Ahluwalia brings financial savvy, community ethic to UCCE director role

New area director to support UC ANR programs in Colusa, Glenn, Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties

As the new University of California Cooperative Extension area director for five Northern California counties, Teghpreet “Preet” Ahluwalia has an impressive track record of connecting people with resources that can improve lives and uplift future generations.

Preet Ahluwalia, UC Cooperative Extension area director for Colusa, Glenn, Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties

After college at UC Davis, Ahluwalia immersed herself in the world of finance and real estate and started her own investment firm. Its clientele were mainly older adults seeking opportunities to build long-term wealth and security for their descendants.

“We wanted to open up these opportunities in our network to people who didn't have access to them, or wouldn't normally come across them,” Ahluwalia said.

She also volunteered on the board of the National Association of Women Business Owners to share her knowledge and help provide the resources that her entrepreneurial peers needed to thrive.

Beginning in her new role with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources this past August, Ahluwalia now provides administrative support as the area director to UCCE advisors and staff across Colusa, Glenn, Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties. Those teams offer expertise, partnerships and programs to benefit local food systems, community health and economic development.

Ahluwalia's passion for leading-edge research – coupled with her financial acumen and interest in agriculture – make her well-suited to serve as UCCE director.

“This position really represents the best of all worlds, where my experience in higher education and management just come together in this one role to help our clientele and community get to the next step of where they want to go,” she said.

Ahluwalia learned how to optimize budgets in Modoc County

Maximizing resources in a rural, farming area with a relatively small population is nothing new for Ahluwalia. After earning her MBA from UC Davis, Ahluwalia worked as the financial manager for the sheriff's office of Modoc County, in the far northeastern corner of California.

In remote Modoc, home to 8,500 resourceful people, Ahluwalia gained invaluable experience in navigating county government, working with the county administrator, seeing how budgets were determined – and then making the most of limited funds.

Ahluwalia attended the recent Student Ag Field Day, during which elementary school students in Butte County went to a local farm to learn from UCCE experts.

“We had a very limited budget in Modoc County, so we were always thinking creatively about what we could do differently to stretch that money or get more from another source,” she said.

Although Ahluwalia enjoyed living in Alturas and loved the natural beauty of the region, she moved back to the Sacramento area after getting married. In planning her next career move, Ahluwalia sought a path into higher education, taking a position in the admissions office of her alma mater, the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.

But when the UCCE area director job opening at UC ANR was posted, Ahluwalia saw an opportunity to tie-in another prominent aspect of her family story and heritage.

Childhood experiences, family history shaped ag interests

Although she was born in Calgary, Canada, Ahluwalia spent most of her formative years in Porterville in Tulare County. During her childhood, her father, who worked as a pharmacist during the day, also owned a small farm where he grew grapes and prunes. He would do his farm work from the evening until late at night – and on weekends.

“I think he was trying to do a little too much,” Ahluwalia said.

Although he eventually sold his operations, her father's herculean efforts demonstrate the importance of agriculture in their Sikh culture. Punjab, the homeland of many Sikhs, is a largely agricultural state in India.

Several UCCE advisors in the Central Valley identify as Sikh; during a recent regional UC ANR meeting, one of them expressed delight about Ahluwalia's leadership position.

“They didn't know I was in a director role,” Ahluwalia recalled. “They were just like, ‘We're excited to see you in this role because we've never seen anyone in this role from our community.'”

New director builds on legacy of strong relationships

In the first few months on the job, Ahluwalia has been focused on strengthening relationships with county agricultural commissioners, boards of supervisors and other key community leaders and organizations. Building upon the foundation set by the preceding UCCE county directors, Ahluwalia aims to make more people aware of the wide range of Cooperative Extension programs.

Ahluwalia (far left) joined CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE educators on a visit to a local produce stand that supplies boxes for the team to distribute through their programs.

“I'm realizing, through my conversations in each of the counties, that people know we're here, they know we exist,” she said. “But to a certain extent, the community may not be familiar with the full spectrum of what UCCE is doing. Some of them don't know that we're pioneering 4-H youth programs, or that we're providing nutrition education through CalFresh Healthy Living – in addition to our farm advisors and volunteer programs such as UC Master Gardeners.”

To make work more productive, efficient and enjoyable for those advisors and staff, Ahluwalia said she is also looking to streamline administrative processes and offer support in whatever way she can.

“One of the biggest things I'll be doing is listening a lot,” she said. “What do they need and how can I advocate for that? I can't do anything alone – I can do the outreach; I can build the relationships. But they're the actual people who are connecting the research to our communities and providing that education and extension.”

Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty, UC ANR's director of county Cooperative Extension, believes that Ahluwalia has just the skill set and experience to thrive in managing teams and partnerships across five counties – all with their different priorities and needs.

“With her previous appointments in the Modoc County Sheriff's Office and the UC Davis School of Management, she has the essentials to successfully navigate the complex UCCE environment,” said Schmitt-McQuitty. “I'm excited to see how these skills will expand the research and extension in the region and build on the solid foundations the previous county directors established.”

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