Musil, Zuwala join ANR Business Operations Center

Erin Musil joined the ANR Business Operations Center on Nov. 27 as an analyst. As part of Business Partner Team 5, she will provide financial services to UC ANR administrative and programmatic units, including Facilities Planning and Management, Information Technology, Publishing, Risk & Safety Services and Human Resources.

The Los Altos native earned her undergraduate degree from University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. She made her way back to the Bay Area and has worked most of her career in financial aid departments for private career arts universities.

Musil is based at the ANR building on Second Street in Davis and can be reached at emusil@ucanr.edu.

Kaitlin Zuwala joined the BOC team on Nov. 20 as a financial assistant. She will assist Business Partner Team 1 in offering financial services to UCCE offices in Alameda, Contra Costa, Imperial, Inyo, Mono, Lake, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Modoc, San Diego, San Mateo, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties.

Prior to joining UC ANR, Zuwala worked with theUC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital for 7 years.

Zuwala is based at the ANR building on Second Street in Davis and can be reached at krvaughn@ucanr.edu.

Woodward begins as forest advisor for Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties

Brian Woodward joined UC Cooperative Extension on Nov. 6 as area forest advisor for Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Woodward will work to advance resilience and effective management of forest communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains region to deliver ecological, economic and social benefits to the broader community.

Woodward's responsibilities include conducting applied research in forest management, postfire restoration and ecology; engaging in outreach and education; and promoting cross-boundary forest management using sound, science-guided techniques.

“My goal as an advisor is to promote the use of the ‘whole toolbox' in management of this forest system,” Woodward said. “Whether it be through prescribed fire; vegetation management, utilization and thinning; or home hardening – we can all do our part to ensure these iconic forest communities are more prepared for the next major disturbance event.”

After growing up among the oak woodlands of California's Lake County, Woodward embarked on an academic career focused on biological and ecological sciences. He earned a bachelor's in environmental studies from Sonoma State University, followed by a master's in forest sciences and a Ph.D. in ecology from Colorado State University. His doctoral research investigated the response of coast redwood forest systems to fire and disturbance.

Equipped with the latest research and best data on forest and natural-resource management, Woodward hopes to provide all community members with the tools, trainings and resources they need.

“Both as a scientist and as an enthusiast of our incredible forests, I'm excited to work with forest managers and property owners on the most effective techniques to strengthen forest resilience and support recovery,” said Woodward, who has lived “on and off” in the Santa Cruz/Monterey area since 2007. “I also look forward to collaborating with researchers and the greater community to address the pressing concerns of this region.”

Woodward is based at the Santa Cruz County UCCE office in Watsonville and can be reached at bdwoodward@ucanr.edu and (831) 348-7305. He is on X (Twitter) @woodcology and BlueSky @woodcology.bsky.social.

Pitton joins UCCE as environmental horticulture advisor for Placer and Nevada counties

Bruno Pitton joined UCCE on Nov. 1 as the environmental horticulture advisor for Placer and Nevada counties. He brings over 20 years of experience in environmental horticulture.

“I am excited to be the UCCE environmental horticulture advisor for Placer and Nevada counties,” said Pitton. “I want to help improve the sustainability of the landscape and nursery industry, while providing home gardeners with science-based solutions.”

Prior to joining UCCE, he worked in UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences, administering a grant-funded research and extension program for California's nursery and greenhouse industry. While an undergraduate student, he worked at the UC Davis Student Farm, an organic production and research farm, and the Arboretum Nursery, which produces California native and Mediterranean-adapted plants.

After graduation, Pitton was employed in operations at the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences' research greenhouses and teaching gardens. In the greenhouses, he oversaw integrated pest management, irrigation and fertilizer programs for plant science research.

“The teaching gardens were used to educate students about landscape plants,” Pitton said, “and I gained valuable practical experience managing all aspects of landscape maintenance from urban forestry to perennial propagation and planting.”

While working in the CA&ES greenhouses and teaching gardens, he conducted research on residential irrigation runoff with UCCE environmental horticulture specialist Loren Oki and received an M.S. in horticulture and agronomy.

In 2015, he began working full-time with Oki on a nationwide research project to develop online decision support tools that help nursery and greenhouse growers reuse their irrigation runoff water, affectionately known as “CleanWateR3: Reduce, Remediate, Recycle.” They collaborated with academics and two California nurseries to understand irrigation application and runoff patterns to develop cleanwater3.org. He secured over $600,000 in funding for his Ph.D. research on nitrogen management in nursery production to help growers meet state regulations, increase nitrogen use efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of nitrogen loss.

After completion of his Ph.D., Pitton conducted research to optimize nutrient application rates in the vegetable transplant industry and developed irrigation best management practice training for California's underserved greenhouse and nursery staff to improve water-use efficiency and plant health.

Pitton is based in Auburn and can be reached at bjpitton@ucanr.edu. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @EnvHort.

Oppliger joins UCCE as community health and nutrition advisor

Kitty Oppliger began working with UC Cooperative Extension on Oct. 23 as the community health and nutrition advisor for the Central Sierra (Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne and El Dorado counties) and Placer and Nevada counties.

Centering cultural resilience and holistic health for the diverse communities across this region, Oppliger aims to address needs in the areas of healthy lifestyles, health equity, food and water security, Indigenous food sovereignty, and climate change.

“I look forward to working with community members as we strive to provide healthy environments, equitable access to food and health care, and resilient communities for all California residents by eliminating health disparities and resource scarcity,” she said.

Oppliger will partner with local faith-based organizations and meal ministries to address food insecurity, and she hopes to collaborate with tribal communities on food and land sovereignty issues by integrating traditional harvesting, growing and cooking methods into existing nutrition frameworks. 

Born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a remote region with a prominent Native American presence, Oppliger worked with tribal leaders to develop sustainable and resilient food systems at Michigan Tech University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in ecology and biology.

Motivated by her own experience with limited access to healthy food and medical care in rural Michigan, Oppliger earned her master's in public health with a concentration in sustainable food systems from the University of Michigan. There, she engaged in research on a range of topics – from disability and nutrition to refugee health – centered by a drive for increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in health care and food systems. Most recently, Oppliger has been working on an analysis of Heart Health programming in First Nations tribes of British Columbia. 

An avid gardener and forager in the Midwest, Oppliger is eager to translate her knowledge to the unique environment of the Central Sierra. She hopes to work closely with the UC Master Gardener and UC Master Food Preserver programs in UCCE to expand food access and security. 

Oppliger is based at the UCCE Amador County office in Jackson and can be reached at koppliger@ucanr.edu. 

Singh joins UC ANR as Central Coast agricultural technology advisor

Paramveer "Param" Singh started with UC ANR on Oct. 2 as a UC Cooperative Extension agricultural technology area advisor for Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and San Luis Obispo counties. Singh is responsible for leading innovative applied research programs to address technological challenges in coastal specialty crop production.

In addition to fostering environmental and economic resilience through the adoption of cutting-edge technologies that address critical production and management issues, Singh aims to cultivate collaborations that will help establish an “ag tech” hub on the Central Coast.

“I look forward to building strong partnerships with growers, industry, regional organizations, educational institutions and UC ANR colleagues to deliver economic growth and impact – both in our local communities and across the state,” he said.

Hailing from the small village of Kheri Jattan, Punjab, Singh earned his bachelor's degree in agriculture at Punjab Agricultural University. He earned his master's and Ph.D. in agronomy and crop science at New Mexico State University, where he studied sustainable production options that improve water-use efficiency and ecosystem services of Southern High Plains cropping systems.

Prior to joining UC ANR, Singh was a research project manager with the Irrigation Innovation Consortium at Colorado State University. He managed CSU-TAPS (Testing Ag Performance Solutions), a program that facilitates interactive, real-life farm management competitions.

“Designed as a farming contest and a research framework, TAPS brings together scientists, extension professionals, producers, industry leaders, agriculture students, government regulators and agency personnel to drive innovations for greater profitability and input-use efficiency,” Singh explained.

Singh is based in Salinas, at the Monterey County UC Cooperative Extension office. He can be reached at psbsingh@ucanr.edu and (831) 214-8621.

Godfrey joins UCCE in Bay Area as environmental horticulture and water management advisor

Jessie Godfrey joined UC Cooperative Extension Oct. 2 as an environmental horticulture and water resource management advisor. She serves Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Mateo and San Francisco counties.

Godfrey will be working with nurseries, particularly those involved in tree production, and community-based organizations involved in urban tree planting or environmental horticulture. She also will provide guidance to the UC Master Gardener programs in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. 

She is a tree physiologist, with a Ph.D. in horticulture and agronomy from UC Davis. The bulk of her academic training focused on measuring abiotic stress responses in woody perennials, but she developed additional skills through research with seedling nurseries for the USDA Forest Service and CAL FIRE. As a former professional East Bay gardener who focused on climate-appropriate plants, Godfrey says she also learned a lot from landscape horticulture classes at Merritt College.

The Oakland native served in the U.S. Peace Corps as an agroforestry extension specialist in Northern Cameroon.

Godfrey is based in UCCE Alameda County's Hayward office. When she returns from maternity leave in June, she can be reached at jmgodfrey@ucanr.edu and (530) 298-6703 (cell/text).