Biographies of Presenters
2022 Climate Action & Agriculture Symposium
May 24 and May 25, 2022, 1:00-4:00 PM
Tuesday, May 24 Presenters
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Oli Bachie, PhD Oli Bachie is the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Agronomy Advisor for Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties. He is also a CE county Director for San Diego and Imperial Counties. Bachie has led research and extension efforts in Imperial county since 2012. Earlier to this Bachie has worked as an adjunct professor at National University, Victor Valley and Imperial Valley colleges teaching computer networking, biology and environmental science classes, respectively. He develops and encourages adoption of research-based cropping systems to improve crop productivity and yield with due consideration for environmental and ecological compatibilities. Additionally, he served as a CDFA training technical assistant for the Health Soil Program (HSP) in 2018 and 2019. Bachie’s current research interests are on forage crop productivity, New and alternative crops such as quinoa, teff, Moringa, and Industrial Hemp. He is evaluating alternative pest management options to chlorpyrifos for sugarbeet. Bachie earned a PhD from the University of California Riverside. Contact: obachie@ucanr.edu |
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Dr. J. Heinrich (Heiner) Lieth Heiner Lieth holds a joint appointment as professor and extension specialist at the University of California, Davis. He obtained his PhD from North Carolina State University, focusing on crop modeling. In 1984 he became professor at the University of California in Davis, focusing greenhouse and nursery crop production. Initially his research focused on ornamental plants, but since then, his program broadened to include protected cultivation of any horticultural plant in systems without field soil, leading to his co-edited and co-writing a book entitled Soilless Culture. Current and recent research areas include lighting technology, indoor plant production without sunlight, and photovoltaic energy production as part of plant production. He teaches undergraduate courses in greenhouse and nursery production as well as a very popular course on the power of flowers. Contact: jhlieth@ucdavis.edu |
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Ashton Genzman Ashton is an Energy Efficiency Project Engineer with Cascade Energy. She has worked on the Streamlined Agriculture Efficiency program for the last year and has assisted San Diego Gas & Electric agricultural customers in identifying, quantifying, and implementing energy efficiency projects. She has also worked on the SDG&E Port Pilot Program and the Southern California Edison Strategic Energy Management Program, bringing energy savings to San Diego Port tenants as well as a variety of manufacturers in the Los Angeles region. Prior to her time at Cascade Energy, Ashton served in the US Navy as a Nuclear Engineer Officer operating the nuclear reactors onboard an aircraft carrier. Ashton would love to help you get your well-deserved incentives by participating in the SDG&E SAE Program! Contact: ashton.genzman@cascadeenergy.com |
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Eric Luther Eric Luther has been working for the Air Pollution Control District (APCD) since 2001. Prior to becoming an Air Quality Specialist, Eric was a compliance inspector and worked as the Small Business Assistant for the APCD. Contact: Eric.Luther@sdapcd.org |
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Jada Dormaier Jada Dormaier works as a Supply Account Manager enrolling farmers in the Nori marketplace. Previously, she worked as a crop insurance agent, insuring the production and revenue of crops across Washington State. She holds a B.S in Economics and an M.S in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. Contact: jada@nori.com |
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Joseph Cryer Joseph Cryer is the Climate Action Plan (CAP) Project Manager at the County of San Diego. The County is updating its CAP to take bold climate action and achieve a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions goal between 2035-2045. Joseph is an urban planner and project manager by training, and before joining the County his career included helping manage natural land preserves, regional land use and transportation planning, and helping jurisdictions support alternative transportation fuels. Contact: Joseph.Cryer@sdcounty.ca.gov |
Wednesday, May 25 Presenters
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Joel Kramer Joel Kramer serves as Agricultural Specialist at the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County. His career in land management was kindled as he grew up playing in abandoned avocado orchards in North County, and led to environmental monitoring and habitat restoration across the state. His Master's Degree in Watershed Science from San Diego State used remote sensing and field surveys to study farmer adaptations to water shortages in the Colorado River Basin. Joel is humbled by the ingenuity and commitment of local farmers and ranchers and is proud to support them through funding assistance, regional planning efforts and conservation practice guidance. Contact: joel.kramer@rcdsandiego.org |
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Kelsea Jacobsen A graduate of the UC Santa Cruz Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems program, Kelsea Jacobsen focuses on community education around organic materials management and farmland applications. As Solana Center's Environmental Education Specialist, she develops and administers composting education programs for farmers, growers, and ranchers, with special attention to carbon sequestration and watershed protection. She also serves as her organization's Technical Assistance Lead for CDFA's Healthy Soils Program, helping local growers understand, secure funding for, and implement a wide array of soil-building practices. Contact: kelsea.jacobsen@solanacenter.org |
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Lance Anderson (Photo and Biography information retrieved from the Mission RCD Staff Profiles webpage) Contact: lance@missionrcd.org |
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Megan Chery Megan Chery is a Water Team Lead at Environmental Incentives with fifteen years of experience working with municipal water supply and stormwater teams to develop performance-driven programs that achieve water supply and quality outcomes and advance cost-effective investments in policy, programs, and education. Prior to joining EI, Megan was part of the leadership team at the Alliance for Water Efficiency, where her work included supporting research into effective landscape transformation programs, practices, and technologies. Megan is currently leading development of the Waterscape Rebates Program in San Diego and Orange County and works with agricultural, residential, and commercial property owners to make changes that improve water quality and supply. Megan received her Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University and a Master’s in Environmental Management Contact: mchery@enviroincentives.com |
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Teri Kerns Originally from the Oregon Coast, my husband Micole and I moved to Ramona in 2004 after my naval service, which was followed by a career in business development in the Health Care industry, which I retired from in 2021. We started making wine in 2005, and in 2006 planted our first vineyard. Ramona Ranch Winery has focused on sustainability since it’s inception in 2004 and is San Diego County's only Certified Sustainable Vineyard and Winery, a distinction we obtained in 2017. My role is the development of our business, including obtaining our winery bond and licensing as a commercial winery and overseeing the tasting room, while handling the marketing and sales necessary to grow our business. Working to continually improve our sustainability, we use native cover crops, have owl boxes, and do not use herbicides on our property, believing that allowing nature to thrive will create the balance we seek in both our wines, as well as our lives. I have an MBA, and recently obtained my Level One WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Certificate, and am working towards Level Two. Contact: teri@ramonaranchwines.com |
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Codi Hale Codi Hale is the Agricultural Outreach Assistant for the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County. She helps farmers and ranchers apply to grants and connects them to educational and technical assistance support. She also helps manage several pollinator programs and working groups, including the San Diego Pollinator Alliance and the SoCal Pollinator Network. Contact: Joseph.Cryer@sdcounty.ca.gov |
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Chandra Richards, PhD Dr. Chandra Richards is an Agricultural Land Acquisitions Academic Coordinator at the University of California, Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), working to support the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program across Southern California, specifically San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. She also wrote the 2020 SALC Planning Grant that is currently in implementation in San Diego County. In recent years, she led key agriculture, forest health, and habitat restoration programs as well as planning, education, technical assistance, and implementation initiatives across multiple agricultural landscapes. Chandra has a Ph.D. in Soil Biogeochemistry from UC Berkeley and aims to boost land protection and sustainability to combat climate change and safeguard our lands.. Contact: Jcmrichards@ucanr.edu |
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Esther Mosase, PhD (Jan Gonzales presenting on behalf of Esther Mosase) Contact: enmosase@ucanr.edu |
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Jan Gonzales Jan Gonzales is a Community Education Supervisor and Project Coordinator with the University of California Cooperative Extension, San Diego (UCCE). Beginning in 2005, Jan has provided the leadership in developing and implementing new education and outreach programs to help solve local county and regional natural resource and agricultural concerns. She is currently working on the Climate Resilient Agriculture program; however, her work includes managing programs on wildfire – ranging from local county, statewide and national e-Xtension Community of Practice; wildland and urban invasive forest pests; and several additional agricultural related projects. She enjoys identifying, building and fostering collaborative subject-matter and stakeholder networks, seeking solutions to the diverse and interconnected challenges of our natural and working landscapes. Jan has a Bachelors degree in Agricultural Business Management and a Masters in Strategic Communication. Contact: jggonzales@ucanr.edu |