Staff & Member Profiles

Alexis Atsilvsgi is a passionate Cherokee and Chicana activist in Higher Education, having served on multiple boards during the entirety of her college career. First as a Board Member on the California Community College’s Board of Governors and then as the 2020-22 Student Regent for the University of California Board of Regents.

Currently, Alexis serves as a Community Economic Development Coordinator and Policy Analyst for the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. In this role, she is engaged in network mapping of community economic development partners across economic sectors and regions of California.

Alexis completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley, where she earned dual Bachelor's degrees in geography and political science. 

Get in touch: ajzaragoza@ucanr.edu

Community Economic Development; Indigenous Education and Opportunity; GIS Projects; Networking Across California

Dr. Keith Taylor is an Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension & Community Economic Development at UC Davis. His Cooperative Extension educational work seeks to inspire communities to act in cultivating their individual capabilities, developing these institutions, and enhancing those organizations vital for individuals and communities to thrive. 

I’m “The Peoples’ Professor.” But really I’m just Keith-from-the-Midwest. I am originally from rural Central Illinois. I hold a PhD in Human and Community Development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, am affiliated with Indiana University’s Ostrom Workshop, and am the first in my family to go to community college, get a PhD, and become a professor.

Click here to learn more about me and my work.

Get in touch: keitaylor@ucdavis.edu

Community Economic Development; Triple Bottom Line Enterprises; Co-operatives; Business Governance and Management

Aaron Wilcher is a UCCE Community Economic Development Advisor serving the Eastern Sierra region. During his 15-year career, Aaron served as the director of an applied research program for workforce strategy in the Sacramento region’s community college system and as a workforce development program manager in the San Francisco Bay Area community college system. He holds a BA in Spanish from UCLA, an MA in American Studies from Saint Louis University, and an MCP, Community and Economic Development, from UC Berkeley. Aaron is a Certified Economic Research Professional (CERP) from C2ER.

In his spare time he enjoys backcountry skiing and mountain biking.

Get in touch: awilcher@ucanr.edu

Applied Regional Economic Analysis; Outdoor Recreation and Tourism; Triple Bottom Line Regional Economic Development; Mountain Sports

In June of this year, Cristina Murillo Barrick (she/ella) became the very first UCCE Advisor specializing in BIPOC Community Development. She is currently serving Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and San Francisco counties. Her career has centered on partnering with research institutions and higher education entities to address climate change adaptation, food systems and environmental justice; within her work, she aims to increase actions aimed at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by actively addressing racial and social injustices.

Murillo Barrick holds a Masters; Degrees in Geography, and Community Development, and bachelor’s degrees in international relations, and Spanish, all earned at University of California, Davis. She is proficient in Spanish and has received training in translation and interpretation, further enriching her ability to engage with diverse communities and bridge communication gaps.

Get in touch: cmurillo@ucanr.edu

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; BIPOC Communities; Community Resiliency; Community Economic Development; Food Systems; Environmental Justice

Alicia Baddorf is the Sustainable Supply Chain Coordinator with UC SAREP. She's held a variety of roles in agriculture: diversified fruit and vegetable farmer, marketer, and food hub sales manager. Before joining UC ANR, Alicia worked as a technical assistance provider for the Small Farm Tech Hub at the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, advising small-scale farmers finding right-fit technologies to expand their marketing opportunities.

She earned her M.S. in Community Development in 2023 and since then has continued her work with UC SAREP, conducting research to support farmers and ranchers in adopting more sustainable agricultural practices and assist communities in building equitable and healthy regional food systems.

Get in touch: akbaddorf@ucanr.edu

Local and Regional Food Systems; Food Hubs, Sustainable Farms; Niche Crops

Gwenael Engelskirchen brings over 20 years’ experience in sustainable agriculture and regional food systems to her position as Sustainable Food & Farming Coordinator at UC SAREP.

Her recent work focuses on pathways to market for emerging niche agricultural crops with dual economic and environmental potential (e.g., elderberry, moringa, Kernza®) as well as market channel development for small/mid-scale producers and under-represented producers (e.g., regional distribution, food hubs, institutional purchasing).

Her work broadly aims to support farmers and ranchers in adopting ecological practices and to build equitable and healthy regional food systems. Gwenael holds dual Bachelor’s degrees in International Development and Women’s Studies from UCLA and a Master’s degree in Community Development from UC Davis.

Get in touch: gaengelskirchen@ucdavis.edu

Food Systems; Local Food; Food Production and Ecological Stewardship; Institutional Purchasing of Locally Produced Foods

Laurie Wayne is a nutrition and food systems advisor for Modoc, Lassen and Siskiyou counties. She works with community members on food access and food security, and local food production, preservation and access. As owner/operator of Locavore Farms in Fort Bidwell she was an instigator of multiple local food projects in Modoc County. She has worked supporting healthy communities for OSU Extension in Klamath Falls, and at the High Desert Food and Farm Alliance in Bend, Oregon.

She earned a Master's degree at Portland State and worked in school and community gardens with immigrants and refugees in East Portland.

Get in touch: lwayne@ucanr.edu

Food Systems; Resilient Communities; Local Value Chain; Producer Prosperity; Collaboration

Helle Petersen is a leader in innovation and regional economic development, specializing in advancing technology start-ups, particularly in California's Central Valley agriculture. With over a decade of experience, she contributes significantly to the region's innovative landscape.

Currently, she focuses on local farm and food innovation, aiding small farmers in technology access and cultivating an ecosystem for a value-added food industry in the Central Valley, supporting sustainable food systems.

Get in touch: heptersen@ucanr.edu

Innovation; Small Farms; Value Added Food; Technology; Ecosystems,

Grant Johnson serves as the Urban Agriculture Technology Advisor for Los Angeles and Orange Counties, providing impartial, research-driven insights to optimize plant production in urban environments. With a focus on indoor production, such as greenhouses, his diverse clientele includes nurseries, commercial growers, school districts, and community gardens.

In his dynamic role, Johnson actively shapes the future of urban agriculture by tackling challenges through economies of scale. This involves creative exploration of horticultural topics related to irrigation, plant culture, and agricultural technology innovations that drive the future of farming, ensuring technological advancements that benefit a wide range of urban farming practitioners.

Get in touch: gejohnson@ucanr.edu

Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA); Hydroponics; Nursery Management; Greenhouse; Irrigation; Plant Production; Urban Agriculture; Agtech

Ahmed Kayad is an agricultural engineer advisor at the Intermountain Research and Extension Center (IREC), University of California.

He earned his PhD in digital agriculture from the University of Padua, Italy. His research and extension program focuses on crop yield monitoring, weed detection, farm machinery, drone and sensors applications in agriculture.

Get in touch: agkayad@ucanr.edu

Rachael is the UC SAREP Statewide Agritourism Coordinator, supporting the multiple benefits of agritourism by providing training for farmers and ranchers, conducting research, and fostering a statewide network.

Rachael holds a Bachelor's degree in International Affairs and a Master's degree in Global Environmental Policy. She has over 14 years of experience supporting sustainable farming and food systems in both urban and rural communities, in the US and abroad.

Get in touch: rmcallahan@ucdavis.edu

Alec Dompka lives in Crescent City California and serves as the Community Economic Development Advisor for Del Norte Humboldt and Trinity Counties with UCANR.

He is interested in innovative models for community-controlled economic development and rural economic development. He supports community organizations and local government through technical assistance, economic impact analysis, and community-directed research. Alec conducts extension education events around specific projects he conducts and general economic development topics.

He earned a Master's degree in natural resource and agricultural economics as well as his undergraduate degrees from North Carolina State University.

Get in touch: addompka@ucanr.edu

Ashley M Hooper, PhD is an urban community resiliency advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension of Los Angeles County. In this role, she conducts applied research and collaborates with community-based organizations to advance access to social and environmental opportunities and benefits in underserved communities. Specializing in qualitative and mixed methods, her research experience spans a variety of topics (e.g., access to culturally relevant and healthful food, broadband, healthcare, alternative transportation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts).

She holds a doctorate in Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy from the University of California, Irvine.

Get in touch: asmhoope@ucanr.edu

Paramveer joined UC Cooperative Extension in October 2023 as an agricultural technology area advisor serving Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo counties.

He is dedicated to advancing agricultural technology to address critical production challenges for coastal specialty crop producers. His research and extension program focuses on farm technology, economic development collaboration, and fostering technology adoption in the industry.

Prior to joining UCCE, Singh was a research project manager at the Irrigation Innovation Consortium at Colorado State University. He grew up in a small village in Punjab, India, earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Later, he earned his Master’s degree and Ph.D. in agronomy and crop sciences at New Mexico State University.

Get in touch: psbsingh@ucanr.edu

Alexandra Hill's research and outreach centers around the US agricultural workforce and seeks to demonstrate how a variety of factors impact worker well-being, quantified in terms of income or health impacts, and how these factors then impact businesses, in terms of key performance indicators like productivity, output quality, profits, and workplace injuries.

She is currently building an extension program centered around advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the agri-food system by enhancing the well-being of agricultural employees and other disadvantaged members of rural and urban agricultural communities.

Hill joined UC ANR as an Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension in the Economics of Diversity and Equity at the University of California Berkeley in July 2023. She holds a PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from UC Davis, and an MS and BS in Agricultural and Consumer Economics from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. 

Click here to learn more about her and her work.

Get in touch: alihill@berkeley.edu