Nancy B. Porto, Communications & Development Associate, and Environmental Education Coordinator: Nancy joined ALBA in March 2008. She has a Journalism degree with a specialization in Social Communications from the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in Bogotá, Colombia. As Development & Communications Associate, Nancy develops and designs ALBA's internal bilingual materials and publications to be distributed outside the organization. She leads media relations and partnerships to promote ALBA's efforts and community events. Her position is instrumental in assisting the farmers' development by ensuring their participation in ALBA's educational programs and events. On March 2010, Nancy began to lead ALBA's Multicultural Environmental Education Program: "Food, Land and Water: Connecting Local Families with Conservation". This program benefits 3rd and 4th grade students from AUSD and local families. She also organizes the volunteers' participation and oversees their activities.
Originally from Colombia, Nancy began her environmental work at the Asociación Macarena as part of a multidisciplinary team that investigated environmental damage to river ecosystems near Macarena Ridge in southeastern Colombia. She then worked assisting in the management of the Tayrona National Park in northern Colombia. In 1994 she was offered to help create the Colombian Ministry of the Environment and spent the next four years there, first in the Press Office and then with the Environmental Education Office. In 1998, Nancy moved to the United States and joined the Resource Renewal Institute, a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, where she directed the organization's international projects with Mexico and Holland.
Patricia Carrillo, Business Education Program Manager:
Patricia began in September of 2006 assisting in office
administration and executive duties. She has since started
working as ALBA’s Business Education Coordinator. In her new
role, Patricia is helping to create and sustain economically
viable farm and food processing businesses that generate
opportunities for wealth creation and contribute to local
economic development and community empowerment. A Central Coast
native, Patricia grew up in and around family farmers in the
Salinas area, and also provides ALBA with native Spanish skills
in interpretation and communication with non-English speaking
public, staff and participants. Patricia is a graduate of
Hartnell Community College with an A.S. in Business
Administration, and also has a B.S. in Business Administration
from San Jose State University, with a specialization in
Business Management.
Juan García, Farm Assistant: Juan has been working at
ALBA since the summer of 2008. He is originally from Jalisco,
Mexico and has lived in the Salinas area since 1986. Mr. Garcia
is in charge of the maintenance of the RDC farm, including the
farm equipment. He has more than twenty years of experience in
the maintenance, repair and use of farms tools and equipment.
Prior to ALBA, Mr. Garcia worked for ten years on two farms in
Watsonville, California, where he learned and gained experience
in farm irrigation systems, repair of farm equipment and general
farm management. Juan professes his pleasure working at ALBA –
helping all the farmers and seeing the organic crops grow, and
of course tasting them. He’s happy to be working on a farm that
produces healthy food for people and the environment.
Nathan Harkleroad, Farm Incubator Program Manager:
Nathan came to ALBA in March 2010 from San Luis Obispo where he
worked as the manager of the Cal Poly Organic Farm’s
permaculture site, the primary focus of which was education and
growing specialty crops to support a 300-member, year-round CSA.
While there he also earned an M.S. in Agriculture, emphasis in
Crop Science with research on organic no-till vegetable
production. Prior to that, he was the assistant production
manager of a 5-acre biodynamic farm in Scotland that grew mixed
vegetables and pastured laying hens. Nathan got his first taste
of agriculture as a Peace Corps volunteer in Panama, where he
worked to facilitate projects related to rural health and
compost. The people of the village where he served were mostly
cacao farmers that utilized polycultures to provide food for
market and sustenance. This contrasted largely, in terms of
environmental and human health, with the neighboring town whose
economy was based on growing bananas for export with the heavy
use of synthetic inputs. Nathan grew up in the city of San
Diego, and is truly excited to be working for an organization
that strives to bring more people into organic agriculture and
improve access to safe and healthy foods. He lives with his
wife, Maria, and son, Oliver.
Patty Howe, Administrative Director: Patty joined ALBA as
a bookkeeper in September of 2004, and later moved on to manage
all administrative activities at the Rural Development Center.
Currently, she maintains the financial records and tracking of
all grant activities and expenses. She moved to the California
coast in 1974 and developed an interest in organic farming
issues as an avid backyard gardener while earning a B.A. in
Economics at the University of California Santa Cruz. Patty has
served at the Santa Cruz Live Oak Grange as Garden Manager,
where she oversaw a 1/2 acre demonstration garden, and continues
to serve as Treasurer for the organization. Currently, she is
attending Golden Gate University in San Francisco to prepare for
the CPA exam.
Alfred Navarro: Interim Executive Director:
Alfred Navarro was raised in a migrant farm worker environment
and was the first member of his family to graduate from a
university. After receiving a BS in Business Administration from
Fresno State University, and an MS in Education from USC, as
well as a Lifetime Teachers Credential, in 1970, he was hired by
the then newly formed CCCDC as their first Executive Director.
He was instrumental in organizing and funding with bank
financing, the first strawberry cooperative, Cooperativa
Campesina, which broke many socio-economic barriers and even
today has led to new opportunities for Hispanic family farmers.
He conceptualized and led the effort to establish an
agriculturally based small farm development center and obtained
funding to purchase the Bardin Ranch, now known as ALBA’s RDC.
In 1979, after directing CCCDC in pioneering many diversified
community development projects such as housing, training, and
even developing a bilingual FM radio station, as well as serving
as a Commissioner of Santa Cruz Housing Authority, he left the
Central Coast to Washington D.C. to form the National Rural
Development Finance Corporation. NRDFC pioneered many of the now
established mechanisms now used by the US Treasury’s Community
Development Finance Institutions Fund (CDFI). In 1981, Mr.
Navarro went into the private sector as a high tech start up
manager. He was instrumental in building the world renowned
sales channel for Novell during their IPO period. In 1996, with
more start up experience, he moved back to California to work
for Sun Microsystems for a newly established Java Enterprise
Unit and later another start up in wireless data. Mr. Navarro is
now a consultant to both high tech start ups and non-profit
sectors and recently promoted a well known local artist to
develop an international presence.
Gary Peterson, Development and Communications Director: Gary has more than 16 years' professional experience in sustainable agriculture and rural development. At ALBA he works to sustain program funding, oversee communications, facilitate program monitoring and evaluation, and supports diverse local and national partnerships. Before joining ALBA in 2004, he worked at the Community Alliance with Family Farmers in Davis, California, where he helped diversify and design new program funding, including farm biodiversity and farm-to-school projects, buy local campaigns and member activity in Ventura, Merced, Stanislaus, Sonoma and Humboldt counties. From 1995-1999, he worked with the Center for Rural Affairs in Nebraska, grew its donor base by 50%, generated unprecedented media exposure and organized a $6 million endowment campaign. During his career, Gary has secured more than $15 million for a variety of innovations in sustainable food and farming systems. He has a BA in Political Science from Minnesota State University Moorhead and a Masters of Public Administration from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Gary enjoys hiking, brewing and occasional glassblowing, and serves as a board member of the Santa Cruz-based Coastal Watershed Council and the Granary Foundation endowment fund of the Center for Rural Affairs.
Tony Serrano, General Manager of ALBA Organics:
Tony joined ALBA in September 2008 with extensive experience
in fruit, vegetable and custom livestock operations in
California. He was born in Jalisco, Mexico and moved to the
Watsonville, California at age three. He grew up on and around
farming operations near Las Lomas (home to ALBA’s Triple M
Ranch) and managed 1500 acres near Castroville following high
school, including ranch operations in Marin County. He worked as
Marketing Assistant at ALBA Organics from 2004-2006, then worked
full-time managing kobe beef production in Marin before
returning as general manager in 2008. He is working in
partnership with farmer-vendors to focus on quality and value in
their production for ALBA Organics. Tony and his wife Claudia
have three children and live in rural Las Lomas.
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