, other states and other countries have been trained to shear sheep, giving them skills to start a new and profitable career. Harper, who serves as secretary for the Mendocino/Lake Wool Growers Association, has also authored or co-authored more than 350 research-based articles and publications.
Ingram honored by Nevada County Fair board
Roger Ingram, UCCE advisor emeritus, was named the 2017 Blue Ribbon Award recipient by the Nevada County Fairgrounds Board of Directors. The award was created by Western Fairs Association (WFA), a nonprofit trade association serving the fair industry, to recognize those who support and contribute to the quality of their local fair. During opening ceremonies on Aug. 9, Ingram was recognized for his contributions to the agriculture programs at the Nevada County Fairgrounds.
Ingram's involvement with the fair began in 1986 when he joined UC Cooperative Extension as the 4-H/livestock and natural resources advisor in Nevada County. At the Nevada County Fair, he organized and conducted a livestock judging contest until 1995. He has been instrumental in coordinating carcass quality programs for fair animals and working with exhibitors and leaders to understand the data and to use it to improve their feeding and management practices.
From 2006 to 2011, Ingram gave a series of agriculture-related presentations at the fair as part of the workshop series coordinated by the Nevada County Resource Conservation District.
“For decades, Roger has been an advocate of local youth in agriculture, particularly the youth at the Nevada County Fair,” said Rea Callender, CEO of the Nevada County Fairgrounds. “His contributions to the agriculture programs at the Fairgrounds have educated adults and children. Whether it's participating in the annual farm day, assisting with agricultural youth programs, serving as a guest speaker in the seminar series at the fair, or assisting the kids at the fair – his work is invaluable.”
Putting Youth on the Map wins UC tech award
The University of California recognized 10 teams from across the system with the 2017 Larry L. Sautter Award. Putting Youth on the Map won a Golden Award. The Center for Regional Change's interactive website provides analyses of California youth well-being and curricula on how to use them. The website is a resource for researchers and policymakers, as well as youth and adult advocates, who are working to ensure the well-being of young people in the state.
The annual award, which is sponsored by the UC Information Technology Leadership Council, recognizes collaborative innovations in information technology that advance the university's mission of teaching, research, public service and patient care, or that improve the effectiveness of university processes. The award encourages collaboration and solution sharing across the UC system. Systemwide Chief Information Officer Tom Andriola announced the winners Aug. 8 at the UC Computing Services Conference in San Diego.
Nancy Erbstein, who holds a research faculty appointment in the UC Davis Department of Human Ecology, is the principal investigator for the project. UC Cooperative Extension advisors Charles Go, Russell Hill, Anna Martin, Fe Moncloa, Terri Spezzano and Steven Worker; UCCE nutrition education coordinator Dennis Carrasquilla, UC CalFresh director David Ginsburg and former Youth, Families and Communities Program director Constance Schneider contributed to the development of Putting Youth on the Map.
The resource was created with support from The California Endowment, UCANR, the Center for Collaborative Research for an Equitable California and Sierra Health Foundation.
The Putting Youth on the Map website is at http://interact.regionalchange.ucdavis.edu/youth.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
The 2017 UC Master Gardener Conference was buzzing with activity as participants learned about the latest research in home horticulture and networked with fellow gardening enthusiasts in Long Beach on Aug. 22-25.
“It turns out there is far more to the UC Master Gardener Conference than talk about gardening!” AVP Wendy Powers wrote in her ANR Adventures blog. “I was unable to attend as many talks as I had hoped but those I made were great – filled with timely information from UC ANR advisors.”
The attendees took field trips to tour gardens at Rancho Los Cerritos in Long Beach, South Coast Research and Extension Center in Irvine, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens and Huntington Botanical Gardens.
For shoppers, the conference MarketPlace was stocked with handcrafted items from UC Master Gardener volunteers, gardening tools and UC ANR publications. Funds raised from the sales will be used to support the county programs.
Russell L. Rustici Rangeland and Cattle Research Endowment funding is available to University of California personnel to support problem-solving research that will benefit California range cattle producers. The goal of this program is to promote collaboration and strengthen the network among research faculty, Cooperative Extension specialists, county-based Cooperative Extension advisors and range cattle producers, and to ultimately provide practical answers to critical issues and challenges facing the industry.
It is anticipated that three or four research proposals will be awarded with a total annual budget typically not exceeding $60,000 per year. Matching funds from other sources that provide leverage will be favorably considered. Funding will also be available to support outreach and extending knowledge activities with budgets not to exceed $10,000 per project.
Funding opportunities:
- Collaborative research (annual call for proposals on priority research issues)
- Collaborative workshops, conferences, symposia (requests accepted year-round)
Time period:
- Research grants: January 1, 2018-December 31, xxxx (not to exceed two years)
- Outreach / extending knowledge activities: request accepted year-round (not to exceed two years)
Research priorities for 2018 call (not in order of priority):
- Managing Rangelands for Multiple Ecosystem Services
- Enhancing the Productivity and Profitability of Rangeland Cattle Operations
- Improving Cattle Health, Genetics, Productivity, and Quality
The research priorities for this call were developed and refined in consultation with UC and representatives from the range cattle industry. Priorities will be reviewed and established on a regular basis to ensure that the most critical issues facing the industry continue to be addressed.
Proposals are due Oct. 20, 2017. For more information, visit http://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/rustici-page-rfp.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
“I would not be standing in front of you here today in this job if it were not for 4-H,” VP Glenda Humiston told the audience at UC Office of the President, where she was the featured speaker on Aug. 16 for the Women We Admire speaker series. Humiston, who was the first in her family to attend college, credits attending 4-H camps held on a college campus for sparking her interest in higher education.
The Women We Admire series, initiated by the President's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women in 2009, brings women to UCOP from around the UC system to share insights about their careers, workplace challenges and work-life balance.
“My work has taken some really weird angles,” Humiston said. “In fact, when I talk to young people, one of the key messages I give them is to have a big goal out there, but to be flexible about which path you take to get there because you never know where the opportunity is going to show up.”
Humiston talked about the path – from her family's cattle ranch in Colorado, through Tunisia as a Peace Corps volunteer and various USDA posts – that led her to become UC vice president for agriculture and natural resources on Aug. 3, 2015. She also talked about what UC ANR is and what it could be.
The link to the hour-long audio and slides from Humiston's talk is http://www.ucop.edu/pacsw/_files/women-we-admire/humiston.mp4.
- Author: Jodi Azulai
UC Learning Center offers new look and new tools
Visit the updated online UC Learning Center and you will find enhanced learning and development tools, an improved user experience and a new look.
New features of the system include a Talent Profile, which will allow you to customize your profile and share your professional qualifications with others in the UC Davis-UC ANR Learning Center portal.
Check out your new personal dashboard “My Learner Dashboard,” which will list compliance training you need to complete.
ANR People Manager: Driving team performance
You can learn how to steer your team to better performance by watching Gartner's (formerly CEB) recorded webinar “Becoming an Enterprise Manager.” In it, you can explore
- how you can drive better performance on your team
- capabilities employees need to possess, and
- how you can enable employees to work differently
Then register for the Sept. 14 webinar “Performance Management for Enterprise Contribution,” where you can learn how to:
- Connect employees' performance goals to enterprise goals
- Assess the enterprise contribution of your employees
- Conduct performance conversations that improve enterprise contribution
“Grow, Empower, Lead” Conference a success
Several ANR people managers were sponsored by ANR Learning and Development funds to attend the first UC systemwide UC People Management Conference. Held on Aug. 2 and 3 at the UCLA Luskin Center, the theme of the conference was “Grow, Empower, and Lead.”
ANR managers at the conference completed or participated in one of three prerequisites: The UC People Management Certificate Series, the UC Management Development Program, or the UC-CORO Systemwide Leadership Collaborative.
Surendra Dara, Emily Melton Casado, Jan Gonzales, Kimberly Lamar, Shirley Salado and Lori Renstom are among the first ANR supervisors to complete the UC Performance Management Series Certificate. Lisa Fischer attended the conference as a graduate and John Fox as a participant in the CORO Systemwide Leadership Collaborative.
Interested in attending the conference next year? Read the following conference endorsements:
- "Thank you UC ANR for supporting my participation in the UC People Management Conference – it was a great experience! From the networking, keynote speakers, on-point breakout sessions and resources for continued learning, I am encouraged and feel better equipped to improve capacity to successfully achieve Cooperative Extension objectives using the tools and strategies learned for positive and effective self-management and team building." - Jan Gonzales, Project Coordinator, UCCE San Diego
- “I wanted to thank ANR Learning and Development for this excellent and rewarding opportunity to attend the UC People Management Conference. It was truly inspiring and has expanded my skill set in order to “grow, empower, and lead.” I have connected with so many across the UC system and augmented my network.” – Kimberly Lamar, Office of Contracts & Grants, Davis
- "This is the first time I attended a conference/training like this and found it useful. I was surprised to see the emphasis on health and well-being as well as the communication, management strategies, and leadership skills.” – Surendra Dara, Strawberry and Vegetable Crops Advisor, UCCE Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo
- “The conference was a very positive experience and a great way to reconnect with current colleagues, seek out new collaborations, as well as educate many in attendance on who ANR is and what great work we do. Almost all the workshops and keynote speakers were inspirational and extremely upbeat. I realized that many of the issues and problems that plague ANR, plague all the campuses as well. This led to several ‘ah ha' moments where I had to look inward to really analyze how my actions and behaviors affected those around me – some of which weren't too positive. I have vowed to work harder on keeping and maintaining that positive attitude that was so prevalent at the conference. – Lori Renstrom, Administrative Officer 3, UCCE San Diego
- The UC People Management Conference was an excellent source for information. Much of the content allowed for self-reflection, helping to identify strengths and weaknesses as managers. I would highly recommend this conference to anyone willing to be introspective while engaging and interacting with other managers across the UC system. –Emily Melton Casado, Financial Services Manager, BOC-Kearney
For more information about professional development in managing people, see the ANR Learning & Development People Manager Page.
Six principles of an effective meeting
Are you planning a meeting and want it to be productive? You can increase the effectiveness of your next meeting by incorporating the advice of David Crenshaw in this LinkedIn Learning Blog and you can take his Lynda.com course "Leading Productive Meetings."
Get sleep, learn a new skill
Are you tired on a regular basis? Does it affect your ability at home and on the job? See the study by Karunesh Ganguly, associate professor of neurology at UCSF, on how sleep may affect learning and Arianna Huffington's Lynda.com course Thrive 01: Discovering Meditation and Sleep to help you get the rest you need!
Three talking points to help an overwhelmed colleague
If you could prevent a "train wreck" for one of your overwhelmed co-workers, direct reports or boss, what would you do? In this 2.5-minute video, Jones Loflin offers three talking points to help.
