Staff and Interns 2009: Standing - Monica
Rodriguez, Patricia Carrillo, Brett Melone, Alice Montgomery,
Deborah Yashar, Tony Serrano, Patty Howe, Noel Velasco. Kneeling
- Gary Peterson, Kira Kratzer, Karina Canto, Nancy B. Porto,
Silverio Ruiz, Juan Garcia.
Nancy Bustos Porto, Communications and Development
Associate: Originally from Colombia, Nancy joined ALBA in
March 2008. She has a Journalism degree with a specialization in
Social Communications from the University Jorge Tadeo Lozano in
Bogotá, Colombia. Nancy began her environmental work in 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 for a
year assisting in the management of the Tayrona National Park in
northern Colombia. In 1994 she was offered to be part of
creating 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.
Karina Canto, Incubator Farm Manager: Karina
originally from Perú where she graduated as an Agronomy Engineer
in 2005. She studied agronomy because her ancestors were farmers
and has always liked working in agriculture. Her family has a
livestock farm and they produce their own food, such as
potatoes, corn and also chickens and turkeys on a small scale.
After graduating she worked with National Agrarian Institute of
Investigation in Huancayo for a year with native grasses/herbs
to revive the High Andean Prairies. Karina also won a contest to
work with rural communities on various projects for an NGO
called, Educational Services Promotion and Rural Support (SEPAR
Servicios Educativos Promoción y Apoyo Rural), where she
worked for almost six years as Field Extension Advisor,
Extensionista de Campo. The project’s goal was to benefit
700 families, and she had 150 farmers in five different
communities under her responsibility. She provided technical
assistance for staple crops like potatoes, corn, and others in
small scale promotion of good cultural practices; minimize the
use of pesticides on our crops, and finances and credit in seed
and inputs. Ever since Karina has had a passion to educate
farmers. Karina came to ALBA through Multinational Exchange for
Sustainable Agriculture (MESA). She began as an intern for
ALBA’s Farmer Education Program in 2006-2007. In 2009 she came
back to ALBA as Farm Incubator Manager and is satisfied to be
part of ALBA because she likes working with limited-resource
farmers and educating youth about food justice, health and the
environment.
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.
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.
Brett Melone, Executive Director: Brett began as ALBA’s
Executive Diretor in May of 2002, arriving directly from Chile,
where he was the executive director of an organization dedicated
to promoting citizen participation and leadership development in
limited-resource communities in Chile and Latin America. In this
position, Brett co-coordinated the global Community Biodiversity
Development and Conservation Programme, as well as the
Chile-based Transition to Sustainable Cities program, which
focuses on building community capacity and leadership around the
issue of recycling and microenterprise development. During
Brett’s three years in Chile, he also had the opportunity to
work as a Rotary Foundation Vocational Scholar on an operating
organic farm for one year, as well as one year as Project
Officer at the International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives (ICLEI), an international association of local
governments, coordinating ten pilot projects throughout Latin
America which focused on the Local Agenda 21 stakeholder process
to address environmental and sustainability issues. Prior to his
work in Chile, Brett was awarded a Knauss/National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration Sea Grant Fellowship, which took him
to the EPA’s Washington, DC Office of Wetlands, Oceans and
Watersheds, where he worked on Tribal wetland programs,
constructed wetlands and biological assessment of wetlands.
Brett is a graduate of the University of San Diego with a degree
in International Relations, Business Administration and Spanish,
and holds a Masters Degree in International Environmental Policy
and Spanish from the Monterey Institute of International
Studies. During his graduate studies he worked as an intern with
the Elkhorn Slough Watershed Project, supporting local farmer
conservation efforts. He is happy to have been able to return
home to work with ALBA and apply his experience to this unique
organization.
Gary Peterson, Deputy Director: Gary joined ALBA in May
2004 with ten years' experience in family farm and sustainable
agriculture advocacy. Before joining ALBA, Gary worked at the
Community Alliance with Family Farmers in Davis, California,
where he diversified its funding sources and program strategies
throughout California. Previously, he was at the Center for
Rural Affairs in Nebraska, where he helped grow its donor base
by 50% and organized a $7 million endowment campaign. Gary has a
BA in Political Science from Moorhead (MN) State University and
a Masters of Public Administration from the Monterey Institute
for International Studies. At ALBA, Gary is working to diversify
sources of support, build new partnerships and programs and
broaden public recognition for its work. He serves on the boards
of the Coastal Watershed Council and the Granary Foundation, a
support corporation of the Center for Rural Affairs.
Andy Rea, Agriculture Education Program Manager: Born
and raised in Los Banos, California, Andy’s father was a career
farmworker who inspired Andy to study ag-related topics since
his hometown is located in the Great Central Valley. While at
Merced Community College, a course in botany led to transferring
to the University of California, Santa Cruz where he earned a
B.A. in Plant Biology. Upon graduation from UCSC, Andy has
worked for Yoder Bros. near Chualar in the Salinas Valley as a
greenhouse manager of azaleas, as a laboratory technician for
Asgrow Seed company and Tulare County Tristeza Lab, a high
school biology teacher for Los Banos High School, for Orsetti
Seed Company as a plant breeder assistant, and for the Central
California Irrigation District as a hydrology technician. Andy
started at ALBA in January 2010 where he is in charge of the
Farmer Education Program (PEPA), teaching the curriculum on
organic farming to aspiring farmers, farm workers, and
new/transitioning organic farmers. Andy and family live in the
beautiful Salinas Valley and are busy in the congregation
activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Salinas.
Monica Rodriguez, Administrative Assistant:
Born and raised in Salinas, Monica graduated from Salinas High
School and received a Associate’s degree in Business Management
from Kelsey-Jenney College in San Diego, California. She worked
in customer service at Next Day Printed Tees of Chula Vista, and
advanced to Vice President of Marketing with the company. Monica
began working with ALBA in 2007. She has worked as the Sales and
Operations Manager at ALBA Organics and has represented ALBA in
the National Good Food Network Regional Lead Team. Monica is
currently ALBA’s administrative assistant.
Silverio Ruiz, Warehouse Manager, ALBA Organics:
Silverio was born in Mexico and moved to the United
States at a very young age. He has been working in the produce
industry for over 40 years. Silverio lived in Pescadero and was
working for a mushroom processing plant performing machine
maintenance until he moved to Salinas. In 2008, he began working
as a delivery driver at ALBA Organics. Currently he is the ALBA
Organics Warehouse Manager.
Tony Serrano, General Manager of ALBA Organics
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.
Noel Velasco, Sales Associate, ALBA Organics:
Noel is originally from Tulare, California and started with
ALBA Organics in September 2009 with a background in
banking. He worked at a credit union for eight years where he
served as a teller, new accounts specialist, notary public and
assistant branch manager, managing a team of six employees. In
his work as sales associate, Noel organizes sales of farmers’
fruits and vegetables. He also assists in the cooler with
pulling orders, managing shipping/receiving as well as overall
record-keeping. Occasionally you may also find him delivering
and picking up products among customers and farmers in our
region. Noel lives in Watsonville with his wife Maribel and
their two children, Ulysses and Anisa.
Deborah Yashar, Food Systems Program Manager:
Deborah Yashar joined ALBA in March of 2003. Previous, she
helped fuel the beginnings of the Community Agroecology Network
(CAN), an international network committed to sustaining rural
livelihoods and environments by integrating research, education,
and trade innovations. Deborah has worked with the Multinational
Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture (MESA), an international
organic- farming apprenticeship program, as a program liason,
and served as volunteer coordinator at the Homeless Garden
Project. She is a graduate of the UC Santa Cruz Environmental
Studies program in Sustainable Agriculture & Agroecology. At
ALBA, she is working to develop community food security
approaches to achieving a healthier food system on the Central
Coast, through marketing, research, outreach, and education.
Currently, she serves on the Steering Committee of the
California Food & Justice Coalition (CFJC), the Board of
Directors of the Santa Cruz Farmers’ Markets, and the Certified
Farmers’ Market Committee of the California Department of Food
and Agriculture (CDFA).
Tomasa, The ALBA Dog: Tomasa was born on the farm in
Salinas in 1997. She is a cattle dog mix born to mother,
Frijolito. Tomasa alerts us to any new vehicle entering the
property, and is always friendly to well-meaning visitors. Our
sweetheart Tomasa loves any treats you can share, but is
especially favorable to belly rubs from the children of farmers
at ALBA.
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